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Harper sighed, putting her hands over her heart. “That’s more than sweet. That’s wooing.”
Meghan laughed. “That’s an old fashioned way of putting it.”
“Oh, I’d love to be wooed,” Harper said. “Like one of those black and white screwball comedies where Cary Grant is only nice to the heroine.”
She tried to imagine Rich in black and white, but failed miserably. He was too vibrant for that.
“So, when will you be wooed?” Harper asked her.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, what happens next? You can’t live like this forever, can you? It’s nice to get coffee and homework help, but don’t you want more?”
“More?”
“When are you going to kiss him?” Harper lowered her voice. “Or do other stuff?”
Meghan blushed. “I don’t know. He hasn’t made a move.”
“Have you?” Harper tipped her head to the side. “Because this is the twenty-first century. And maybe he doesn’t want to push you.”
“I haven’t, no.” Meghan’s brows scrunched. “Do you really think he’s waiting for me?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he’s playing the long game. But how long do you want to wait?”
Meghan took a sip of her drink. The memory of their last meeting – in the elevator up to the tenth floor – flashed through her mind. Isla had been with them, but she could still feel the pull toward him. And when she’d looked his way, he had been staring right at her, his gaze so intense it took her breath away. She hadn’t been able to look away. Thank goodness Isla was too busy on her iPad to notice the way they were looking at each other.
“I don’t know how long I want to wait,” she admitted.
“So what’s stopping you from going home and knocking on his door tonight? You don’t have Isla, do you?”
Meghan shook her head. “No, she’s at my folks until tomorrow.” She swallowed hard. “He might be at work.”
“He’s not. James spoke to him earlier.”
“Oh.” Meghan’s heart started to hammer against her ribcage. Harper was right, there was only so long they could keep this thing between them to only friendship. She wanted more, and she knew he did, too. But there was still this voice in her head telling her that he could hurt her again. That she needed to be sure to guard her and Isla’s hearts from the man who had the power to turn their lives upside down.
She exhaled heavily. “I guess I need to think about that.”
“I guess you do. In the meantime, let’s get the check.” Harper smiled over at the waitress. “We should definitely do this again some time.”
“I’d like that.”
Harper winked. “Maybe next time we could make it a double date.”
The tenth floor was silent as Meghan stepped out of the elevator. She glanced at Gloria’s door, then over at Grant and Kevin’s, before walking determinedly to Rich’s apartment door and lifting her hand up to knock on the wood.
But then she had second thoughts and stepped back. Maybe she’d talk to him in the morning instead. Or send him a message. As she slinked back to her own apartment and let herself in, she shook her head at her trepidation.
Five minutes later, she’d taken her dress off and was in the shower, letting the hot spray wash over her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, but nothing could stop her heart from racing in her chest.
They needed to talk, she knew that. And one of them had to make the first move. Last month, he’d been vulnerable, told her about his family and the fears he had of not being good enough. Of hurting others the way he believed he’d hurt his sister.
And he’d asked her to give him a chance.
Now she was the scared one. She blinked her eyes, grabbing her bottle of shampoo, and rubbed it in furiously as she thought about that.
She was afraid of being hurt. Of Isla getting hurt, too. But she knew that fear stopped you from living the way you wanted to live. It stopped you from being honest, from being open to good things.
