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You must act normal.

Except nothing about this felt normal.

I couldn’t stop picturing him with his head tilted back, his hand working fast and furious.

I was hyperaware when his leg pushed against mine again, harder this time. My eyes flew up to meet his.

This time, there was no question.

It wasn’t an accident.

I stared down at my plate, forcing myself to chew and swallow, to act like I wasn’t unraveling. I wasn’t even tasting this delicious food. But every time I looked up after that, Rafe was already looking at me. Like he’d been waiting.

Ninety minutes felt like a lifetime. When the check finally came, I was wound so tightly, I thought I might snap.

We walked to the door together. Outside, Rafe pointed in the opposite direction of where we lived.

“I’m not walking back with you guys,” he said. “I’ve got a date.”

Calder smiled. “Cara again?”

Rafe smirked. “No. Someone else.”

Something sharp twisted in my stomach. I hated myself for feeling it.

“Don’t wait up,” he added. “I’ll probably stay the night.” His eyes flickered to me for a second. “Maybe even stick around for a nice, long shower.”

“Alright, man,” Calder said, completely oblivious. “You have a good night.”

“Oh, I will.”

Rafe’s eyes found mine one last time. “’Night, Talia.”

CHAPTER 15

The following Monday morning, I headed out for my first day of work at Diamond Publishing. Thank God this had finally arrived, because I’d never needed a distraction or a reason to leave the house more.

I arrived at the Midtown office building, clutching the to-go coffee I’d bought from the truck right outside. I’d had coffee at home—two cups, in fact—but needed another. I was a bit early, so I downed the coffee in the lobby and chucked the cup in the trash before heading upstairs to the Diamond offices. My heart began pounding on the elevator up, and I wasn’t sure if it was nerves, too much caffeine, or lingering anxiety over my obsession with Rafe.

After I gave my name to the receptionist, I stood in the waiting area.

“Talia?”

I turned to find the managing editor, Liz Weiss, behind me. I’d never met her in person before, but we’d had online meetings. Liz was short and thin with a cropped blonde bob. Despite her tiny frame, I still found her quite intimidating.

“Liz, it’s so great to see you.”

She smiled. “It’s great to finally have you here. Are you ready?”

“Absolutely.” I straightened my posture. “I’ve felt like this day would never come, honestly.”

“What a great time of year to move to the City. There’s so much to do.”

“Yes. I’ve been taking it all in slowly.” I exhaled, and my stomach gurgled. I hoped Liz couldn’t tell how nervous I was.

“I know you were in the office for an informal visit a couple of weeks ago when some of us were in London, but let’s take you around to meet everyone this time.”

“Sounds great.” I followed her down a hallway.