The Apartment by Debbie Macomber

toward soothing her disappointment. “I know, and you’re special to me, but I made a mistake. We’ll celebrate another night. Okay?”
    Sean’s nod revealed his reluctance.
    â€œHave a good time, and we’ll talk later.”
    His friend peeked around the door a second time. “Are you coming or not?”
    â€œI’m coming,” Sean assured him. He walked across the room, gently took Hilary by the shoulders and kissed her cheek. “Thank you.”
    â€œDon’t worry about it.” She waited until he was gone before she sank into the kitchen chair. Her knees were shaking, and she wasn’t sure if it was because of the emotional energy required to disguise her disappointment or if it was the result of Sean’s brief kiss.
    By the very nature of their circumstances, their relationship had to remain strictly platonic. Hilary had accepted that from the first. Sean did, too, although they’d never discussed it. She couldn’t risk involving her heart. But more than her heart had gotten involved. He’d bruised her ego. He called her “sweet” and went off to spend the evening with a woman named Carla.
    It shouldn’t bother her so much. But it did.
    The evening dragged for Hilary. She ate what she could of the dinner, which was delicious, but she found her appetite was practically nil.
    After cleaning the kitchen, she practiced her flute for two hours, soaked in a hot tub, filed her nails, then went to bed. Lying in the dark, her eyes focused on the ceiling, Hilary wondered if Sean would even bother to come back to the apartment or if he’d spend the night with his lady friend. The thought felt like a heavy concrete block pressing against her chest. Breathing became painful, and she forced the image from her mind because it was too painful to dwell on.
    * * *
    Sean had rarely spent a more miserable evening. Every time he looked at the blonde beauty on his arm, he saw Hilary instead, smiling like he’d never seen her smile, throwing open her arms and shouting Surprise!
    He’d gone with Craig and Dave because they were waiting in the truck for him, but he realized his mistake almost immediately. He didn’t want to spend the evening with his friends; he would much rather have been with Hilary.
    She’d been so disappointed and struggled so hard to hide it from him. It hadn’t occurred to him that she’d do anything like this. After the fiasco over the symphony tickets, he’d walked on eggshells in an effort to make things right between them, but it hadn’t worked. No matter what he did or said, the atmosphere remained strained and tense. They were both trying too hard, he guessed. And now this.
    To his credit, Sean lasted until midnight, then made his excuses. His friends, especially Craig, seemed surprised that he copped out so early.
    Sean made record time getting back to the apartment, hoping Hilary would still be up. He needed to talk to her, explain, do what he could to make matters right. But the only light shining was the one on the porch.
    He let himself into the silent house, and paused. The living room was dark and still. He splayed his fingers through his hair and experienced a fresh wave of disappointment. It was important for them both right now to talk. Not because he felt guilty—he had nothing to feel guilty about—but he wanted to reassure Hilary, thank her for her thoughtfulness, tell her how much he appreciated the effort she’d made.
    Wandering down the darkened hallway, he noticed that her bedroom door was half-open. He stood there for a moment, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dark. She was sleeping soundly.
    The world stood still. Sean’s heart felt heavy in his chest, and before he realized his intent, he wandered into Hilary’s bedroom and sat on the edge of her mattress.
    Immediately he knew she was awake. Their eyes met in the dark.
    â€œI shouldn’t be here,” he