Subtly.
So subtly that it’s basically Caspian who does all the work.
How do I turn that into a doable plan?
Okay. Facts first. Caspian did not ask me out.
That means he didn’t want to—which, in turn, means he’s moved on and is currently writing his wedding vows to a person who handed over their number like a champion of grown-up communication.
Oh, and their dog is called Bim.
I sigh. Maybe that wasn’t a fact.
Should I join a gym and lurk there until he shows up?
I could casually sit in the corner with a protein shake so I’d blend in.
No.
Even if I managed to locate the gym he goes to, I’d drop a dumbbell on my toes and cry. Caspian would flinch, look away, and lock eyes with a himbo in a PUSH THROUGH THE PAIN T-shirt.
Clearly, he’s over me.
For a brief, reckless moment, I consider telling him the truth—that I don’t hate him, quite the opposite—before realizing it would be the worst plan. My voice would crack. Caspian would blink politely before saying he values our friendship, but he has Himbo and Bim now.
If I’m completely honest with myself, I don’t want to pursue him.
I want him to pursue me.
I want him to want me desperately despite all my flaws and unfair expectations.
If I have to explain this to him, we’re obviously doomed.
So I won’t explain it.
I have a better idea.
Tomorrow, in Caspian’s favorite coffee shop, I will do nothing.
He’d better show up.
If I’m willing to let him know I’m available, the least he can do is be there.
CHAPTER 34 – ANTONIO
A smiling woman in glittering earrings welcomes me into Baywood Beans. Shereminds me of Mom. She has that look older women get when they want to pinch your cheeks.
I choose a table at the back, half-hidden by a ficus.
I’m so casual.
I open the thriller Mom insisted I’d love. The first page has a murderer dipping biscotto into her victim’s still-warm blood.
Delightful.
Every time the door jingles, I look up.
After an hour of pretending I’m reading and not pining after hazel eyes, the smiling woman approaches me again. She places a chocolate-chip cookie, a pencil, and a Sudoku grid in front of me. Her fingers hover. I’ll bite her if she tries to pinch my cheeks.
