Page 23 of Mine for a Moment

Serenity Adesina

There won’t be a next time! I can’t stay over again. My hair was a complete mess this morning. It took me thirty minutes just to detangle it.

Archer Harrison

I’m not following, Sera. What does that have to do with my bed?

Serenity Adesina

I have a silk pillow that makes my curls more manageable, and I really shouldn’t sleep without it.

Archer Harrison

I see…I wish I could’ve seen your messy hair this morning. I bet you looked beautiful.

I stare at my screen, my stomach fluttering. He says the sweetest things sometimes, and I don’t think he even realizes it.

Archer Harrison

how do you feel today?

Serenity Adesina

a little sensitive, but I’m okay. How are you?

My stomach twists as I begin to wonder if maybe he regrets what we did. He seemed to enjoy it, but then again, what do I know? Maybeit was too much hassle to be so patient, and maybe he didn’t enjoy it as much as I did. I doubt he was able to truly let go when he was so concerned with my comfort.

Archer Harrison

I’d have been better if I hadn’t woken up all alone, only to then be thrown into back-to-back meetings. Come see me later. I’ll be back in my office in thirty minutes.

I bite my lip again and glance around, making sure no one is looking at my screen.

Serenity Adesina

I can’t. You know I can’t. I don’t want anyone to find out we know each other outside of work, and we shouldn’t do anything that’ll get us caught.

“Serenity?”

I gasp and quickly click my chat with Archer away, my heart beating out of my chest as I turn toward Theo, who’s rolling his chair closer. “What’s up?” I ask, my tone a little higher pitched than I’d like.

He frowns, his gaze searching. “I’ve been thinking about this all morning, unsure how to bring it up.” He runs a hand through his hair, and my mind begins to run wild. Does he know? All morning I’ve wondered if he could tell that I feel a little different, and I’m not sure how I’d reply if he asked me outright whether something happened. There are very few secrets I’ve ever kept from Theo.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, my voice trembling just slightly.

“Kristen wanted me to ask you if you’d like to come over for dinner sometime. She says you two have barely spoken in some time now, and she’d like to cook for you.” He hesitates. “No pressure, of course. I just…I do feel like you judged her harder than me, and we both kept the same secret. It truly would mean a lot to me if you’d come over. Kristen…she thinks she lost you, and she’s devastated. It’s really hard to watch her agonize over text messages she wants to send you but can’t.”

I stare at him, my heart constricting painfully. He has no idea what he’s asking of me—he won’t ever know. The mere thought of visiting a home they share and having to watch them together pains me. How am I supposed to survive the reality of it?

“Please,” he says, reaching for my hand. “Kristen keeps telling me that whatever is going on between you and her isn’t as simple as I think it is, and I won’t pry, but she isn’t the only one who misses you. Please, come have dinner with us. Whatever happened between you two can’t erase a decade of friendship, can it?”

I nod, pure agony spreading from my chest, numbing my senses. “Okay,” I murmur. “How about sometime next month?” I ask, trying to buy myself some time. “I’ve been so busy with work, and honestly, I’m not sure I can fit it in any sooner.”

He breathes a sigh of relief, not realizing how reluctant I am. Theo is my best friend, and he doesn’t seem to realize that my heart is bleeding, that I’m forcing a smile as he beams at me. Or maybe he does, and he’s just ignoring it in favor of making Kristen happy.

“We can leave together after work whenever you want,” he says, his eyes twinkling. “I can’t wait to show you our place. We chose it from one of your lists, and I think you’ll really love it.”

I pull my hand out of his, my stomach dropping when I realize that they’re living in one of the apartments I imagined Theo and me in. He might not know what he’s asking of me, but Kristen does.

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