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She heaved a sigh, trying to push the frustration aside. Of course she’d found someone. She was the queen of matchmaking.
Katrina pushed the phone aside. Brianne would just assume that she was in the shower or that she was getting ready for bed. They could talk in the morning. She fell back on her bed and stared at the ceiling, contemplating what would have happened if she’d just gone after Simon and told him to kiss her like she’d wanted him to.
A smile tugged at her lips. She would have loved to see the surprised look on his face. If it worked out like it did in the movies, then he would have kissed her back and they would have laughed over how it had taken them this long to finally figure out that they had feelings for each other.
Her smile faded as she reached for a pillow and hugged it to her chest. It could have gone the other way, too. He might have had to physically push her away and remind her where they stood—asfriends.
That was practically what he’d done tonight, wasn’t it? He’d basically run away from her. And that was the reason she knew she was making the right choice. This was what she had to do to stay sane.
A tap on her window drew her attention and she glanced over at the glass. It was dark outside and her light was on; maybe a moth had rammed into the window. Katrina turned her attention back to the ceiling. As long as Simon remained her friend, she’d be happy. He was her rock.
Another tap on her window, this time louder, caused her to jump, and she rolled onto her side before sliding off the bed and approaching it with curiosity. Another tap. She paused, startled. Then she hurried forward and pulled open the blinds. It was too dark to see anything through the pane.
With a grunt, she pushed the window open and leaned out.
Immediately, she saw the shadowy figure down below. Simon’s face peered up at her from the darkness. She squinted and let out a strangled laugh.
“Simon? What are you doing here?”
He shrugged.
She laughed again. “You came all the way back… did you forget something?”
Simon looked away then brought his eyes back to her before running a hand through his hair. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”
Her heart stumbled. This could be about anything. While he didn’t sound mad, she refused to get her hopes up that he was here for what she wanted. She swallowed hard, a smile spreading across her face though it felt like the most unnatural thing at this moment.
She crossed her arms and leaned on the ledge of the window. “What did you want to talk about?”
He shifted and looked away again. With each passing second, it was getting harder and harder for her to believe this wasn’t exactly what she wanted it to be. She could feel her heart thrum in her chest at a frequency that was definitely not natural.
“Will you come down? I would really like to speak to you face to face.”
Katrina brought up her finger to her chin and tapped it a little. “You know, I’ve just gotten ready for bed. I really don’t want to have to come down there in the cold. Whatever it is, I’m sure you could just?—”
“For Pete’s sake, Katrina! Will you get down here so we can have this discussion like adults?”
Her eyes widened, his sharp tone unexpected. There was a good chance she was wrong and all this teasing would only humiliate her further. “Is everything okay?” she asked, realizing all at once that if this wasn’t a big deal, he could have called her or texted her.
Simon stared at her hard, expectant. He’d made his request and if she was any kind of friend, she’d have been down there five minutes ago. Then his features softened. His eyes delved into hers in such a way that she nearly melted right then and there.
“I just… need to talk.”
She nodded. “I’ll be right down.”
With each step she took, her legs shook. By the time she made it outside, her hands were trembling, too. Katrina hurried down the steps and toward the side of the building. Darting around the corner, she nearly collided with Simon.
His hands shot out, grasping her upper arms to keep her at arm’s length. The porch light was too far away to do much good, so all she had was the glow from the moon overhead to study his features.
Simon’s jaw was tight, and his eyes were serious. Whatever his reason for being here now, it was important.
“Are you okay?” she finally found her voice enough to whisper.
His gaze searched hers as he worked his jaw back and forth. “I need you to know something.”
Her pulse quickened, ripping her through loops and over hills into the depths of the lowest valleys like she were on a death-defying roller coaster. But lately, that was how Simon affected her. He had a way of making her question everything she wanted in life and at the same time helped her know exactly what she wanted.
And she wanted him.
