Page 14 of Austen Persuaded

Oh, man, his face.

That strong jaw, his lips curved in that tiny almost-smile he wore when he thought no one was looking, his short yet fluffy hair, the steel eyes that somehow managed to look both intense and amused at once.

I shook my head.

But surely Rafael wasn’t following him on socials, right?He wouldn’t have seen the post.

My stomach twinged with regret. I wished I hadn’t brought up any of this. At all.

Rafael studied me for what felt like hours until he seemed to make a decision. “You resent her for meddling in past relationships, and you’ve never really addressed it with her, so it’s finally come bubbling to the surface. You don’t feel like you can express the feeling now because it’s not that relevant to the current situation. This time, she wasn’t meddling, like, pushing you toward or away from Brandon, but rather telling you something that you really needed to know.”

I sighed. It was annoying how spot on he always was. “You get it. Yeah, it feels really unfair to bring up a bunch of old issues that have nothing to do with this Brandon thing, which wasn’t her fault at all.”

Yes, Brandon. This is only about Brandon. No one else. Not some old fling.

In his eyes, I saw something, a hesitation, a serious look that suggested he wanted to say more, but he closed his mouth before taking a long swig of apple juice. Fearing what he might be afraid to say, I filled the silence instead. “So what do I do?”

“This is a tough one. I feel like you should saysomethingto her. To let her know you’re not mad, that you’re notthatcrazy—” He yelped when I punched him in the shoulder. “I mean, not crazy at all.A-hem. Anyway, I do think you need some space from her, and that’s your right, girl. Maybe eventually this resentment stuff has to be brought out into the open. Or not, whatever you decide, but youdon’t have to decide right now.” He eyed me for a moment before adding, “Just have some space, girl.”

I bumped shoulders with him. “It’s like you read my mind and knew exactly what I wanted you to say ... before I even knew myself.”

He pursed his lips before nibbling on another waffle. “Of course. It’s one of my many talents.”

I grinned. “Any plans after class today?”

“Lunch at Joel’s parents’ house,” he said after swallowing a mouthful. “Why do you make this stuff so delicious? I’ll never fit into my leotard.”

My eyes widened. “Hisparents’ house? That’s new, right? I know you’ve met up with them, but is this your first invite to their house?”

Rafael nodded, turning to me with an anxious expression. “Oh,Annie. How do I not bungle this?”

“As if you could,” I said, giving him a reassuring smile. “You can charm anyone.Anyone. If anyone should be nervous, it’s them. They should be trying to impressyou. You’re a 10, Raf.”

He twisted his lips in a thoughtful manner and then nodded. “Yep, you’re right. I am. Thanks, girl.” He flashed his winning smile, the one that charmed everyone he met, and then sashayed away to clean up the dishes. After a moment, he glanced back at me, still facing my plate of barely eaten waffles. “What about you? Any plans for today?”

“I should check in with work emails and dig myself out of whatever hole I’m in with Ellen. I think at least one editing job is late, or maybe she’s reassigned it by now. I should probably text her.” I groaned just thinking about having to deal with all of that. My job was OK. I didn’t hate it or love it. I liked Ellen, most of the time. But it didn’t inspire passion, and it wouldn’t give me the strong distraction I needed right now.

Rafael stilled, his only movement in his eyes, which also stilled once they met mine. After a long moment of silence, he suddenly laughed. “Oh, you’re joking.”

I tilted my head in confusion and smiled weakly. “Uh … sure?”

He stared at me, and then his jaw dropped. “Annie!You can’t work for that Bolder trash. What are you thinking?”

I gasped. “Oh, I … it didn’t even cross my mind. I guess in my mind I’ve kept work and my personal life so separate for the longest time that I didn’t connect the dots … well, they’ve never been connected before.” I scowled. “Rafael, it’s myjobthough. Like, my source of income.”

“Girl, I’d rather pay your rent than see you spend another day, another minute working for that garbage human.”

“I’m touched.”

“I mean it, Annie. You need to cut ties, and this is part of it. You can find another job. And, I mean, you …”

“I what?”

Rafael sighed, sitting down on the kitchen stool next to me again. “Maybe this isn’t the right time, or maybe it is,” he said in a gentle tone he didn’t use often with me. Or anyone. And then, he suddenly shifted to a blunt tone. “You don’t even like that job. Admit it. You never really have. It’s just a paycheck, a decent one, but that’s it.”

How many times was I going to be blindsided this week? I blinked and drew in a deep breath. “So many truth bombs. Good thing resilience is my jam. Oh, man, what a dork I’ve become, editing so many psych books lately,” I said, with a slight chuckle. I rested my chin on my hands and digested what he’d said.

He’s right.

---