Page 52 of Smash

“Tonight. They had a cancellation.”

My eyes widened. “Tonight?”

Calder’s brows pulled together. “Is that a problem? Did you already cook or something?”

“No…but…” Tonight means leaving the apartment. And the only way out meant passing Rafe’s door. Unless, of course, I jumped out the third-floor window. Honestly, not the worst option at this point. “I just…I have a bit of a headache.”

“Well, take some aspirin. Because I had to give a non-refundable deposit to confirm the reservation.” He checked his watch. “It’s not until eight, so you can lie down for a bit.”

“Right.” I nodded. “Yeah. I’ll do that.”

Calder finished getting changed while I stole glances at the front door. There was no avoiding it. At some point tonight, I was going to have to walk past Rafe’s apartment. Past the scene of the crime. The best I could hope was that he wasn’t home.

***

An hour and a half later, my heart was hammering so hard it was difficult to breathe. I braced my hands on the sink and hung my head over it, forcing slow, steady breaths.

“Babe?” Calder knocked lightly on the bathroom door. “You almost ready? We’re going to be late for our reservation.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry. I’ll be right out.” I lifted my head and stared at my reflection in the mirror, giving myself a silent pep talk. You can do this. Just pretend today never happened. Wipe it from your memory like you did that time you walked in on Mom and Dad having sex—and Mom was on top.

I straightened my shoulders. Nothing happened today. Be normal.

Calder looked up from his phone when I opened the door. He smiled. “There she is.”

“Sorry. I’m ready.”

He opened the apartment door, and my pulse took off. Here we go. Now or never. I waited until Calder locked up, then followed him down the stairs. Every step felt heavier than the last, and my grip tightened on the railing as we descended.

Four.

Five.

Six.

I counted the steps in an attempt to calm myself. By the time I hit fifteen and reached the landing, I thought I might explode. But then…

Rafe’s door was closed.

Thank God.

Thank freaking God.

My shoulders relaxed, and my legs kept right on moving. Outside, the cool evening air hit my skin, and I could finally breathe again.

Calder glanced over at me. “Feel better?”

“Yeah,” I said. And for the first time since he’d come home from work, it wasn’t a complete lie. “I think the air is helping.”

The walk to the restaurant took fifteen minutes. Calder held my hand, and with every step, the tension slowly unwound from my body. The busy city helped—the noise, the lights, the constant movement of people. It gave me something else to focus on.

You’re fine. Everything is going to be fine.

At the restaurant, Calder opened the door, and I stepped inside.

And walked right into Rafe.

“What…what are you doing here?” I asked.