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I forced a smile, knowing Calder well enough to be certain he was exaggerating to make me feel better.

“How have you been?” he asked. “I’ve wanted to stop in a hundred times, but I always chicken out.”

“Why?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Just feels…weird, I guess.”

“I know what you mean. Though I wish it didn’t.”

Calder was still standing in the hall, and I really didn’t want things to be so strained between us, so I took a step back. “Do you want to come in?”

He shook his head. “I’d rather not hang out with you in Rafe’s apartment.”

That was fair. “I understand.”

“How about lunch tomorrow?” He smiled sheepishly. “Full disclosure: I had a few drinks tonight. That’s how I finally got the courage to come talk to you. But I’d rather us hang out when I’m sober so I don’t say or do something stupid.”

I smiled back. “I’ve had a few drinks, too. Lunch tomorrow sounds perfect.”

Calder’s eyes dropped to my mouth. The way he looked at me caused a little flutter low in my belly, and before I could get control of myself, my lips parted.

Calder noticed, and a slow smile curved along his face as he lifted his gaze back to mine. “How about one o’clock?”

“One is good.”

He nodded, gave me another quick once-over, then leaned in and kissed my cheek. “See you tomorrow, Talia.”

After I closed the door, I stood with my back pressed against it for a long moment. My cheek was tingling where Calder’s lips had touched, and it left me feeling more than a little confused. It had been a simple, innocent kiss. Barely a peck. Except the way my body reacted didn’t feel innocent.

And that shouldn’t happen.

Not with Calder.

Especially not here, in Rafe’s apartment—the apartment of the man I was supposed to be in love with.

I was lonely. That had to be it.

I pushed away from the door and walked to the bedroom. After changing and washing my face, I climbed into bed and pulled the pillow from behind my head. Bringing it to my nose, I inhaled a long breath.

It had been a month since Rafe left, but I still hadn’t changed one of the pillowcases. I’d washed the sheets and everything else, but I needed the scent of him. His shampoo. His cologne. Him. It was faint now, but still caused an ache in my chest. And that ache was different from whatever I’d felt when I caught Calder looking at me.

Calder made my stomach flutter in that jittery, schoolgirl way. But this? This was a deep stirring in my soul.

I rolled to my side and tried to close my eyes and fall asleep, but it still wasn’t happening. Adrenaline from the night, from dancing, from Calder’s unexpected pop in, flowed through my veins. My mind wouldn’t settle, and my body wouldn’t either.

Eventually, I gave up and reached for my phone. I swiped to open Instagram like I had a hundred times since Rafe left. Stalking him had become my favorite pastime. I could look at photos of him and his artwork for hours. I loved the intense concentration in his eyes, the strong lines of his hands. But this time, the second the app opened, a notification popped up at the top of the screen.

Rafe Rivers is live.

Live!

Oh my God.

My heart started to race, and I couldn’t tap the button fast enough. The screen went black for a second before his face appeared. He was alone in a room I didn’t recognize. His hair was messier than usual, and he was wearing a pair of jeans with paint all over them, like he’d just finished working on something. He reached for the phone, seemed to fiddle with the camera for a second, then returned with a half-crooked smile.

“Okay,” he said. “This is weird.”

I smiled.