Page 64 of Bending The Rules

“Being with your family and friends isn’t one?”

“We’re all used to the long-distance thing, right?”

Justin turned around. “I don’t know yet. You weren’t speaking to me, remember?”

I ran a hand over my head. “Yeah… but you’ll get used to it. I was supposed to be leaving in a little over a week anyway. My time here helping with the store is up. I actually have a trip to Lagos in a few days. I might just… not come back. Go straight to London from there, instead of coming back across the pond first.”

“What?” Justin frowned, then quickly crossed the room to close the distance between us. “When you say a few days, what does that mean?”

“My flight leaves Wednesday night.”

“Today is Monday! And you’re thinking about not coming back?”

I nodded. “Yeah. My work here is done, and my CFO is already getting on me about my travel costs. Unless I decided to make this my home base, and need to start looking at rental spaces… I don’t have a reason to stay.”

Unless…

“Damn,” he said, pulling me into his arms. “I knew you weren’t gonna be in town much longer, but I thought there would be at least a little more time. I know you’re coming back for the holidays though, right?”

I shrugged to answer his question, then shrugged my way out of his arms. “I don’t know yet. But… I’ll let you know what I decide. I guess I can keep in touch now, since we’re back on good terms.”

“You’re damn right we’ll keep in touch. That’s not an option. I’m going to be all in your business,” he teased, and I forced myself to smile back.

“Right. Well… I should probably get going. I’m supposed to be meeting Aviva for lunch, and I’ve got three miles to run to get back to the hotel, so…”

“You want me to just drop you off?”

“No,” I answered quickly, shaking my head. “No, I don’t. The run will give me some time to think. Burn some stuff off, you know?”

He nodded. “Yeah. You be safe. Let me know when you make it back to the hotel, and hey – make time for me at some point before you leave for Lagos. In case you end up deciding not to come back.”

“Of course, Jus. I’ll see you later.”

I got out of there before any tears could fall.

Especially since I wouldn’t even know how to explain them. Any other time, I would expect Justin to just…get it.He was my best friend. He wassupposedto get it.

But apparently not.

This was a development I wasn’t quite sure how to handle.

- & -

“Okay, Justin is an asshole.” Across the elevator from me, Aviva crossed her arms, and shook her head, sending her freshly-pressed bob swinging around her face. “I mean, I knew that already, that it ran in their family – remember, Joseph was one of the first people I met when I moved here for med school – but seriously… he didn’t pick up that you wanted him to ask you to stay?”

I shrugged, then pressed my head back against the cool wall of the elevator, looking up at the ceiling as it took us to our floor. “If he did, he certainly didn’t say anything to me. And honestly… I’m over expecting him to pick up my cues. If he was interested in something more than what we are, he would have been clear. He knows how to make himself heard any other time. He’s just not feeling it, and I refuse to walk around here trying to make a man want me. I’m not that thirsty. Maybe some distance between us will kill the crush, and we can go back to being normal friends. No benefits.”

“Maybe he doesn’t want you… yeah, that’s definitely an option,” Vi said, wrinkling her nose. “Or, the more likely option is that the man is just damnedstupid.”

I chuckled as the elevator chimed to let us know we’d reached the Women’s Health Center at University Hospital, where Vi worked. “Justin isn’t stupid, by any means.”

“Toni,” she said, walking backward to exit the elevator, so she could keep my gaze, “You are smart, gorgeous, successful, and funny. If he doesn’t want you, he’s stupid.”

I smiled, for what felt like the first time since I’d left Justin’s house that morning. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, cousin.”

“Anytime.” She looped her arm through mine as we headed back to her office. “Seriously though… I know this goes against your whole “he should be a mind reader” thing, but girl… you may just have to be direct with him. I would be completely shocked to find out that all Justin was interested in with you is sex. Maybe he’s scared too.”

“If that’s the case, he’s hadampletime to tell me that. I think a friend is all he sees me as. Yes, we have sexual chemistry, and he’s a single man, so he acted on it. Will continue to act on it, as long as I let him. Justin is… organized. He’s not interested in taking me out of my box.”

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