Page 142 of When The Night Falls

‘I’m not sure,’ I said. ‘I’ve never experienced this before. But I think I’m getting there.’

Her smile was sympathetic. ‘Do you think he’s in love with you?’

I swallowed. I didn’t want to entertain that thought. The mere idea that William’s feelings might be that profound unsettled me, because if our chemistry failed to transition into love on my end, I would have to break his heart. I dreaded that possibility more than anything. Work would become a place worse than hell and Jason would be stuck in the middle. And, worst of all, I would be rejecting a man who absolutely deserved to have his feelings reciprocated.

‘I don’t think so,’ I said. ‘Like me, I think he’s just curious to see where things lead. He’s definitely optimistic, but I don’t quite think he’s in love.’

‘I think he is.’

‘Livy, please don’t.’ I shook my head. ‘I’m uncomfortable.’

‘Sorry.’ Her face crinkled. ‘I shouldn’t have said anything. I got a bit excited.’

‘It’s okay.’ I glanced away. ‘One way or another, I’m not looking forward to seeing Aaron later.’ I huffed. The thought of him made my glee plummet into anxiety. I would have to tell him that I had met someone, and I didn’t know what to expect. How would he react? We had been doing this for so many years now; I was sure the news would strike him like a bolt from the blue.

‘Oh, shit, Tyler’s birthday,’ Olivia said, remembering. ‘What are you going to do?’

I sighed. ‘Well, I’m going to have to end things.’

‘That’s bound to get a bit uncomfortable.’ She grimaced. ‘He’s going to have a shock, at the very least.’

‘Yeah, I know. Do you think I should wait with telling him? I don’t want to ruin his night. I mean, the news might put him in a weird mood.’

‘Yeah, at least wait until the party’s over.’

Just as we were talking about him, Aaron called. My chest tensed up, my cheeks expanding with air.

‘Shit, he’s calling me right now.’

‘You should probably answer. I’ll wait.’

I accepted Aaron’s call, putting Olivia on hold.

‘Hello?’ It was nearly impossible to prevent the stress I felt from seeping into my voice.

‘Hi, love.’

‘What’s up?’

‘Are you at home right now?’

‘I am.’

‘Good. I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.’

My head jerked back, my eyebrows slanting downward. ‘What? Why?’

‘To drop off my things? That way we can just head straight to yours later.’

My heart clenched, my eyes widening. I had completely forgotten that he was supposed to spend the night at mine. What was I supposed to do now? I could tell him that he couldn’t sleep here after all, but he would want a reason, and I didn’t have one. Panicking, I racked my brain for a solution, but came up empty. Maybe Olivia would have one.

‘Oh, right,’ I said, trying to sound normal. ‘Good plan. Have you had dinner?’

‘No, have you?’

‘No. Should we order a pizza or something, then?’

‘Yeah, why not?’

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