Page 68 of Meant For Love

“I didn’t want to inconvenience you,” I explain nervously. “You have a busy day, and you worked late last night.” I try to make it sound like it’s no big deal. “I’ll call you once I land,” I say softly and take a step to him, leaning in for a kiss. I kiss him softly on the lips as my heart crushes even more when his phone rings, and he looks back at his desk to where the phone is ringing. “I’ll let you get back to work.” I smile at him or at least I hope it is seen as a smile and not as a broken fucking smile.

Again, when I walk out of the room, I’m expecting him to call my name. Even when I grab my bag and start heading for the door, I look into his office as he’s on the phone at the same time typing frantically on his laptop. I hold up my hand one last time before walking out.

My head is down as I make my way to the car. I give myself a minute to let one tear fall out of the corner of my eye before I hold my thumb to it to stop it from falling down my face, as I quickly blink my eyes and take a deep inhale. “Hi,” I tell the driver, putting my bag to the side of me. “How are you doing?” The driver tells me he’s doing fine as he pulls away from the building.

My head is scrambling around and around, wondering when it all fucking fell apart. Maybe it was always going to fall apart. Maybe there were signs I didn’t see. I have no idea. I know I can’t take long to dwell on it because Gabriella will see right through my bullshit, and I’m still trying to figure it out myself and don’t need the outside noise.

When I get to the airport, I see I’m right behind Gabriella and Romeo. I open the door and step out. “Well, fancy meeting you here,” I tease, grabbing my bag before thanking the driver.

“You didn’t change at home?” Gabriella asks me when I walk toward her.

“Stuff came up last minute, so I came straight from the office.” I avoid looking at her, instead walking over to Romeo to kiss him on the cheek. “Hey, Mr. Royalty,” I tease him, and he rolls his eyes.

“That’s my father,” he jokes back, “I’m Jr. Royalty.” He grabs Gabriella’s hand as we walk toward the plane.

“I’m surprised Nash didn’t join us,” Gabriella says.

“He had two huge meetings. He might come down next week.” Another fucking lie, and I make a mental note to remember it. There is a reason one shouldn’t lie, and that’s because it’s hard to fucking keep track of them.

Romeo stands by the stairs of the plane, letting Gabriella go up first and then holding out his hand to tell me to go ahead of him. I smile at him, walking into the plane and heading to the left side where there is only one chair, instead of the seat next to Gabriella.

As soon as the plane takes off, Gabriella turns toward me in her seat. “So how is married life treating you?”

I put my eyes to the corner and pretend I’m in wedded bliss. I mean it’s not a lie since I was in fucking wedded bliss. “Amazing. I didn’t think I could just slide into it, but it’s been so much fun. And he bought me a cat.”

“He bought you a car?” Romeo asks me, thinking he heard wrong.

“No.” I shake my head. “A cat with a t.” I take out my phone and turn it toward them so they can see her. I was with her for a day, and I took about fifty pictures of her.

“She looks like a snowball,” Gabriella notes, and I smile, looking down at the picture, swiping left until I get to the last picture we took right before we left for the dinner. Standing in front of the mirror in the closet, he pulled me to him as he kissed my temple, right before he told me he was going to fuck the shit out of me when we got back home. Which made me burst out laughing.

“I guess it’s not all amazing, then.” Gabriella shocks me with her words. “Your face went from fake smile to sad in the matter of ten seconds.” I shrug. “So you’re hiding something.”

“Not hiding anything,” I tell her honestly. “I’m just working something out in my head.”

“Do you need to talk it out?” she asks me.

“Gabriella, leave her alone. If she wanted to talk it out, she would have talked it out,” Romeo says to her while he’s typing away on his phone.

“Did I ask you to join this conversation, Romeo?” She glares at him as she hisses, “I don’t think I did, so why don’t you mind your business and leave this conversation”—she points at her and me—“to us.”

Romeo turns in his seat, and I have to bite my lip not to laugh at the way he’s unfazed by her warning. “Did it sound like I wanted you to join the conversation?”

“Who’s hungry?” I ask, trying to cut through the tension. “I’m starving. I didn’t eat anything.”

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing,” Gabriella scolds me. “I’m the queen of hiding how I feel.” I don’t have a chance to answer her because the flight attendant comes over with bottles of water for us. “So what do you think is going on with Zara?” she asks me, and I look over at her. “Is she ever getting married?”

“I asked her the same thing.” I’m thankful to change the subject, and by the time we land, I’m so tired I feel like I could fall asleep on my feet.

Two cars are there, and when I kiss them goodbye, I get into my car and head toward my house. I look out the window at the familiar sights before me, expecting to feel glad that I’m home. Even when I spot the brownstone, and I get out carrying my bag, I’m expecting to feel relief that I’m here. This is my home, after all. Walking into the house, it feels so stuffy from being closed up.

I put my bag on the side table before kicking off my heels and walking toward the kitchen. I see a stack of mail on the counter before grabbing a bottle of water and walking upstairs to change. Even when I walk into my bedroom, it feels cold and not homey like it once did. I slip on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt before going back downstairs to figure out dinner.

Grabbing my phone at the front door, I call Nash even though I have to wonder if he even cares that I’ve landed. It rings four times before going to voicemail, and instead of leaving a message, I just hang up.

I pull up his name and text him.

Me: Landed.

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