I stared at him in silence, unsure of how to reply. Did he honestly think he was the first man to point that out?
“That was lame, I’m sorry.” He lowered his head in shame. “I just…I haven’t done this in a while.”
“And by ‘this,’ you mean…?”
“You know…trying to engage a pretty girl in a…pretty decent conversation.”
That makes the two of us, buddy.
“Well, you’re not doing so bad,” I said to him.
The idea was to try to loosen up a bit and maybe even get a little high. I just wanted to forget my sorrows and the fact that my life was filled with misery.
Why should I cage myself when Adrik was set to marry another woman? Why shouldn’t I live my life the way I wanted? Why shouldn’t I make reckless mistakes like following a stranger to his place for a one-night stand?
I decided to indulge this Oliver guy.
We talked for a while, and I found out that he was single, had a decent job, and lived across the street. Oliver seemed like a pretty decent guy: fancy suit, curly dark hair, and a pair of wire-rimmed glasses that made him look a little like a nerd.
The more we talked, the more I realized that he was just like the other guys. Normal. Ordinary. And there was nothing wrong with that—they simply weren’t like Adrik Tarasov. Not even close.
He was the only one who made my heart race without trying. The only one who could easily ignite the fire within me with just the right words and the right stare.
As Oliver’s voice faded into the background, it dawned on me that Adrik was the only one who could fill this void. He was the only remedy for my frustration.
I was done running.
I was done hiding away from the truth—mytruth.
There was no way in hell that I was going to be happy without him. It was now or never. If I didn’t fix my mistake, I’d lose him to another woman forever.
No, I couldn’t have that.
I wasn’t going to let my pride get in the way of my happiness. I’d be miserable if I lost Adrik Tarasov because finally, I’d accepted the truth.
I was in love with him.
“Earth to Emika.” Oliver snapped his fingers in my face.
I blinked back to reality.
“You still with me?”
“Yeah, uh….” I scratched the back of my head. “I gotta go.”
“Go?” He watched me rise to my feet, his brows raised in shock. “What’s the matter? Did I do something wrong?”
“Oh, no, no….” I withdrew some cash and dropped it on the countertop. “It’s not you; it’s me.”
He glanced at me in disbelief. “Wow, you really used that excuse on me, huh?”
“I’m sorry,” I said, meaning every word. “I really am. But I have to go.”
With that, I stormed out of the bar, my heels clicking rapidly against the floor.
Outside, the air felt sharp against my skin as I hurried to my car. For the first time, I knew exactly what I wanted, and I was going for it with everything in me.
I wasn’t that naive girl anymore.
