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Kate scooted closer, close enough that their knees touched, and she placed her hand on top of Kristina’s. “First of all, I get to call him a bastard for doing this to you. So, fucking bastard.”
Kristina gave a watery laugh.
“Second of all,” Kate said, squeezing her hand, “tell me where you’re at. Are you just upset that you two slept together and then he went back to the avoidance routine he’s been pulling the past few months, or is it more than that?”
Looking down at her lap, Kristina swallowed around that lump. And then tried again. But it was getting thicker and thicker. Tears spilled from the corner of her eyes. She forced a deep breath and shook her head, and then she managed a whisper. “I…” She shrugged. “Love him.”
Saying the words opened a flood gate inside her, and Kristina couldn’t fight the tears anymore. They fell no matter how many times she wiped them away. And no matter how hard she fought for composure, her breathing shuddered and hitched.
“Kristina,” Kate said. “You’ve loved Noah Cortez since the day I met you.”
And that was when Kristina really lost it. She curled around the pillow, and Kate put an arm around her and pulled her in.
Long minutes later, Kristina managed to calm herself down again, and she dried her face with the long hem of her top. “Okay,” she said blowing out a long breath. “Okay.” She sat back into the corner of the couch.
Kate braced her head on her hand. “Am I right?” she asked quietly.
“Maybe. I don’t know. Yes,” Kristina said, admitting what felt so obvious now, but what had eluded her before this moment. “I mean, he’s been my best friend since I was five years old, so I knew that I loved him. But somewhere along the way, I fell in love with him. I can’t even pinpoint exactly when it happened,” Kristina said, thinking over the past days and months. “But it was before we slept together, for sure. And now that we did that and I know how I really feel, I don’t know what to do.”
“Yes, you do,” Kate said, giving her a no-nonsense look.
Kristina’s stomach fell. “I have to tell him?”
Kate nodded. “You do. You owe it to yourself and to him. And if he can’t handle that or doesn’t reciprocate, you need to know that, too.”
“But what if I just…I don’t know, played it cool? See how things are between us? See if things progress naturally?” She picked at the white fringe on the edge of the pillow.
“Do you really want to put on an act for the man who has been your best friend all these years and who is the man you now love?”
Well, when she put it like that, it didn’t sound nearly as rational. “No, of course not, but—”
“Look, Kris, I said this the other night. There’s no going back. There’s only going forward. And you can’t do that based on lies. Right?”
Kristina’s shoulders fell, but this straight talk was exactly why she’d needed to see Kate. “Yeah.”
Kate gave her hand another squeeze. “Then it sounds like you need to see him as soon as you can. You won’t know anything ‘til you do.”
“Tomorrow’s the last day of school,” Kristina said, thinking out loud. “I could head over to his place as soon as I finish cleaning out my classroom.” It was a half day, and the teachers and staff usually stayed around for a lunchtime party. She could leave right after that.
“Sounds like a plan,” Kate said.
But whether it was a good plan remained to be seen.
Chapter Fourteen
Kristina stepped up to Noah’s apartment door full of determination. Part of which had been fueled by Kate, who’d been sending her encouraging texts all morning. Things like,
Stop waiting for Prince Charming. Go find him. The poor idiot may be stuck up in a tree or something.
COURAGE: Do one brave thing today…t
hen run like hell.
Just chuck it in the fuck it bucket and move on!
Stay stroganoff. Which she quickly followed up with, Bahahaha! Best autocorrect ever!
Kristina knocked on the door. After about a minute, she did it again. Glancing out at the parking lot, she reconfirmed that Noah’s car was here. She waited another minute or two, and knocked a third time, this time with her fist instead of her knuckles.
