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“I have no doubt,” I say.
“I meant it when I said this isn’t finished between us, Charlize.”
“And I meant it when I said I’m not looking for a date.”
His eyes search mine. “You can’t tell me you’re not feeling this.”
Oh boy.
Whyyyy?
Why must this man have those blue eyes I want to get lost in?
Why must he have that body, that voice, that magnetism?
Why must he not be an asshole?
“I like you, Owen. A lot. But we can’t start something. The timing isn’t right.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m only back in New York for a year at the most while I save to travel again.”
He appears confused about this. “Why does that mean we can’t see each other?”
“Well, assuming our dating moments don’t end up on your list ofWorst Dating Moments of Life, it wouldn’t be cool for me to use you for sex for a year and then just leave.”
Amusement flashes across his face but he remains serious when he says, “I would be more than okay with you using me for sex for a year. However, I’d also like the opportunity to get to know you better.”
And now I’m having flashbacks of all the things he did to me on Saturday night.
Using Owen for sex for twelve months? That wouldnotbe a hardship. Breaking up with him at the end of those twelve months, though, would be. “What if I somehow convince you to really like me? I don’t want to be the kind of person who makes someone really like them while having no intention of sticking around.”
His eyes search mine for a long moment. “How about you let me worry about that? I know where I stand, and I still want to stand there. And Charlize?” He pauses, his eyes boring into mine. “You’ve already convinced me that I really like you.”
7
Charlize
“I’m never coming home,” Poppy says over Zoom on Monday night. She’s in Rome on her honeymoon and I’ve managed to catch her even though it’s just after midnight there.
“You have to come home. I need you.”
“Charles, you are the most independent woman I know. You went away for a year by yourself. Sadly, you do not need me.”
“Why don’t you want to come home?”
“Seth works too much when we’re in New York. Italy is inspiring him to work far less and spend more time fucking me. I’m in no hurry to leave.”
“Well, I think that’s very selfish of you. Contrary to what you think, I do need you. Right now, I need you a lot.”
She frowns and leans into the camera, inspecting me more closely. “Why? What’s going on? Did you run into Benjamin? I swear, I will choke the life out of that asshole if he’s trying to convince you to get back together.”
“No, it’s not him.” I take a sip of the wine I poured myself as soon as I got home. “It’s Owen.”
More frowning. “I thought you’d decided not to see him again.”
“Ididdecide that. The Universe decided something very different.”
