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“He’s been so stressed about the launch,” I said defensively. “I’m going to tell him tonight, after the party.”
“And you’re sure you’re happy?” She placed her hand on my shoulder. I tried not to resent the sympathy in her voice. Iwashappy.
Right?
I sighed. “As happy as I can be knowing I’ll have to keep this relationship a secret for another month. But it will be over soon.”
Lila laughed at my dismay. “You’re impossible. When you didn’t have him, you were miserable. Now that you have him, you’re still not content. At least you guys can steal longing glances across the room. It’ll make the after-party that much more exciting.” She wiggled her eyebrows, and I threw a pillow at her.
“Hey! Watch the makeup. You’ve got to learn to take a joke. It’s not my fault you’re determined to have a secret relationship.” She stuck her finger in my face. “I tried to warn you.”
Standing back up, I straightened out my dress so it fell mid-calf. “Is it too much to ask to have a guy who likes me, with no baggage, who can also show me off in public?”
She snorted. “Apparently. You’re already asking for the world when you started that sentence with ‘guy that likes me.’ I’m telling you from the outside, it ain’t pretty out there.”
“No luck on the dating apps?” I asked.
Lila deserved the kind of guy that would fall all over her. She was kind, intelligent, creative—the best person I knew. I wished the universe would gift her with someone even worth a fraction of her time.
“I deleted them all,” she said. “I’m destined to be a spinster.” She leaned down to pet Edward as he ambled into the room. “Are you looking to get rid of Edward? I’ll need a few cats to make it official.”
“A spinster at twenty-six? Don’t you think you’re giving up a little early?”
“It’s useless. And here you are having two guys fawning over you just this month.”
I wrinkled my nose. “If you’re referring to Liam, that was a giant mistake ever going out with him. He’s been acting like a whiny brat ever since our date. He ignores me any time we cross paths.”
“You broke his heart.”
“We didn’t even kiss!”
“You left with another man.”
“Well, he doesn’t know that,” I said with a twinge of guilt.
She laughed. “No, you’re right, he has been unreasonably immature about the whole thing. Don’t date a coworker if you can’t take it not working out.”
As we put the final touches on our looks and grabbed our coats, Lila’s words still rang in my ears.
Don’t date a coworker if you can’t take it not working out.
That statement hit a little too close to home. At this point with Nathan, I wasn’t sure I could take it not working out. Forget the awkwardness, I was completely hooked on him.
After the incident at the market, he’d gone above and beyond trying to make it up to me. He’d made it a point to be kinder to me at work, never avoiding eye contact or conversation for fear of what people might think. He took me to romantic dinners—even renting out the entire rooftop of a restaurant one evening. Hell, he even bought a house after I had said I liked it. Maybe that last one should have freaked me out a little, but instead, butterflies took flight in my stomach anytime I thought about it.
I hesitated in the living room, stalling before we called the cab.
“You sure you’re okay?” Lila asked.
“Is it weird that I’m nervous?” I asked, fanning myself. Suddenly it felt one hundred degrees in here.
She squeezed my arm. “Because of the launch? Because we’re resigning?”
“Because of Nathan,” I admitted, feeling pathetic. The thought of seeing him all dressed up and distant tonight had me on edge. Knowing him so intimately yet having to pretend we were basically strangers pained me. I wanted to be able to go up to him and slide my arms around his neck. I wanted to congratulate him with a lot more emotion than I could my boss.
She jutted out her bottom lip, and I hated that pitying look she shot me. I should be on cloud nine. Not only was I falling for someone, but I was also about to set off on an amazing new adventure with my best friend. Nevertheless, a subtle sadness lingered, and it would probably persist until we resolved this whole secret relationship situation.
Lila frowned taking in my quiet demeanor. “No one would blame you if you ended things with him. I mean, I guess I’m the only person who knows, but I wouldn’t blame you. You deserve to be shown off. You don’t deserve the stress this is causing you.”
