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The desperation in his tone is difficult to ignore, along with the heavy weight of his hand on mine.
“And then I see you with him? It kills me to see you with someone else. That’s when I realized I can’t do this anymore. I don’t want another man touching you. I want you to be all mine.”
I drag my hand back toward my lap, the hurt on his face evident.
“So, this is about Noah? Are you jealous? Let me guess. Your ego has taken a hit, so now you think that telling me you feel something is going
to make me do what, exactly?”
“Not something, I love you, Kate,” he finally admits.
My skin begins to flush, and the room becomes incredibly hot all of a sudden. With my lips pulled back baring my teeth, I stand quickly, willing this conversation to end. “I need to go. This conversation is over. Sort out your marriage, Dominic, but don’t make decisions based on what you think you feel.”
I storm out of the bar, not turning around to watch him try to intimidate me, and through the lobby back onto the street. The threat of rain lingers in the air. I keep my head down, trying to shut out the noise on the solemn walk home. After several blocks, the pitter-patter of the rain begins to create a shield around me. The drops fall hard, soaking my hair and clothes while cooling my skin. The beads trickle down my face, washing away the uncertainty of my life, if only for a few moments.
In the space of a week, my simple life went from zero to a hundred.
Noah’s back.
Dominic professes the word love.
And all of this complicates my life no matter which way I turn.
I’m damned if I do, and damned if I don’t.
My pace slows against the unpredictable storm which lashes our city. The strands of my hair cling onto my skin, a sticky and uncomfortable feeling which is rampant with the humidity. In the reflection of the glass, my makeup is strewn. The so-called waterproof mascara has left me with panda eyes. Fumbling inside my bag for my keys, I lift my head and see Noah standing against the wall beside my door.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, catching my breath.
“Waiting for you. I wanted to apologize for what I said tonight, but perhaps I’m the idiot,” his tone turns deep with resentment. “You went to him, didn’t you?”
“See, this is why we can’t be friends, Noah. What I do with my life is my choice. Not you or Charlie have any say. Just like I never once stopped you from marrying Morgan.”
“I’m not stopping you from doing anything, okay? I’m pointing out that he’s no good for you. You deserve better.”
“I deserve to make my own choices. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m drenched, drained and want to go to bed.”
Finally, finding my keys, I jiggle them in the lock and open the door. Noah hovers at the entrance, and with my shoulders slumped, I pull him in without saying a word.
In a sudden move, he wraps his arms around me in a tight embrace. As my face falls onto his chest, inhaling his scent, I beg myself not to cry in his presence. I can’t even recall the last time I shed a tear. I’m not an emotionally driven person, and tonight has fucked with my entire belief system.
“Remember when you told me we all make mistakes?” he whispers softly. “Just a mistake, Kate. Move on.”
In the time we were apart, I forgot what it was like to have someone who knows the pits of my soul, who understands my resistance to fail and knows precisely how to make me move forward to better things.
Noah has always done this until, of course, I was pushed aside.
My hands fall flat against his chest, creating distance as I avoid his stare.
“Go shower. Then we’re watching a movie and ordering takeout,” he demands with a warm smile. “I need some American food because I’m missing it like crazy.”
I drop my head with a soft chuckle. “So that you know, we’re watching The Breakfast Club tonight.”
“Is it about breakfast and eating?”
“No, consider it a rite of passage into adulthood.”
“I think I’ve heard that before.” He smirks.
