The door clicks closed and that’s when it dawns on me that Ashton and I are the only ones left in the office. Even Skylar is gone, and she’s usually the last person to leave.
“Will you be staying late?”
His voice is smooth, a breeze that floats through the empty room, kissing each corner of my mind. It’s so different from the way he just spoke to Cara. From the way he’s spoken to me every day for the last two weeks.
“Just finishing up,” I attempt to keep the hope out of my voice. “I need another ten minutes.”
“No worries,” he says, his neutral tone returning and hanging in the air. It’s like he forgot himself before, but then he remembered he’s supposed to be my boss and nothing else. “Would you mind locking up then?” He takes out a key ring and slips off a silver one, placing it on my desk.
“Sure,” I say, finding it nearly impossible to hide my disappointment. Why did I think he would stay here with me while I finished my work?
Stupid.
“What was that?”
Shit, I think I said that out loud.
“Nothing. I’m good. You can go. Wouldn’t want you to be late.”
His lips turn up like he’s about to say something, his eyes turning a subtle shade darker.
Come on.
Take. The. Bait.
Say it.
Ask me what I mean, so I can say, “For your date with Space Buns.”
And then ask me who the hell Space Buns is so I can tell you that’s what I call Cara.
Chuckle in that hearty way you do, like you have an inside joke with yourself.
Come closer and do that thing where you speak softly in my ear even though it’s just us here and whisper, “She’s not the one I want.”
He doesn’t do any of that. Instead, he tips his head down, as if he can’t even spare any additional words for me. Before I can explain myself, he’s already walking out the door.
It takes me well over ten minutes to finish the research I’m working on because I keep staring at the article on my screen, reading the same line over and over again. Finally, I have all the notes I need, so I power down my computer and am just about to text Emory for a much-needed ice cream and reality show night when the front door to the office creaks open.
My heart instantly kicks against my chest at the thought of Ashton coming back. But when I look past my cubicle, I’m not met with his soft caramel hair and pale freckles. Instead, I see gelled black curls and muscles protruding from a fitted white T-shirt. Despite my surprise at seeing him here, I don’t miss the tightness of his lips or the determined gleam in his eyes. Idefinitely don’t miss the way he turns the lock on the door until it clicks into place.
“Craig.” The nervous lilt in my voice makes me angry. I don’t get nervous. I can hold my own in any situation.Well, almost.
“Allie,” he walks toward my desk at a glacial pace, every step making me nearly jump. When he finally reaches me, my eyes dart to my purse. How am I just remembering that I have pepper spray? Now that it’s entirely too late to do anything about it.
“W—” I clear my throat.I will not stutter. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, Allie,” he says as he casually leans against the side of my desk, “I’ve been trying to get in touch with you all week. I want to take you out on that date we talked about.”
“Oh, right. Yeah, I’ve been super busy with the paper and?—”
“So how about it, then?”
“How about what?”
“The date,” he clarifies, irritation slowly building behind his eyes.
“Oh, well, I was just leaving, actually.”
