She straightens her spine and steps back as Lauren Stevens exits the apartment building. “I’m sorry,” Aubrey says.
Lauren smiles bemusedly. She’s lovely, and Aubrey’s going to break her heart.
“We can go around,” Ethan says, a hand on Lauren’s back, the other balled into a fist at his side.
“I wasn’t talking to you, Ethan,” Aubrey snaps.
Lauren’s face shifts, instantly wary, and again Aubrey wonders about that déjà vu thing. Somewhere, in some reality, does another Lauren Stevens know what’s coming?
“I’m sorry I don’t recognize you,” Lauren says. “Do you live in the building?”
Aubrey shakes her head.
“But you two know each other?” Lauren’s voice lifts a pitch. “From work or—”
“Socially,” Aubrey says. The way Lauren leans into Ethan, Aubrey almost feels bad. Her words will change Lauren’s life. Even though Aubrey thinks she should say them, she won’t be here to deal with the consequences. The sense of female loyalty she feels toward Lauren won’t make up for that. And maybe this isn’t really her choice to make. It’s Ethan’s. And yet, he’s been lying to them both—and maybe they aren’t the only ones.
Aubrey pulls the “You are somebody’s reason to smile” rock out of her pocket and pushes it into Ethan’s hand.
Lauren looks at her with a puzzled expression. “What’s that?”
“Just something I needed to return,” Aubrey says.
Lauren swivels toward her fiancé. “Return? Ethan?”
“It’s nothing,” he says, barely covering his growl.
This is as much as Aubrey can do. Once she’s gone, the otherAubrey might not have any memory of all this. How far Lauren pushes Ethan for an answer will be up to her.
Aubrey lets her gaze settle on Ethan, with any luck, for the last time in any reality.
She has one more thing to do. For this Aubrey, yes, but even more, for herself.
She’s waiting outside the deli, two iced rooibos lattes dripping condensation onto the bistro table. He pauses when he sees her, lets his hand slip from the door handle. A woman approaches, and he reclaims the handle, opening the door for her, causing his T-shirt to rise, the indentation above his hip to be exposed. Aubrey feels a twinge of desire.
He approaches, and Aubrey holds out one of the drinks. He doesn’t take it from her.
“Why am I here?” Kai says. “Can’t you fire me at the office?”
“You’re not being fired.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t sue you or anything.”
Aubrey puts down the tea. “You shouldn’t joke about that. It’s not funny. It wasn’t right, me sleeping with you, and it’s not something we should gloss over. We should talk about it.”
“It’s cool, I told you it’s cool. Maybe you think because I’m such a child, you need to keep repeating it for me to get it?”
Disappointment gives way to frustration. “Yeah, so how’s that shoulder?”
His brow furrows. “My what? Shoulder, what do you—”
“From the chip. It’s heavy, right?”
“That’s not fair. You said I was young yourself.”
“I did, because I couldn’t say what I really wanted to say.” Her fingernail finds her thumb and she scratches the phantom mosquito bite. “You weren’t Ethan.”
“Uh, yeah, I should go.” He starts to turn, and Aubrey wraps a hand around his forearm, his muscles taut beneath her palm.
