Page 76 of His Surrender
Would he be the man who looked at me on Friday night like the thought of kissing me was the only thing keeping him rooted to the floor?
And somehow not knowing which version of Dean I’ll meet scares me far more than knowing I’ll eventually have to face him.
I glance over at the digital clock on my nightstand, which reads 5:02 a.m.
Sitting in bed, staring at the wall, clearly isn’t accomplishing anything. Monday has arrived whether I’m ready for it or not.
Liana will be awake soon, which means Dean will be too. And after successfully hiding in my bedroom for most of the weekend, I can’t exactly avoid him forever.
Nope, this isn’t going to cut it. I need someone who isn’t living in this apartment. Someone who isn’t making me question my own sanity.
Before I can second-guess myself, I grab my phone and scroll until I find Sydney’s name.
I hit Call, and she answers on the third ring.
“Someone had better be dead.”
Despite everything, I laugh. “I’m sorry.”
A yawn crackles through the speaker. “Aubrey?”
“Yeah.”
Another pause.
“What time is it?”
“Five.”
“Five?” She sits up so quickly that I can hear the rustle of blankets. “Aubrey, it’s five in the morning.”
“I know.”
“Are you okay?” The concern in her voice instantly dissolves the composure I clung to all weekend.
“I … don’t know.”
Sydney is quiet for a moment. “Start talking.”
I take a deep breath. “So … remember how I told you Dean basically stopped speaking to me?”
“The emotionally constipated billionaire? Yes.”
I smile despite myself. “That’s the one.”
“What happened?”
“He ignored me all week.”
I tell her everything. How different he’s been. How every conversation suddenly feels formal. How I’ve finally accepted that whatever friendship we’d been building was over.
Then I tell her about Jeremy in the lobby and our date. Dean waiting up for me and his insistence that I text him whenever I was out.
By the time I reach the almost kiss, Sydney hasn’t interrupted once.
“And then Liana started crying.”
“Holy”—another pause— “crap.”
