Page 45 of Craving Cooper

He shakes his head again, although he’s dropped the frown and is just gazing into my eyes now. It’s a little distracting, I’ll admit. “Would you rather I lied?” he says.

“Of course not.”

“Then why are we arguing?”

“Because, even if you don’t know the reason you invited me, once we were there, you were affected by seeing Meredith with another man. You moved closer to me when she saw us together. There was a smile on your lips.”

“Was there?”

“Yes.”

“I wasn’t aware of smiling. If you say I was, then fine, but it didn’t mean anything. Not in the way you’re thinking.”

“Then why did you move closer to me?”

“That was involuntary.”

“Oh… so it’s another thing you can’t explain?”

He sighs. “It was something I couldn’t control… let’s put it that way.”

“And why did you fake your concern when I said I had a headache and wanted to come home?”

“I wasn’t faking.”

“Oh… really?”

“Yes, really. I was genuinely concerned. I thought about following you, but I wasn’t sure if that was the kind of thing… people do.” Why did he hesitate before he said the word ‘people’? I can’t work that out, and I refuse to get hung up on it. There are other things to think about.

“You were concerned, were you?”

“Yes.”

“And is that why you’re here? To check up on me?”

“No. Well… Yes. I mean, I’m not checking up on you… except I suppose I am. In a good way.” He stops talking and sighs. “Naturally, I’m concerned that you’re okay, but I told you why I’m here. I wanted to ask you to have dinner with me… except you’ve got a headache, and…”

“No, I haven’t,” I say, interrupting his flow.

He frowns again. “You mean it’s better?”

“No. I mean, I never had a headache in the first place. I just didn’t want to be used.”

“I wasn’t using you, Mallory.” He stops stroking the cat and pushes his fingers back through his hair. “Although I love the fact that you’re accusing me of faking.”

“That’s not the point.” I feel as though I’m losing this argument, although I can’t work out how. I had the upper hand… or I thought I did. “The point is, you made me feel like part of your game.”

“What game?”

“The game you were playing with Meredith.”

“I wasn’t playing any kind of game with her, or anyone else, Mallory.”

“Then why did it feel like there was something going on? Something fake?”

“I don’t know. But if there was, it had nothing to do with me.”

“You knew she’d be there, though?”

---