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“What time do you need to be there?”
“Nine.”
“Ok, that’s plenty of time.”
Mena bit back her comment that it was only plenty of time when someone had a personal chauffeur. Theo took out his phone and tapped a few times.
“Ok, he’ll be here in a few minutes. Want something to eat?”
She shook her head, but he was already going into the kitchen and she slowly followed after him. Anxiety crawled in her belly, but the fastest way to get to work was to wait for Theo’s chauffeur.
He was busy fixing two travel mugs of coffee and he’d just finished screwing on the second lid when the doorbell rang.
“You got everything?”
Mena nodded and, after handing a travel mug of coffee, Theo put a hand on her elbow and led her out to the street. The chauffeur had already opened the car door for her. Theo was right behind her, only slightly delayed by locking the front door.
She gave the chauffeur her address and they sped away.
The car was quiet and smooth, the seats lined with soft, fancy leather. It was the type of luxury that she’d sworn she wouldn't become accustomed to when she’d dated Theo. She knew, even back then, that she was only getting a fleeting glimpse into another world.
“We never got round to looking at the bone,” Theo said.
Mena hummed and took a sip of her coffee. It was loaded with cream and sugar, exactly how she used to take it in college. She gave Theo a sideways glance.
She’d stopped taking her coffee like this years ago.
Mena wondered if this whole night had just been a trip down memory lane for him, a way for him to relive his youth by getting off with his college girlfriend.
She took another sip, gagging slightly. Really, she didn’t know how she used to drink this, it might as well be candy.
It was a reminder that she was a different person now. She was all grown up, and not going to let this stupid crush take over her heart the way she had when she was a foolish college kid.
Mena put the travel mug in a cup holder, not wanting another sip. There was no point telling him how she took her coffee these days, because he wasn’t going to get the chance to make her one again.
It was cute that he remembered. Or, was it?
She still remembered how he took his coffee, and the way he used to have only one coffee and then switch to tea, and the tasteof tea on his tongue whenever he kissed her in the afternoon, like sweet lemon. She remembered all that and it didn’t have to mean anything.
Mena stifled a sigh. She did not want to think about this stuff. She’d sealed away this part of herself a long time ago.
“Here, can you pull over here?” she called out to the drive, leaning forward to point at a space in front of her building. When she got out Theo was behind her.
“You don’t have to come up, I won’t be long.”
Looking back at him, Mena felt she was seeing two different versions of Theo. One was the hoodie-wearing college kid she’d loved, waiting for her after class so they could walk across campus together; the other was older, a businessman in a fancy suit that lived in a completely different world than she did.
That second version of Theo was the one she’d always known he was going to turn into after college. She’d never seen a place for her by the side of that older version of Theo.
“Actually,” Mena said quickly, “I think it’ll be ok now. You don’t have to wait around for me. I can make it to work on time.”
It was a blatant lie, she was still going to be late. She'd rather risk Lisbet yelling at her than having to be in the back of that expensive car with Theo and all the memories he brought up.
“It’s not abouthavingto wait around for you,” Theo said. He’d caught up with her now, stepping past her and opening the outer door for her. “I want to.”
Mena had never been good at protecting her heart from this man. She swallowed and walked through the door, letting him follow if he wanted to.
Chapter Seven
