AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Three weeks had passed since she’d dunked him in a pool and walked away. It didn’t get any less subtle than that. She didn’t want anything to do with him. He lived with the pain of it every day. Some nights he chased it with whisky or whatever was stocked in the hotel mini bar in Dubai, where he’d gone for work. This short layover in London didn’t make it easier.
‘I got the sense that she really liked you.’
‘She did until you showed up.’
‘That’s not fair. How was I to know you were having “an affair to remember”?’
‘It doesn’t matter. It’s too late.’
He could kick himself for every stupid mistake he’d made. By refusing to talk openly about his past, he’d tainted the little trust she’d had in him.
‘You know it isn’t up to me to fix your life,’ Tara said. ‘I’m learning boundaries.’
‘Is that why you’re calling? To test boundaries.’
‘To share some news, smart ass.’
‘OK. Let’s hear it.’
‘I took that promotion you passed on – and the office, too.’
‘Oh, shit!’ If he knew Tara, she was in heaven. ‘How did you celebrate? Did you roll around that office floor?’
‘Shut your mouth!’
Roman let out a soundless laugh and stumbled backwards onto the nearest seat. ‘Congratulations.’
‘They wanted you.’
‘They got the better person,’ he said. ‘Don’t doubt that. How do you feel about it?’
This woman who was so bold, so fierce, who’d taught him so much, he didn’t want her ever to second-guess herself – certainly not because of him.
‘Incredibly proud.’
A silence passed between them. Roman shifted from under the weight of all the ways he’d come up short, ultimately disappointing her. She didn’t deserve a less than honest love. He wished he’d had the courage to tell her how he felt, or no longer felt, instead of dragging them both down.
‘Will you be OK?’ she asked.
‘I’ll be fine.’
‘So, where are you really?’
Adrift, that’s where he was. Newly employed and focused, but adrift nonetheless. He was on his way to New York for no other reason than to clear out his storage space. Next month, he was headed to Morocco. That’s when his job started in earnest. He’d volunteered for this quick trip to Dubai under the guise of ‘hitting the ground running’ only because he couldn’t stay in Tobago after Samantha had left. Roman wasn’t sure what he’d do from now until he left for Morocco, but he kept his angst to himself. ‘On my way back from Dubai.’
‘Fancy. What were you doing there?’
‘I’m consulting for Trident Data Corp.’
‘You dog!’ Tara’s cry pierced his eardrum. ‘All this time I thought—’
‘You thought I was asleep at the wheel.’
‘That’s exactly what I thought!’
‘I think you know me better than that.’
‘I see …’ She was breathless. ‘Tell me everything. Where are you based? West Coast?’
