Page 90 of Yours, For Now

Lina shook her head. She spoke to me only, Lucía still several paces away. "No. I would want to go home with you, and I shouldn't. Not tonight."

"Lina…"

She kissed me. "What time does everyone leave your office tomorrow?"

"Five-thirty. But you know I often leave after six."

"I'll be there at six. Then we'll go to your place. But we won't work, once we get to your apartment. Tomorrow only."

Her words scorched a fiery trail on my skin, my lower belly heavy with the power of them, holding them captive. I nodded. She smiled, kissed me again, and left with Lucía.

And left me in a whirlwind.

Chapter 25

Ididn'tfeelmuchbetter the next day, counting down the minutes until six o’clock with a tornado twisting in my rib cage. I kept checking my watch, then my phone, then the computer's clock, like one of them would surprise me and reveal that it was indeed a lot later than it was.

In reality, I had barely made it to five. My watch had just informed me it was 5:14, when my door opened and I lifted my eyes to find my best friend.

"Hey," I said.

Jake stopped a few steps away from my desk. "Hey. Are you going to work at the office for much longer? Most people are getting ready to go."

"No. I'm waiting for Lina, then we'll go to my place."

"Things are going well, I take it?" He smiled.

"Well…" I scratched my jaw. "We're… fine."

My childhood friend squinted at me, just like when I invited him to sit with me at school all those years before. "Are you still thinking about breaking up?"

"C'mon, Jake." I shook my head. "I told you before. The plan has always been to break up, and Lina knows it."

He raised both eyebrows. "I don't get you two, then. I would have never guessed, last weekend, that you were on your way to the end."

I sighed and closed my eyes. "It's not that Iwantit to end. But I'm late on everything, half the things on my calendar are past due—"

Because I'd had to carve time out of my days to accommodate a fake relationship with Lina, and it'd wrecked my work schedule. And now I'd said yes to spending even more time together, this time not even working side-by-side while having a meal.

Not that I regretted the mess I was making of things for myself the next ten days, but I'd certainly pay for it.

Even though I couldn't have finished that sentence even if I'd wanted to, Jake took the option from me with a firm voice.

"Then figure it out, Gabe." Jake took another two steps my way, a fiery intensity in his eyes. It was the closest to anger I'd ever seen him. With his imposing size, it could have been a terrifying sight. "You found someone you like, and she likes you back. You get to be with her! What the hell are you doing, letting her go?"

Shock froze my brain in time. The space between us crackled with a sudden electrical charge, as we watched each other process what he'd just said. The only reason I wasn't scared was because I knew him. I trusted Jake. But his anger surprised me.

It took a few seconds, but Jake's shoulders slumped. As much as he spoke to me, I was pretty sure he spoke from his own experience, too. He rubbed his forehead, while I released a slow breath.

Jake stared at the ground, then up at me again. "Talk to me and I'll help. You know that. And talk to your parents. They'll help, too."

My nod came slow, his words still trickling down to my chest. I wasn't sure I dared imagine a future where I didn't have to let Lina go, but I recognized the truth in my friend's statement. I felt something for Lina. Something big; something important. How could I let her go?

Jake's message harpooned into my heart and latched.

"Love you, Jake. Thank you," I muttered.

His eyes were sad. "I want to see you happy."