AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The way her body snapped into immobility at the sight of him was the first sign she was in trouble. A month had gone since they ended things. And it felt even longer since she’d last seen him; she was certain he had lost all interest and forgotten about her.
She expectednoneof this.
Not Richard Min standing in her office looking so ridiculously handsome, he put the Disney princes to shame. His hair was combed back in an attempt to appear clean, and his shaved jawline stripped him of his rugged good looks she so adored.
His white polo shirt and tan khakis nearly glistened in the room. He rarely wore such light colors. Eyes trailing lower, her shock grew when she saw the bouquet in one hand.
Her heart slammed wildly, interpreting the scenario before her at face-value. Rick, in her office, holding flowers. What else could it mean?
Her attention flew back to his face, taking in the nervousness of his expression and posture. Speechless, she watched him speak first.
“Hey,” he said, his voice deep and steady. “I hope this isn’t a bad time.”
Aera shook her head. “No! Not at all! Hi, Rick. I’m Aera.”
He smiled lightly, looking between her and Charlie. “Hello. I’m here for Charlie.”
“I bet,” Aera said.
Anxiously, he brought out the bouquet. Charlie saw the monochromatic blends of red and pink. “I wasn’t sure which was your favorite flower, so I got the pink ones,” he adorably explained. “Which, I’m sure, is your favorite color.”
“They’re lovely,” Aera said when Charlie stayed mute. Charlie felt her friend’s hand poking the side of her arm, but she was too stricken to move.
“What are you doing here, Rick?” Finally able to speak, Charlie didn’t know if she meant to be more polite, but her tone didn’t come out that way by the look on his face.
He cleared his throat then. “You wouldn’t answer my calls or messages, so my last resort was coming here. Can we talk?”
Silence followed when Charlie didn’t answer. The atmosphere was painful enough that Aera spoke.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” she said.
“No.” Charlie snatched her friend’s hand. “Anything you say to me you can say in front of Aera.”
Aera stiffened awkwardly, but stood still after Charlie made herself clear.
Maybe she was being harsh, but he didn’t know what she went through trying to get him out of her system. If he wanted her time, he’d have toworkfor it.
Rick saw the challenge in her eyes and accepted it as though he had expected her resistance. His arms fell back as he stepped forward.
“Okay.” He took a deep breath before fixing his eyes solely on her. “Charlie… I’m sorry for what I said to you. You were right about me being a stubborn ass. I treated you poorly, and you don’t deserve that. There’s nothing wrong with you, and I was wrong to say there was, or imply it.”
A good start,she thought.
“The last thing I wanted was to hurt you. I wanted to be honest, so there was no misunderstanding between us, but it didn’t come out the way I wanted…”
Charlie sighed. “Honesty doesn’t prevent hurt.”
“I realize that now,” he agreed. “I don’t want you to think that I find you lacking, or that you’re not good enough for me. It’s far beyond that. I don’t know exactly where I’m going with this… but you need to know that Idorespect you.”
He stopped to catch himself, allowing her heart to soften at the same time. Aera used this to wiggle her way out.
“Let me take these flowers.” She zinged around the desk and snatched the bouquet out of Rick’s hand. “They need water. I’ll take care of that while you two chat!”
The door shut faster than Charlie could blink. Now alone with Rick, she closed her hands together under the table. Without Aera for emotional support, she was on her own.
Rick still had his arms behind his back, a modest pose that was unlike him. He emanated confidence and indifference; for him to appear self-conscious was odd, but comforting.
“I’m sorry, Charlie.” He sounded sincere, and she wanted to believe him so.
