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He shook his head. “Not really.”
“Why?”
Isaac eyed me for a very long time. “I don’t want to say.”
Shoot. He was still hung up on her. It was totally possible to like me and still hold a candle for someone else. Maybe that’s why he never mentioned her. Guess it was a good thing I asked that question first.
“Carmen.” Isaac scooted closer and picked up my hands, pressing them against the scruff on his cheeks and then kissing my palms. It was sweet torture.
I cupped his face, so very irritated that my eyes were betraying me and tearing up. I ran my finger over that little scar above his eyebrow. “You still love her.”
Isaac growled. “No. That’s not it at all. Okay, I’m just going to say it. That night we re-met in the restaurant, I was feeling quite rebound-y. Toni, my ex, after dumping me only a few months before, was about to marry her boss. Sadie didn’t tell you any of that?”
I shook my head. Poor Isaac.
“When I saw you and didn’t say anything, a big part of that was knowing I was in no condition to be in your world. But life went on, and I got some perspective. I saw that Toni and I had never been right for each other. She was happy, and I could be, too. So, I asked Sadie for your number.”
“Oh.” There had been that weird gap in time, now that I thought about it.
“And when you didn’t want me to have your number… I just waited longer, as pathetic as that sounds. I couldn’t help it.”
“What do you mean?” I thought about all the times he brought in flowers to GoWithFriends and met my eyes. Asking nothing. Expecting nothing.
“I was waiting for you. And I’d still be waiting for you if it wasn’t for Maria’s dumb matchmaking book. I don’t want anyone else, Carmen. Just you. Always you.”
Then what was I waiting for? I was such a dummy. I moved my hands from Isaac’s face and pressed them into his chest, pushing him over and kissing him right on his perfect mouth. And oh, was it perfect. Isaac wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me right back, slowing things down, his hands calming me, reminding me we had all the time in the world. I guess we did. He kissed me like I was precious, and fragile, only this time I didn’t mind. I had a feeling he’d imagined how this would go many times, and the thought made me brilliantly happy. He ran his hands through my hair, kissing along my jaw before taking my face in his hands and just looking at me. And then he smiled so big.
“What are you smiling about?” I crossed my arms, resting them on his chest. “I’ve been bossing you around and interrogating you.”
“I don’t mind. You had things you needed to know about me.”
“Because we’re getting to know each other? As friends first?”
“Right. As friends first. Friends always, okay?”
I nodded, still afraid we’d mess this up, and then we’d be former friends and seeing him wouldn’t be the highlight of my day. But he was worth the risk. He was worth every risk. I bit my lip. “If you change your mind…”
He shook his head. “I won’t.”
“But if you do, promise you’ll be kind about it, okay?”
Isaac sat up and looked at me before pulling me onto his lap and wrapping his arms around me. “I know you would always be kind to me no matter what, and the last thing I’d ever want to do is hurt you.” He frowned and pressed his forehead into my shoulder. “Who hurt you? Was it that guy, the one you said talked you into dating him? You said hebasicallysaid you were annoying. What did he actually say?”
I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It does matter.”
I rubbed my thumb into the center of my palm. “He said lots of things. Like it was this big confession he was getting off his chest. He said the way I dressed embarrassed him, and I needed to grow up. He thought my hobbies were weird. He thought I was weird. He didn’t even ever go to bingo with me. He just knew about it.”
“Well, he’s a troll.”
“I know.” I sighed. “I know that. I didn’t lose faith in me. But I did lose a little faith in humanity. Which is not fun, you know?”
Isaac put his head up and looked at me. “How can I make it better?”
“Being you.” I smiled and kissed him, and this time he was the one to press me into the couch. It was absolute bliss for about thirty seconds. And then my front door creaked open.
Chapter 32 - Isaac
