AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Long meeting. Long day. Long fucking week.”
We walk to the curb and get in the car waiting for us there.
I push my fingers through my hair. It’s only Wednesday.
“We made progress, though. That’s the important thing. I’d be annoyed that we made the trip if it wasn’t going well.” There’s a ping sound from his phone and he smiles down at it. I’ll take one guess as to why he’s smiling.
His phone pings again.
“Is that Emma?” I ask.
“Yeah. She’s grabbing drinks with some friends.”
He shows me the photo of Emma, Chloe and another two women. My chest deflates with disappointment that Sophie isn’t in the picture. That I don’t get to see her. Hear any kind of update about how she’s doing. Then again, it’s Wednesday, so she’ll be heading to work at The Penrose.
Sunday was a lot for her. The rowboat and the stress that Emma and Griffin might have seen us together. I understand that she didn’t want Griffin to find out about us that way, but he needs to know about us if we’re going to really do this.
That’s what I want.
I think about how close I was to telling her everything. To admitting my feelings and telling her I’ve fallen for her.
But the sheer panic in her eyes when I stated we were more than fuck buddies held me back.
And when she cried? Fuck. My heart felt like it was being ripped out of my chest.
I didn’t know what to do, so I did what she asked. Well, I made love to her, which isn’t exactly what she asked since she said ‘Fuck me, Hunter,’ but that’s all I could do. Be gentle and hold her. With her underneath me, I wanted to talk about the scary things, but she was upset and I could see the anxiety behind her expressive green eyes.
So, I didn’t push. I suggested a break. And now I’m hoping that giving her some space this week will give her time to think about what she wants, and ultimately, make the decision to tell Griffin about us.
I’m so far gone for her. But there’s panic, too, because I’ve never done this before. A relationship where I see a future.
The break seemed like a good idea at the time, but I hate the silence. I need to see her, hear her voice, even a text. Anything that would indicate she’s still in this with me.
“You okay? You seem like you’re stressed. Is it the deal? From my perspective, we’re solid.”
“No, it’s not the deal.” My elbows press into my knees, and I let my head drop into my hands. “I miss…” and because I can’t say Sophie, I say, “New York.”
Griffin chuckles. “Not a Vegas fan? Don’t worry, I won’t take it personally.”
“How is the city for you? And everything with Emma? You good?”
“Yeah. Everything’s great.” He smiles, then sighs. “Well, if I’m being honest, not everything. You know my sister, Sophie.”
“Yeah,” I say, trying not to show my personal interest in the subject.
“You’ve got a younger sister, so I thought you might be able to relate. I don’t know. I guess things are just different now. And maybe I’m struggling with the fact that she doesn’t need me like she used to. That I was once the parent, and now even though we’re still living in the same apartment, I feel like I don’t know what’s going on in her life. She’s career-driven, which is great, but I worry that I fucked up somehow. We’re both products of the situation we were in, but I’m wondering if I should have done it differently, you know?”
“That’s tough. I can’t imagine being responsible for my sister when I was eighteen. Being the parent to a younger sibling. From what I know about Sophie, you did a great job.”
He nods. “Yeah, she just pushes herself so hard. She got a second job, waitressing at The Penrose.”
“I fucking hate that.” Once the words are out, I realize I’m joining in the conversation like I know what is going on in Sophie’s life, because I do. But, I shouldn’t. “Place.” I quickly recover. “Lots of slick Wall Street types hang out there.”
“I thought Barrett mentioned you two hanging out there.”
“Oh, that was before it became inundated with these twenty-something financiers who use their daddies’ black AmEx.”
“I didn’t like it before, but geez, now you got me even more worried.”
