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“I shit all over Christmas, tried to make you feel stupid about how much you loved it. Christ, you must’ve thought I was a right wanker.”
I smile softly. “You didn’t know. Besides, we’re past that, right?”
“I guess. I’m sorry.” He brings me in for a hug.
It takes me a second, but I wrap my arms around him and press my cheek to his chest. Even with his coat on, I can feel how hard his chest is underneath.
Even stranger than him hugging me is the fact that it doesn’t feel weird or awkward at all. In some strange way, it feels almost right.
ChapterTwenty
Kenzie
ME:I’m here. Tell me what you want and I’ll order it.
The minute I sit down, I text Andrew since he should be right behind me.
I set the empty caramel macchiato mug on the table with a sigh, then tap the screen of my phone where it lies on the table in front of me, 7:26 p.m.
Andrew was supposed to meet me at seven o’clock to go over some things I need his help with for the firm’s party. Nothing huge or anything, and truth be told, I probably could have fired it off in an email and that would have been fine, but after our time together at Bryant Park a few days ago… I don’t know. Something felt as if it had shifted between us, changed somehow.
I mean, yes, he’s still hot as hell. But he no longer felt like my brother’s best friend the way he had when we’d first been spending time together. Now it feels as though we have our own thing, completely independent of his relationship with my brother.
The only problem is, I don’t know what our thing is exactly.
Friends?
Quasi business associates?
Or something more…
It’s hard to consider that last one. Because if I accept that I have feelings for Andrew, that means he’ll be a big factor in my happiness, which scares me.
When I decided to use the dating app, I wanted to discover my soul mate, my other half. In my mind I’d go from indifferent to I love this man. Never would I have guessed I’d fall for a man over six feet, gorgeous but grumpy as all hell.
I decide to scroll through social media for a bit while I wait, but I grow bored. I look at the time again. Irritation pricks at my skin because I hate late people. Hello, I came dressed as an elf not to be late.
Seven forty-five p.m.
Okay, that’s it. I’m texting him again.
Me:Hey I’m here at the café. You still coming? Hope everything is all right.
The message is delivered and stays that way for a few minutes. And yes, I know this because I keep checking.
No read status, no three blue dots, nothing. It’s as though he’s completely forgotten about me and the plans we made.
Anger twists in my belly. When the time flips over to eight o’clock and he’s officially an hour late, I take my empty cup to the end of the counter to be washed. I return to the table, pack my things, and leave.
I grow more and more angry on the walk back to my apartment, to the point that unshed tears line my eyes. How does someone stand someone up without an explanation? Someone who forgets you even exist and that they had plans with you, that’s who.
The once-familiar sensation of not being good enough causes me to blink back tears against the cold wind. Not even the sight of the first snowflake lightens my mood. I can’t even muster up a smile for Mrs. Hoffmeister when I pass her bundled up in her coat, smoking on the steps of our building. I simply wave and walk past.
Once I’m in my apartment, I change into some comfy loungewear and decide to try to forget about Andrew. So what if he forgot about me? It doesn’t matter. Who cares if he found me forgettable? Better I find out now than later what kind of person he is.
I make popcorn, snuggle in my bed, and turn on the Hallmark channel, wanting to get lost in a winter wonderland where people’s problems always magically get sorted out. My phone rings a few minutes after I start the movie, but I ignore it. It doesn’t matter who it is. I don’t feel like talking to anyone.
About an hour later, there’s a knock at my apartment door.
