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The more she talks, the more my belly sinks with disappointment. She said last night she didn’t regret it, but clearly, she does.
“Tessa, you’re fine. Everything’s fine. You don’t have to worry about me.”
She leans back, her nose pink as she sniffs again. “I always worry about—” She pauses, blinking up at me. “Wait. Did you say you wanted to do it?”
“Uh…” What the fuck do I say now that she basically said it was a mistake?
“I mean, you didn’t even get anything out of it.”
“Of course I did,” I reply without thinking.
Her eyes widen. “What?”
Ah, shit. It’s not like I can tell her I’d do whatever she wants in bed. That I’d gotten more satisfaction out of that brief encounter with her than anything in memory. That all I want is another chance to touch her.
There’s a knock at the door and Joel peeks his head in. “Hey, just seeing if you’re finished.”
Tessa wipes at her eyes and steps away, returning to her desk. “Yeah, all done. I only have to clean up my stuff here. I made a mess earlier looking for some papers.”
Joel glances between us expectantly, but I don’t want to get involved in his drama again. “See you at home,” I murmur to Tessa before heading out.
Joel holds the door open for me, something about it setting me on edge. Like I’m being kicked out.
I shake off the feeling and speed through the lobby, but as I start down the stairs, there’s a noise behind me. I glance back, finding Joel shutting the stairwell door.
“Hey, you got a sec?” he asks.
I nod, wondering what the hell he’s up to. There’s something about him that’s… smarmy.
“Tessa still at your place?”
“Yeah.” Despite his best attempts to keep that from happening.
“How’s she doing?”
Oh, so he actually cares? “As well as expected, I guess.”
He crosses his arms, looking over his shoulder for a moment to check behind him. “She’s a good girl. I wouldn’t want her to get mixed up with someone who isn’t right for her, you know?”
My jaw hardens. “You mean me?”
His head tilts to the side in mock concern. “All I’m saying is she’s been through a traumatic experience. She’s vulnerable. She might have some vision of a knight in shining armor kind of thing. But it’s not real.”
My hands flex at my sides into fists, but I consciously let them go and take in a deep breath. “Look, it’s obvious to everyone but Tessa that you’re into her. But she doesn’t feel the same way about you. Let it go, already. She’s insistent you’re just friends.”
The fake concern drops from his face. “Like the way she tells me she’s just friends with you?”
“I’m not talking about me.”
“And I bet you’re not in any rush to have her leave your place, are you?”
He wants to be a prick? Fine. I can be one, too. “No, I’m not. I love waking up with her every morning. You know we’re sharing a bed, right?”
He sneers, but I don’t get the satisfaction I thought I would from throwing that in his face. Instead, there’s a dull ache in the pit of my stomach.
I shouldn’t have said that. Anything between me and Tessa is between us only.
“I have to go,” I mutter, turning around and rushing down the stairs.
