follow him silently from the garage into the lobby of his condo. He presses the call button for the elevator as he thumbs through his phone. "Did you work today?" The question surprises me.
"I had a day off today." I answer snappily
"Did you do something fun?" He drops the phone into his jacket pocket before his gaze meets mine.
"Not really." I shrug my shoulders. "I hung out with Alexa. That's all."
"That girl is a handful, isn't she?" He laughs as he places his hand on my back urging me into the elevator.
"She can be." I feel protective of my best friend. I don't need this man that I barely know to make judgment calls about her. He's in no position to do that.
"I'll get the door." He steps off the elevator before me and pushes the key to his door into the lock. I watch as he enters a security code into the panel on the wall before he turns the handle. "After you."
Chapter 17
I walk into the room and soak in the beauty once again. It's such an elegant space and I'm envious that he gets to live here alone. My home is usually the dorms but during breaks I always stay at my parents' house. I often don't feel like I belong anywhere.
"I bought you something while I was away." He throws his suit jacket over the back of the couch as he fumbles in his overnight bag. "You're going to love it."
I stand in silence watching him gleefully rummage through the bag. His hand darts back out with a rectangular box covered in silver paper in its clutches. He holds it out and I stand frozen staring at it.
"Open it." He pushes it at me and I reluctantly take it.
I rip the corner of the paper from its place revealing a grey box.
"You can use it when you go back to school." He's standing right next to me now. I can feel his eyes boring a hole through my hands willing me to open the box.
I do and I'm caught off guard by the sight of a beautiful silver pen. "It's so nice," I whisper.
"It's engraved with your name." He reaches to pull it from the box and his arm brushes against mine. I feel regret course through me. I wanted this to be uncomplicated. I wanted this to work, even if it was just for the summer.
"I can't accept this." I push it back at him. "You shouldn't have gotten this for me."
"Why?" I can see pain cover his expression. "I saw it in the hotel gift shop and I thought you'd like it."
"In the hotel gift shop in Denver?" I spit the question at him. I know it sounds sharp, but I don't care.
"Yes." He bows his head staring at the box and tattered paper in his hands.
"You weren't in Denver," I seethe. "You lied."
He pulls his gaze slowly up to meet mine. I can see the vein in his neck pulsing. The joy that was on his face when he picked me up is now veiled by something darker. He's angry. I've never seen him livid but I recognize it within his eyes.
"You didn't just call me a liar, did you?" He drops the box onto the hardwood floor and the pen bounces out. "Who do you think you are?"
"Nobody," I volley back.
"What does that mean?" His voice is vibrating. He's trying to calm it. I can hear it within the tone.
"I'm nobody to you." I push my finger against his unyielding chest. "You weren't in Denver. You lied for whatever reason to me about that."
"Why would I do that?" He pushes back against me, catching my hand within his.
"You already broke our agreement." I spit at him. "You went somewhere to fuck someone else."
"You're kidding?"
I pull my hand back and cross my arms on my chest. "I don't care what you do or who you do it with," I lie. "I just don't want to waste my time being part of some booty posse."
"A booty posse?" He arches his brow. "What the hell is that?"
"You travel a lot." I stand my ground. "You must have a different woman in every city that you screw when you're there."
"You've got no right questioning what I do." He points his index finger directly at me. "This wasn't supposed to be serious. What's gotten into you?"
"Whatever," I shout at him as I take a step towards the door. "You told me I
"I had a day off today." I answer snappily
"Did you do something fun?" He drops the phone into his jacket pocket before his gaze meets mine.
"Not really." I shrug my shoulders. "I hung out with Alexa. That's all."
"That girl is a handful, isn't she?" He laughs as he places his hand on my back urging me into the elevator.
"She can be." I feel protective of my best friend. I don't need this man that I barely know to make judgment calls about her. He's in no position to do that.
"I'll get the door." He steps off the elevator before me and pushes the key to his door into the lock. I watch as he enters a security code into the panel on the wall before he turns the handle. "After you."
Chapter 17
I walk into the room and soak in the beauty once again. It's such an elegant space and I'm envious that he gets to live here alone. My home is usually the dorms but during breaks I always stay at my parents' house. I often don't feel like I belong anywhere.
"I bought you something while I was away." He throws his suit jacket over the back of the couch as he fumbles in his overnight bag. "You're going to love it."
I stand in silence watching him gleefully rummage through the bag. His hand darts back out with a rectangular box covered in silver paper in its clutches. He holds it out and I stand frozen staring at it.
"Open it." He pushes it at me and I reluctantly take it.
I rip the corner of the paper from its place revealing a grey box.
"You can use it when you go back to school." He's standing right next to me now. I can feel his eyes boring a hole through my hands willing me to open the box.
I do and I'm caught off guard by the sight of a beautiful silver pen. "It's so nice," I whisper.
"It's engraved with your name." He reaches to pull it from the box and his arm brushes against mine. I feel regret course through me. I wanted this to be uncomplicated. I wanted this to work, even if it was just for the summer.
"I can't accept this." I push it back at him. "You shouldn't have gotten this for me."
"Why?" I can see pain cover his expression. "I saw it in the hotel gift shop and I thought you'd like it."
"In the hotel gift shop in Denver?" I spit the question at him. I know it sounds sharp, but I don't care.
"Yes." He bows his head staring at the box and tattered paper in his hands.
"You weren't in Denver," I seethe. "You lied."
He pulls his gaze slowly up to meet mine. I can see the vein in his neck pulsing. The joy that was on his face when he picked me up is now veiled by something darker. He's angry. I've never seen him livid but I recognize it within his eyes.
"You didn't just call me a liar, did you?" He drops the box onto the hardwood floor and the pen bounces out. "Who do you think you are?"
"Nobody," I volley back.
"What does that mean?" His voice is vibrating. He's trying to calm it. I can hear it within the tone.
"I'm nobody to you." I push my finger against his unyielding chest. "You weren't in Denver. You lied for whatever reason to me about that."
"Why would I do that?" He pushes back against me, catching my hand within his.
"You already broke our agreement." I spit at him. "You went somewhere to fuck someone else."
"You're kidding?"
I pull my hand back and cross my arms on my chest. "I don't care what you do or who you do it with," I lie. "I just don't want to waste my time being part of some booty posse."
"A booty posse?" He arches his brow. "What the hell is that?"
"You travel a lot." I stand my ground. "You must have a different woman in every city that you screw when you're there."
"You've got no right questioning what I do." He points his index finger directly at me. "This wasn't supposed to be serious. What's gotten into you?"
"Whatever," I shout at him as I take a step towards the door. "You told me I
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