AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Maybe I should just end this call now before she returns.
Before I can push my mouse to the left button, she reappears, holding a black and white cat, who is nuzzling his head under her chin. I can hear his purrs from here.
“This is Jinx. He’s my new roommate.”
Wait? What? “He’s… You’ve got a cat?”
“Yup. Isn’t he handsome?” She lifts the cat and rubs him against her cheek.
He doesn’t look impressed. But he does have a streak of black under his nose. And if you cock your head to the right and squint, it resembles a mustache. “Yes, he’s a good-looking cat.” My heartbeat slows, and I uncurl my fists.
The poor thing twists in her grasp, so she puts him down. “My elderly neighbor moved into a home and couldn’t take Jinx with her, so I offered to keep him for her. Turns out I like his company.”
My relief is profound considering Joy and I have never even gone on a single date.
“Listen, I should probably go. I’ll type up these notes and send you a copy. How’s that?”
I nod. “Um… Sure. That sounds good.”
“When do you want to meet again?”
“How about the day after tomorrow? We can get the ball rolling on a few items.” And it will give me time to cool down and prepare for our next call.
“Sounds good.” Joy drops her gaze, lifts her head, and looks straight at me. She leans forward a bit and lowers her voice as though she’s whispering to me, and me alone, even though nobody else can overhear us talking. “I’m thrilled to be working with you on this, Kris. I’ve missed you.”
“Me, too.”
Before I say more, she waves and leaves the meeting.
Is that hope I’m feeling in the pit of my stomach? Maybe it’s not too late for us after all.
4
Joy
August
I’m staring intently at my computer screen, but I’m focusing on Kris’s face as we discuss the project we’re working on. I can’t help it. I want him so much. We can’t be in the same room together, so I’m hungry for whatever I can get.
All of my other projects pale in comparison to this one. We’ve been meeting at least twice a week for a while now, and things are moving along nicely, but each time we talk, I get distracted. He looks thinner from this angle. I know he’s been worried about his mother. I sure hope he’s taking care of himself. His hair is a little longer than when I saw him last, the tips grazing his shoulders—it has a tousled, sexy look. Like he just crawled out of bed.
Jealousy unfurls in the pit of my stomach. What if he has a girlfriend? Our conversations have progressed beyond straight-up work talk to some light-hearted teasing, even edging along flirtation. Still, we have discussed nothing too personal.
I’m desperate to believe he’s still as single as I am. As each day and week passes, I fall for him even more, knowing he’s the one for me. I’m thinking the stories my father and grandfather told me might be true. I’ve only experienced it with the men in the family—that feeling of when you encounter ‘the one’, you just sense it with every aspect of your being, with all of your heart—and you recognize there’s no other individual for you.
His brown eyes appear warmer; I could just melt under his watch. And the way he talks with such interest in the project… He just makes my stomach flutter. He cares about the author’s experience during this launch—it’s not just a job to him. He mentioned once that he wanted to be in marketing, but I think he’d make a fantastic agent.
I just wish he’d reciprocate my feelings. But considering how quickly he escaped the night of the company Christmas party and then moved to Redding before the holidays were even over, I believe he’s not interested or doesn’t have the time for a relationship.
I had thought I’d maybe broken the ice when I told him about Jinx. I let him think my roommate was another man, and I got the reaction I’d l hoped for. His face gives him away every time. But he has said nothing since. My hopes of starting something with him are dashed.
“Let’s take a break,” Kris suggests, returning my attention to what he’s saying. “I feel like I’ve lost you.”
I nod, relieved and in agreement because I haven’t heard the last few minutes of what he is saying.
“So what have you been up to? Anything interesting?” he asks, his voice soft, personal.
A tingle runs down my spine. Perhaps this is the moment I’ve been waiting for when Kris would reveal his true feelings for me. My heart beats faster, and my palms grow clammy. “Nothing too exciting. Just taking care of Jinx.”
