Page 16 of David's Love

“Is that concerning me?” I ask.

“It might,” he says in the same serious, almost stern voice that pushes a shiver down my spine.

“How?”

“I don’t know yet,” he says, preoccupied.

“Are you flying back?” I ask, my pulse racing.

“Yes. I have to.”

That doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with me.

Maybe he needs to take care of some business. Or maybe James had asked him to do that.

“You have to…” I say, disheartened.

“Listen. I’ll quickly travel to Singapore when I’m done here.”

My insides crumble, and my lips are dry.

I open my mouth to say something else but can’t articulate the words.

Eventually, I gather my composure as the voice inside my head nudges me to not show weakness.

“Does that mean we are over?” I say, cold, bracing myself for anything.

“No. That’s not what it means,” he says confidently, and I wonder how much of that is him handling the situation like an adult or him going over his options.

“I can’t come to New York. Or Singapore,” I say.

I almost push out a laugh.

Not only I can’t do it.

But I don’t want to do it.

Hooking up with him here is one thing. Having a nice weekend in New York is cool. But becoming the jet setter while giving up on my humble life is too much, and it no longer sounds like fun.

“There are things I don’t know yet. I’ll work diligently to shorten the time I need to manage the business.”

“You’re not doing this for me. Please don’t do that. I don’t want that from you.”

“Don’t worry.” A smile beams through his voice. “I’m doing it for me. I want to come home.”

“Home?”

My voice softens.

My heart clenches.

“I thought your home wasn’t here,” I say.

“I thought that too. But I want to be there for Christmas.”

Something in his voice makes me suddenly suspicious.

“It isn’t only because of me?”

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