Page 62 of Faking It with the Off-Limits Doctor

“Hey, I’m sorry, man. Sometimes the truth has to come hard and fast.”

“I know. And I’m grateful. I now wonder if I haven’t completely ruined something that could have been pretty great.”

“You need to call her. If she doesn’t answer, call her until she does.”

“Like you do, you mean?” I half smile.

“It works, doesn’t it?” I can hear the smirk in his voice.

I’m about to answer him when I see another call trying to come through. It’s Mark.

“Hey, Mike. I’ve got someone trying to get through on another line. Can I ring you back?”

“Sure. Talk soon, brother.”

The second Mike hangs up, I pick up Mark’s call.

“Hey,” I say.

“Hey,” he replies, sounding far less aggressive than the last time we met. “I’m calling because, well, because I overreacted. I’m sorry, Alex. In fact, I’ve come into the city to speak to you. This needs to be done face to face.”

“You’re here? In the city?” I balk, completely astonished.

“Yes, in fact, I’m downstairs. Can you buzz me up?”

“Sure. Give me a second.”

Striding across the apartment, I press the intercom. “It’s open.” But Mark doesn’t reply. I check the phone, but he’s still on the line. “Mark?”

There’s silence, and then I hear his voice again. “I’m here. I’m coming up now.”

“Cool. See you when you get here.”

I quickly clear up the mess in the living room. I ordered Chinese last night and the cartons are still lying about the place, as is the empty bottle of wine I drowned my sorrows with. With that done, I give the place a quick scan and shrug.

It’ll do. Mark will hardly care if the place isn’t spotless.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rings, and I stride across the living room. I’m nervous after our last altercation, but him being here is a good sign, right? He’s hardly going to come all this way to start another fight.

When I open the door, my eyes fly wide, and I gasp.

“Hi,” Dara says.

24

Dara

When Mark told me his plan, I wasn’t convinced it was going to work. Alex had made his stand quite plain, and in the rudest way possible. He wanted no more contact with me. He was angry with me, and that part scared me. A lot.

“He just needs to understand what happened, that’s all,” Mark said. “Now you’ve explained it to me, it makes perfect sense. Alex will see it the same way, I promise you.”

“How can you be so sure?” I replied.

“Because he’s my friend and I know how he thinks. You have to trust me on this, sis.”

I’ve always trusted Mark, but where Alex was concerned, I still had my doubts. But at the end of the day, I suppose I really had no choice. I wanted a chance to explain what had happened, and the only way I could do that was to go and see him.

“What if he won’t see me? I mean, you’ve told me his apartment building is like a fortress. What if I get there and he won’t let me in?”

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