“Why? You explained everything. He’s your ex. He’s a journalist. He betrayed your trust. I get it.” I shrug. “Don’t need anything more than that.”
“Oh yeah? Because you’ve been avoiding me for two days.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Bullshit.”
I lean against the door. “What do you want me to say, Noah?”
“I want you to tell me why you’re pissed off.”
“I’m not pissed off.”
“You are. I can see it.” He nods toward me. “Your entire body is tense, like you’re blocking me out.”
“Fine. You want to know why?” I throw my hands into the air and step forward. “Because I walked into that coffee shop and saw you sitting with some guy who looked like he belonged in your life. And for a second, I thought maybe that’s what you want. Someone like him. Someone who fits into your perfectly polished little world.”
“What does that even mean?” Noah asked. “And, let me just say again, Alex doesn’t fit into my world. He destroyed my ability to trust people.”
“Yeah, but he’s still the kind of guy you date though, right? Journalist, professional, probably went to some fancy school. Wears suits. The kind of guy who makes sense for someone like you.”
“Someone like me?”
“Yeah. Someone who’s got their shit together. Someone who doesn’t throw people into barricades at charity events.”
Noah’s expression shifts. “Is that what you think? That I’d want someone like Alex instead of—” He stops.
“Instead of what?”
“Nothing.”
“No. Say it. Instead of what?”
“Instead of you.”
The words hang in the air between us.
“You don’t want me,” I say. “You’ve made that pretty fucking clear.”
“I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to. Every time I try to get close, you shut down. Every time I think maybe there’s something here, you put up another wall.”
“Because there can’t be something between us. You know that.”
“Why? Because you’re the PR director and I’m a player? Because your dad’s my coach? Because people might think you didn’t earn your job?”
“All of that. Yes.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it.”
“It’s reality, Masterson. If someone suspected we were together, everything I’ve worked would go up in smoke. And not only my credibility and reputation, but my father’s position, too.”
“So you’re just going to keep pretending you don’t feel anything?”
“I have to.”
“Even though you do feel something.”
