She nods, encouraging me to continue.
“I was with some woman from work. We work together.”
She eyes me skeptically. “Is that all? Just work together?”
Well, not entirely, but it’s nothing serious.
She looks at me with sympathy in her eyes. “If you want to make a go with our girl, you will have to try harder. She fell for you that weekend. And it scares her. And she is living with so much guilt that it is suffocating her. If you care about her, then don’t stop trying.” She says goodbye to us and grabs Jameson in an embrace.
We watch her head off to a table where there are some people she clearly knows as they stand to grab her a chair. We hear her laugh, and Jameson moans. I look at him and can relate to the somber mood that has taken over our table. Eric and Theo look at us and laugh.
“Man, you guys are pathetic.”
Jameson stands and shouts, “Shots?”
“Let’s do it!” Theo says, and Eric and I shake our heads in unison.
As we down our whiskey, I think about another lonely night with my thoughts consumed by a long-legged girl with honey-colored eyes.
ChapterThirteen
Liv
I returnto the apartment and throw my phone and air pods on the table. I am immediately hit with the most fragrant smell. I see a large bouquet of red roses on the kitchen table. I go to read the card and see they are for Emma. I mean, of course, they are for Emma. Who would send me flowers here? I see the signature of the name Eduardo. Hmm, who is this guy? I definitely would have remembered that name. Oh, well, that’s a topic for conversation when I next see that girl. I proceed to strip out my running gear. I’ve lost a little weight, but running helps as an escape to clear my head and is a great form of de-stressing. And today, I really needed to clear my head. Seeing Dax made me feel all sorts of things. Desire, confusion, longing, did I mention desire?
I shake my head and move into the kitchen. I need to eat something post-run, so I grab a quick pre-made energy drink from the cabinet and add a couple of ice cubes to the blender to make it cold. I grab my shake bottle, load it up with the product, and dump a scoop of powdered peanut butter to finish it off. I drop the little metal whisking ball into the cup, screw on the top, and shake it up.
“Ah, much better,” I murmur as I take my first sip.
I stroll half-naked to the shower and look at myself in the mirror. I turn from side to side and think about the girl with Dax today at the coffee shop. She’s a beauty and very different from me. She was classy and elegant in an Eastern European way, and I look…well…I look, not that. I see nothing exotic or enticing about myself. She looks like she fits with Dax.
But I want to “fit with Dax,”I think to myself.
My mind wanders back to the coffee shop. He looked nothing like the guy I met at the beach, and I reminded myself that we didn’t know each other at all. Not that I expected to know everything about him after one weekend, but the connection we shared was impossible to deny.
He said he wanted to talk. And I want to talk to him too. I want to know if he is seeing anyone, if he still thinks of me, and if he felt what I felt that weekend at the beach. But as my heart starts to pick up at the idea of talking to him, Brodie flashes in my mind, and the guilt returns. I place my shake on the bathroom counter and jump in the shower. It is cold and helps to wake me up and clear my head. I feel so sleep-deprived these days. I towel off, quickly throw on one of my favorite Athleta dresses, and don a pair of vans to complete the ensemble. I ran my fingers deftly through my semi-dry hair and plaited a long braid thrown over my shoulder. I apply a little tinted moisturizer, a blush stick that coats my lips in a matte rose finish, and toss on some mascara.Definitely plain.Tonight is a study night at Brodie’s, so I collect my books and place them in my messenger bag. I grab my key and phone and head to the door. I sent Dax a response earlier today with one word—Okay.I didn’t know what else to say. Should I blurt out that I couldn’t stop thinking about him and,of course,wanted to talk to him? I couldn’t do that. So, Okay, I had to do it. At least it opens the conversation to hear what he has to say. But he never responded, and I don’t know what to make of that. I don’t have time to think about it as I jump into the Jeep and head out to Brodie’s father’s house.
I pull up to the gated community and am quickly let in. My information is stored in the residence list, and the attendant knows me well since I often come by. I pull into the circular driveway and grab my stuff. I walk up to the door and let myself in. Brodie’s stepmom walks up through the living room as I walk in. Brodie’s dad remarried. This woman he had an affair with also worked in his office. I am cordial to her but have zero respect for that home wrecker.
My thoughts must be displayed on my face because she sees me and says, “You know where to find him,” as she walks straight past me without a second glance.
“Thanks,” I mumble as I run up the stairs two at a time to where Brodie’s suite is located.
I knock and hear Brodie’s voice from his chair reply, “Come in.”
I dramatically open the door and pretend to sashay through the hardwood floor onto the rug in front of the gas fireplace. There’s not much I can do for him, but I can still make him laugh. A chuckle permeates Brodie’s chest, followed by a deep, productive cough. I throw my stuff down on his chaise lounge and quickly make my way over to him.
“You need some water?” I go to the pitcher that sits by his table, promptly fill it up, and hold the straw to his mouth.
He takes a drink, and it seems to settle him. I look away, and once again, the guilt rears its ugly head. Brodie can read me like a book, and he sees the pain in my face.
“What are you studying today?” he asks, clearly trying to keep me from overthinking.
Glad for this change of subject, I fetch my bag and crisscross my legs on the floor to retrieve my stuff.
“Well, I am getting ready to start my clinical and get to be at the hospital now. I even get to see patients and write orders.” I waggle my eyebrows like I’m super impressed. But all joking aside, I am totally prepared for this rotation and am super excited about it.
“That’s cool,” he says.
