“I asked her out again,” he said.
Jonnas raised a brow. “Already?”
“Yeah, this morning, after I woke up. I’ve texted her ten times,” he admitted.
“Ten times,” Jonnas repeated. “Tell me that she’s been responding and you’re not just sending her random messages.” Elias wished that he could tell his friend that—he really did. He must have looked as guilty as he felt about the texts because Jonnas groaned.
“Okay, maybe she’s just been busy,” his friend offered. “Or maybe she’s in class.”
“All valid points. Or, maybe she’s ghosting me and never wants to see me again,” Elias countered.
“What did we just fucking talk about, man. I thought that you were going to try to be more positive and think about things going right for a change,” Jonnas reminded.
“Okay, then I’ll just call her and find out what’s going on. Then, I’ll ask her out again—if she answers the phone,” Elias said, self-doubt creeping back in again.
“And if she doesn’t answer the phone?” Jonnas challenged.
“Then, I’ll just go over to her place and wait for her to talk to me. She’ll have to leave her place at some point, even if she is trying to avoid me,” he said.
Jonnas smiled. “That’s my boy. About damn time you stopped playing it safe. I’ll leave you to your phone call then,” he said. “I want details later.” Elias watched his friend as he left his office, turning back to give him one last goofy smile, making him laugh. Jonnas was right—it was time for him to stop playing things safe. He was going to take what he wanted from life, and right now, that involved another date with Aliza. Then, he could figure out where to go from there.
As Elias turned back to his work, one thought stayed with him. For the first time in a long time, he wasn’t afraid of wanting something more. He was more afraid of not trying to get what he wanted—namely, Aliza.
Aliza
The pounding on her door felt like it was coming from inside her skull. Aliza jolted awake, her heart racing, the echo of the sound rattling through her tiny apartment. For a few disoriented seconds, she didn’t know where she was, only that someone was hitting her door like it owed them money.
She fumbled for her phone on the nightstand and saw that it was just past six in the morning. “Who the hell is pounding on my door at this hour?” she muttered to herself. She threw back her blankets and pulled on the hoodie she’d left draped over the chair. The pounding came again, harder this time. Whoever was on the other side of the door seemed to be very impatient and angry.
Her pulse spiked as she moved down the short hallway and peered through the peephole. Her father’s frame filled the space between the door and her. Aliza’s stomach dropped so fast it made her dizzy. It was way too early in the morning for a visit from her father. Something had to be wrong, and that thought had her mind racing.
She hadn’t seen him in over a month—not since their last argument about her staying in school instead of taking the job he’d lined up for her. He looked the same now as he had then,with his pressed suit jacket, rigid posture, and his jaw locked so tight it looked like it might crack. Yeah, he was pissed about something, and she had a feeling that something, or in this case, someone, was her.
She took a deep breath to steady herself and opened the door. He stood in the doorway huffing out his breath as though he had just run a marathon, not bothering to even say hello. “What is wrong with you?” he snapped, pushing past her like she wasn’t even there. “Do you have any idea what kind of embarrassment you’ve brought on this family?”
“Dad, what are you talking about?” she asked, barely able to keep up as he marched into her living room, as though he owned it.
He spun around and shoved a folded newspaper into her chest. “This is what I’m talking about.” The paper felt heavier than it should have. Her hands trembled as she opened it. And there it was—a photo of her and Elias standing near the small auction stage, talking. They were standing way too close, and she had her face tipped up toward him. It showed a moment caught between surprise and something dangerously close to happiness. She was sure that it had been taken when they decided to actually go out on the date that she had just bid on, and she looked happy—actually happy. She quickly read the headline aloud to herself.
LOCAL DOCTOR AUCTIONED OFF TO YOUNG MYSTERY WOMAN:Hospital Charity Night Turns Heads
The words blurred for a second as she tried to make sense of them. She had no idea that the hospital would have press at the function, or that she and Elias would be their feature story. Shit—this was the last thing that either of them needed. Elias would have to deal with a bunch of coworkers giving him a hard time at work. Hell, she wouldn’t blame him if he decided that she wasn’t worth any of the trouble that she had been causing him.
“You bid on a man old enough to be your father,” he said sharply. “A married-looking, silver-haired doctor with a reputation. Do you know what people are saying about you?”
Her throat tightened. “He’s not married. And he’s not?—”
“I don’t care!” he barked, cutting off her words as she tried to defend Elias. “You think anyone reading that paper cares? They see a pretty girl buying herself a wealthy older man, and they draw conclusions.”
“That’s not what it was,” she said, anger starting to burn through the shock. “It was for charity. And I didn’t buy him?—”
“You raised a paddle and paid money for him, did you not?” he cut in. “However you want to spin it, that’s what it was.”
Aliza folded the paper slowly, deliberately, trying to steady herself. “You don’t know him. And you have no idea what’s going on between the two of us.”
“I know enough,” her father said coldly. “And you are done with him. Immediately.”
Her breath hitched. “You don’t get to decide that.”
