Page 17 of First Comes Forever

He waits until I lift my eyes to meet his. “Ruin my plans, Amani, anytime you want.”

And with that, he shuts the passenger side door.

* * *

adam

I can tell she doesn’t believe me, so I reiterate once more. “I swear on my life, we didn’t.”

“You have nothing to be ashamed of,” Amani says before popping a big bite of the corn and black bean empanada in her mouth. I love a girl who eats.Really eats.What’s the point of sharing all these fun meals and experiences if I’m doing it all alone?

“How is it?” I ask, nodding toward the plate. I already know. I’ve eaten them about ten times before, but I like the enthusiasm on her face.

“So,so, good. Here,” she says, holding out half of an empanada and cupping her other hand underneath to catch the falling kernel of corn. “Bite.”

I’m full, but no way I’ll refuse her. I take a hearty bite, chew, and swallow in a hurry. “Delicious…” I watch her twinkling eyes. A stark contrast to the look of pain clouding her face from earlier in the parking lot. If making Amani smile is the only thing I do today, I’ll still call that a day well spent. “And, as I said,I promise you, Jessie and I never slept together.”

She shrugs like my promise means nothing and looks around the dimly lit tapas restaurant. I follow her gaze, taking in one of my favorite restaurants. The tables are sticky, every light has a red hue, and it reeks of grill smoke and spilled liquor. But it has the best tapas in the city. You can only order small plates here, so Amani and I have been conversing and laughing as we sampled each of the ten-some little plates of Spanish cuisine they brought to our table.

“Well, there might still be some potential,” Amani eventually replies with a smug smile. “She was giving you theeyes. You should’ve taken her home.”

“Ha. Not a chance. Jessie is a friend.”

She shrugs, and then pulls a fastener out of her clutch, wrapping her auburn-red hair into a knot before securing it with a hair tie. “Sometimes friends sleep together.”

“Not in my world.”

She raises her brows at me, so I rub the back of my neck uncomfortably as I elaborate.

“I just don’t like blurring lines. I think you can have great sex or a great friendship, but—”

“Not both?” she asks, studying my eyes.

I bob my head in a slow nod. “Something like that.”

She smirks. “Well, makes sense. I didn’t exactly peg ‘Smooth Line Adam’ as the marrying type.” She scoots a little closer into the booth and nudges me with her shoulder like she’s telling me it’s okay. I can almost read her mind. It’s not like we have the potential for anything more than this happenstance lunch. And maybe it’s just because I want to prove her wrong, or interrupt whatever narrative she’s currently spinning in her mind, but I admit something I typically don’t admit to anyone.

“I was once.”

Shock splatters across her face. “What? Married?”

I nod again. “I got divorced about eight years ago, when I was twenty-four.”

Amani is silent for a moment, clearly chewing on the inside of her cheek.

Just go ahead and ask.I know you want to.

It takes longer than I expect, but she finally caves. “What happened?”

I inhale, sucking in as much air as possible to delay my reply.What happened?Liv fucking broke me. That’s what happened. I haven’t trusted a woman since. “We, uh…we blurred lines.” I smirk.

She rolls her eyes at me. “Clever. So when it comes to women, it’s either fuck or be friends… So then what are you doing here with me?”

I curl my lips into a smart-ass half smile. “The choice is all yours,” I say as the waitress returns to the table with a check in her hand. Amani’s dainty hand reaches, but I wrap it in mine so forcefully, she widens her eyes at me. “Don’t even think about it.” I use my other hand to collect the bill from the waitress.

“Well, I’d call you a gentleman if you weren’t crushing my hand,” she sasses, wiggling out of my grip.

Quickly signing the bill and leaving a far more than generous tip, I pivot in the half-moon-shaped booth, my knee gently knocking against Amani’s. “So,” I say simply.

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