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A short-lived smile flashes across her face and she nods as she reaches for the cup. “Thanks.”
She looks more relaxed now, her face softening into an appreciative smile when she takes the first sip of her sugary drink.
“So, what is it you wanted to... talk about?”she goes on. “Because I have to tell you, onecaramelmacchiato won’t make me forget who you are and what you did. And I don’t intend to keep playing your charade, no matter what.”
She pauses to cast me a cautionary look, before she adds: “And it doesn’t matter how much you’re paying me, so don’t even try to lure me back in by upping the reward. I don’t want to be involved with the likes of you ever again.”
“Why do you keep saying that?” I cut her off.
She looks puzzled. “Saying what?”
“That you don’t want to repeat earlier mistakes,” I elaborate. “You keep saying ‘again’, and I’m just wondering what kind of past experiences you’re referring to here.”
She starts chewing her lower lip, evading my gaze.
“Was it an ex of yours?” He probes further. “Or something that happened in one of your foster homes? Or did you—”
“It was a drug dealer, okay?”she blurts out all of a sudden, adding an exasperated sigh. “I was young and deluded. He lied about himself and made me fall in love with him, before he showed his true colors and turned me into his delivery girl. At first, I had no idea what I was doing, and when I realized what was happening, he told me to trust him and that I was just doing him a little favor, like girlfriends do.”
She pauses to cast me a dark look, while she reaches for her sugary drink. Her face distorts in pain when she takes a cautious sip, only to realize that it’s still way too hot to drink.
“I’m sorry that hap—”
“And you know what he did when I told him I no longer wanted to be involved in his shady drug business?”she goes on, cutting me off once again. “He threatened me, making sure I wouldn’t dare to ever turn him in—and then he dropped me and pushed me out of his life.”
Her eyes turn into narrow slits when she adds: “So, if you brought me here to do the same, let’s just cut to the chase: I will never tell a soul about your questionable endeavor or your family. No need to threaten me. I want no trouble.”
She takes a deep breath, fighting to maintain composure while her fluttering lashes reveal the turmoil inside of her. Her lips are quivering when she forces herself to speak again.
“You are all the same,” she mutters, lowering her gaze. “You fool me into loving you and then you get rid of me when I’m no longer of use to you...”
She stops and flinches, as if she’d revealed something that wasn’t meant for my ears. Her eyes latch on to mine, searching for the possibility that I missed what she just said. But I heard it loud and clear.
“You’re in love with me?”
I don’t even try to hide my delight at hearing those words, sending her a warm smile, while she blushes in an instant.
“Well… I mean, I-I think I—”
“I love you, too, Kat,” I say.
Her eyes widen for a split second, speaking of surprise and elevation—before she checks herself, rebuilding a wall of protection between us.
“Stop. You’re only saying that because you need me,” she accuses me. “You need me to come back and pretend to be your fiancée.”
“No,” I insist, violently shaking my head. “Forget about that stupid contract, forget about pretending. I want you—for real.”
She frowns, still unwilling to trust me. After all I’ve done and the things she’s just told me about her past, I can’t really blame her for that.
“Look, I understand. And I will not force you to do anything you’re not comfortable with—especially if it means losing you.”
Her eyes are tearing up, and she swallows hard, shaking her head in disbelief.
“I want you in my life, Kat,” I pile on. “I want you like I have never wanted anyone before. I fucking love you, Kat. I have never said that to anyone, not even close. Simply because I have never met anyone like you before. You’re brilliant, funny, unbelievably beautiful in so many ways and I feel hollow and empty without you by my side.”
I sigh, needing to catch my breath before I reach down to my messenger bag and pull out the folder. She watches me as I slap it on the table and pull out the stapled pages of the contract, signed by both of us.
“Here,” I say, as I tear the contract apart in one decisive motion. “The thought of paying you to be at my side disgusts me now. I don’t want to have a contract with you, I want a relationship. I want us to be real.”
