Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 91058 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91058 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
I stand facing the doors, holding my breath. I don’t want to get so much as a whiff of his cologne. My plan is to flee the first second I can.
“Scarlett.”
He says my name with this exquisite pain in his voice, like I’m torturing him, just as the doors are about to slide open, and I squeeze my eyes closed, hold my breath, and dart out of the elevator as fast as possible.
He’s not allowed to Scarlett me! Not even now, a week into our weird exile from each other. I’d be lying if I said my anger hadn’t started to simmer down. There’s only so long I can hold a grudge. It’s harder than it seems! I don’t have the emotional bandwidth for it. I’d rather spend that time, I don’t know, stalking Real Housewives forums on Reddit.
On top of my non-anger issues, I’m lonely! Work has been as isolating as ever. Makayla and Ramona avoid me like the plague ever since the bathroom incident, and Kendra continues to be cruel every chance she gets. Something will happen and I’ll accidentally find myself wanting to tell Hudson about it, only to get this huge lump of feelings stuck in my throat once I realize I can’t go to him for any ol’ thing anymore. I realized it’d gotten particularly bad when, last night, I had a full-blown conversation with Moira.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect him to be good with kids. And he wasn’t in the typical sense, you know?”
I paused there, like she was going to contribute something, then seamlessly trudged on when she didn’t miraculously develop the ability to speak English. “He wasn’t afraid to be silly with his nieces and nephew. I watched him on the trampoline in his mom’s backyard, double-bouncing Jack and Annabelle, seeing how high he could get them before Corinne shouted at him to be careful.”
Moira just yawned and looked at me like, Sweetie, this is embarrassing. Move on.
But I can’t move on. That’s become crystal clear. I didn’t even agonize over my relationship with Jasper like this. I mean, sure, I was hung up on his asinine assessment of my lovemaking abilities, but I never once found myself missing his company. Not like I miss Hudson’s.
So I’m going to forgive him.
Starting now.
“Hi. Morning.” I pause and clear my throat. “Can we talk?”
I’m standing at his office door first thing. There are other associates here; Jansen and Bethany said hello to me when I was in the break room just now. Lucy is at her desk too. But this is okay. I’m allowed to talk to Hudson at work. I’m allowed to bring him a cup of coffee.
Hudson shoots to his feet, blinking through his surprise. “Yes, of course. Come in.”
We’ve endured two weeks of separation. It feels like I’ve punished him as much as I’ve punished myself, and I don’t want to do it anymore.
“I’m not upset with you anymore.”
He points to the coffee I brought him. “So that’s safe to drink?”
I smile. “Yes.”
I venture farther into his office, and he quickly curves around his desk to take it from me. We almost get too close, but I step back and so does he. It’s a silent agreement. We both realize how important it is to keep a healthy distance.
“I’ll apologize again if you’ll let me. I can maybe help explain why I acted like such an idiot—”
I shake my head. “No. Let’s not go backward. I think…maybe it’ll only make it worse. I’ve thought a lot about our situation, and there are only two paths forward.”
He listens intently, nodding for me to go on.
“We could let this be the end.”
His eyes widen and frustration clouds his face like a dark mask.
“Or…” he presses, making me smile.
“We can continue on as friends.”
The tension in his forehead eases. “Friends.”
“I like you too much to do the first option.”
“I like you too,” he says, sounding relieved to get it off his chest.
“I missed you these last two weeks.”
His responding smile is so warm, so beautiful, I have to blink and look away, just for a second.
“I missed you too.”
If there’s a tightening in my chest, if his words seem to unfurl this happy little feeling inside me, I don’t think too hard on it. It’s better, I’ve realized, to not give in to my feelings for him. That road proved tricky, and I’m certain if we head in that direction again, it won’t end well. I’m not certain of Hudson’s feelings for me, but I know I don’t want to lose him for good.
Simplifying things is better. For now.
But if I’m being honest, I know this thing between us hasn’t been put to bed. I know it in the way his attention strays to my lips when we talk in his office. I know it when his hand accidentally grazes mine when he walks me to the door. I know it, later that night, when I wake up in a sweaty panic after having yet another sexy dream about him.