“Caramel macchiato with two shots of espresso and almond milk,” she says, her green eyes sparkling. However, they dim just as quickly. “I mean, I probably shouldn’t knowing the calories and sugar content. But you know …”
My eyebrows pinch in tight and I reach out, placing a hand over hers. “Hey, don’t do that. That mind-fuckery won’t do you any good.”
Her eyes meet mine and she inhales a quick breath. Something zaps between us—like a kind of acknowledgment or appreciation.
“Here you go, Carlie. Make sure my man here takes some deep breaths, would you?” Dylan says, setting her drink in front of her.
The spell between us is broken and Carlie pulls her hand from mine, blinking hard. “You uh—you two are friends?”
“BFFs for life,” Dylan assures her, patting me on the shoulder again before heading back.
I chuckle, trying to play it cool. “Yeah, Dylan and I go way back. He’s the younger brother I never had.”
Carlie nods, a smile playing on her lips. “That’s nice. It’s good to have friends like that.” She takes a sip of her drink, her eyes closing briefly in appreciation.
I watch her, admiring the way her face lights up with such a simple pleasure.
“Carlie,” I start, my voice a bit more serious now. “About the whole Instagram thing ... I just want to say I’m really sorry for how it all went down. You didn’t deserve?—”
She looks up, her expression a mix of surprise and something else I can’t quite place. “Oh, Adam, it’s ... it’s okay. I mean, it wasn’t your fault. It just got blown way out of proportion. Besides, you got the brunt of it, being fired and all.”
I shake my head, feeling the weight of the situation. “No, but I feel responsible. That picture, the comments ... I hate how it made you a target. They should never have done that. People can just be such assholes.”
Her reaction is subtle yet revealing. Her eyes, usually so expressive, widen a fraction, and there’s a slight tremble in her lower lip, like the faintest ripple on still water. The whole thing betrays her real feelings on the impact of the incident.
“Yeah, they really can be,” she says, her voice coming out in a breathless squeak. She clears her throat and adds, “That’s why I’ve been avoiding Instagram.”
I feel a twinge of guilt strike me in the stomach. Based on that comment alone, I can tell she hasn’t seen my response post to the trolls.
“I’m sorry, Carlie.” It’s all I can think to say.
She gives me a small, sad smile. “Thanks, Adam. That means a lot.”
“So,” I whisper, eager to know more about her and shift the conversation, “I wanna know more about your writing. You’ve been so vague about it.”
She opens her eyes, the spark returning. “You’re going to think it’s dumb.”
My forehead creases. “No, I won’t.”
She levels me with a stare, then sighs. “All right, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“You can trust me,” I press, hoping like hell the sincerity filters into my tone.
Her lips twist to the side for a second, then she says, “I write romance novels. It’s a bit cheesy to most people, I know, but I love it. There’s something about creating stories where everything works out in the end that makes me really happy.”
I can’t help but smile back. “Sounds interesting, actually.” I lean in, genuinely interested. “And writing romance doesn’t sound cheesy. It sounds hopeful. We could all use a bit of that.”
“Thanks, Adam.” A bloom of soft pink spreads across her cheeks, and she momentarily finds the swirling patterns on the coffee table more interesting—a telltale sign of her modesty in accepting compliments. “It’s just ... well, sometimes life isn’t like the books, you know?”
I nod, understanding all too well. “Yeah, I get that. Life’s thrown me some curveballs, too.Obviously.”
While I meant it in terms of getting fired—my thoughts stray back to Jillian’s betrayal and the fact that her infidelity led me to Club Nocté.
That certainly was no romance novel. More like a steamy erotic short story.
But it was certainly a curveball, nonetheless.
Carlie’s gaze meets mine again, and there’s a shared understanding in her eyes. “Life’s messy, isn’t it? But that’s what makes it real, I guess.”
