Page 45 of Up All Night

“So, you and Halle are just hanging out, huh?” he probed. “First talking all night through the vents and now spending time alone together?”

“It’s nothing,” I said. “She was mad that I won our phone number competition, so she yelled at me through the vents.”

“But then talked for hours afterwards?” he cut in.

I ignored him. “And then I happened to be here when she got out of the shower, and we were just making small talk.”

He wasn’t buying anything I was saying. “And you didn’t make sure you were here at the same time she was?”

I looked away and busied myself with folding the dish towel. “No, of course not.”

“You’re so full of it,” he said, falling onto one of the couches.

“Oh, shut up.”

He was calling me out, and although everything he said was true, I still didn’t like it.

I walked around the counter and joined him in the living room. “She’s different than I thought.”

“What? She’s not actually out to ruin your life?” he asked with mock surprise.

I didn’t acknowledge his sarcasm. I was aware I had overreacted when it came to Halle and how I had thought she was a bad neighbor.

Sitting down on the couch, I leaned back. “No, she’s not trying to ruin my life at all.”

I let my head fall back as an unwanted thought wormed its way into my brain.

Without trying, she was actually making my life better.

15

Halle

“Give me two more,” I said.

West pushed the barbell up, his knuckles white from gripping the weight. His muscles rippled, but I was able to keep my focus on his form. During our workouts, it was easy to keep things professional between us, which I was thankful for.

After showering at his apartment on Monday, I was worried we were getting too comfortable around each other. Not that we couldn’t be friends, but I didn’t even want to get close to crossing any lines. That’s why I’d made sure to shower at his apartment on Tuesday when I knew he wouldn’t be there. And then by Wednesday, Ron had fixed our shower, thank goodness. Stopping the progression of our relationship at “cordial neighbors” would be for the best.

Although I didn’t need to worry since guys like West didn’t go for girls like me. He needed a successful woman who planned things out to the most minute detail and wore a power suit.

But me? I could definitely see myself liking him if I wasn’t careful. He was smart and kind (who would have thought?) and could even be funny at times. And if that wasn’t enough to get a girl, his good looks and success would suck you in.

Now that I’d gotten to know him better, the only flaw I could find was that he was a workaholic, which could make him selfish at times, but after hearing about his dad and the pressure he felt at work, it made more sense.

And wasn’t everyone a little selfish sometimes? I knew I was.

I was actually feeling selfish right now as I worked up the courage to ask West the question I’d been avoiding all week, but today was our last training session together, and being in this setting would make it easier for me to say what I needed to say.

Kate had insisted it wasn’t a big deal, that just because I was asking for help didn’t mean I couldn’t do this on my own. She’d said West would be a great resource and that I would be a fool not to get his advice.

She’d made a valid point, so as we finished up with the session, I gathered my courage. He knew a lot more about business than I did, and asking him to look over my business plan would help me achieve my goal.

“Great job today,” I started. “Ben would be impressed.”

He chuckled and grabbed a small towel to wipe his face. “I’m going to have to break it to him that he isn’t the hardest trainer here.”

I smiled. “I’ll be sad to miss out on his shocked expression.”

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