Page 118 of Love Not Qualified

How could we not? We lived far away from each other.

I sighed and went back to the house with only one destination in my mind.

Dad’s office.

Kai lived in this house and I couldn’t understand how. Did he ever open the door to his office? Did he ever wander inside? Did he ever spend his free time here thinking about how our lives would’ve been if he was still alive?

I took a seat on his chair after closing the door after me, inhaling the wood scent. The last time I came here, I drank… and maybe a sip wouldn’t hurt now.

Just one sip. Or one glass. One glass was going to be enough.

As I got up from my seat and my hand stretched to grab a bottle, my phone pinged in my pocket. For the past few days, every time I received a message I prayed it was her, but now I knew she was never going to text me again.

So I ignored it. For two straight minutes.

If it was her, I couldn’t take the risk of not replying. I had to know.

My eyes zeroed in on her name.

My heart pumped blood faster.

My knees weakened.

I didn’t screw it all up.

FORTY-FIVE

HAELYN

“You stalker!” I heard Merielle scream behind me. I jumped on the couch, dropping my phone onto the floor with a loud bang.

“Jesus Christ.” I whooshed the air out of my lungs, my breathing erratic.

“I can’t believe you were stalking him from his brother’s Instagram,” she continued, rounding the sofa and taking a seat next to me.

I threw her a glance, then scooped up my phone. I wasn’t stalking him. I was simply… checking to see if he was still alive.

After he came to my apartment and suggested we work together again, he never texted or called. I knew it was because I was the one supposed to give him an answer, but for some reason, losing his interest for a while bothered me.

And I hated it.

If I wasn’t ready to forgive him, why was I so torn up on the fact that he didn’t text?

I was a stupid girl who never knew what she wanted and if I was to continue like that, I was bound to be forever alone.

“Kiaran is a model and he naturally posts his life online. Tristan never does. I was simply checking on a friend,” I explained.

She laughed. “Just say you miss him already.” Merielle rolled her eyes in her head. “David thinks the same.”

“What?” His scream came from the other room.

Merielle’s mouth parted as she slapped a hand on the pillow, her head turning toward where the noise came from. “David! Are you spying on our conversation?”

We were met with silence, and I couldn’t help but laugh. At first, David wore headphones around the house, but then Merielle spilled the tea anyway. So it became easier for him to listen when we talked, I guessed.

“Idon’tmiss him,” I told her, locking my phone. “He just gave me a job offer and I was thinking about it.”

“By thinking about it you mean zooming on a photo of him?” She arched her eyebrows at me, then slapped me on my shoulder. “You’re not good at lying. Maybe you can lie to someone else, but not me. I smell your lies from miles away.” Merielle made a cute rabbit move with her nose.

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