Page 108 of Mr. Wrong Number

Nick’s face went red and he full-on dissolved, lowering his voice and saying to Colin, “I have no idea what’s happening, man. You were right about her because I just stopped by her table to say hi and she lost her shit.”

“I can hear you, you jackass,” I said through gritted teeth.

Colin swallowed and his eyes darted to my face, then back to Nick. “Why don’t you take off and let us talk.”

Nick very nearly sprinted for the door while Colin and I stared each other down.

“Can we sit?” He was still holding on to my strap. “Please?”

I bit my bottom lip before saying, “I don’t think I want to talk.”

His jaw clenched and he raised a hand and touched my chin. “Please?”

I shook my head but wanted to push my face into his warm palm. “I just don’t—”

“I love you.”

Everything went quiet in the world as his words crashed into me. “What?”

He swallowed again, his throat moving hard before he said, “I love you. I know I screwed everything up and I know we were going to keep it casual, but I somehow fell in love with you. I can’t believe it myself, but in spite of our lifetime of hatred for each other, I am completely lost without you in my life.”

Colin

I watched her process it.

Her dark eyebrows crinkled together the way they always did when she was working through something she didn’t quite understand, and she blinked fast. Her green eyes stared into my soul, seeing all of me, and I swear to God I started sweating.

Because—holy shit—what the hell had I just said?

It was one hundred percent true, but I hadn’t even known it myself until the words fell out of my mouth. Dammit if I didn’t feel like someone who’d just been given shocking news. It seemed like time had slowed as she looked at me, and I felt like I was going to lose my shit if she didn’t say something.

Anything.

“You love me.” Her voice was almost a whisper as her eyes darted all over my face.

“Yes.”

“And you can’t believe it yourself?”

“I can’t. I mean, can you?” I put my hands in my jacket pockets to keep from touching her and smiled. “After all this time? It’s pretty crazy.”

She smiled back but I could tell it was fake. Something was wrong. She said, “Itiscrazy. I mean, Colin Beck falling in love with a batshit-crazy mess like me? Who could ever believe that?”

Ah, shit.“That’s not what I meant.”

She shook her head. “Maybe not, but it is exactly what it is. You fell in ‘love’ in spite of yourself, regardless of everythingyou know about me. You think you’re in love with me and evenyouhave a hard time believing it.”

“Dammit, Liv—”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Well, then, dammit,Olivia.” I gritted my teeth. “And can you maybe not air quote my feelings like it’s a joke?”

She moved the strap of her bag to the other shoulder. “But itisa joke, Colin. Come on. You don’t love me, just like I don’t love you. We both love good sex and witty banter. That’s all it was.”

I had no idea what to say to that, to her utter disregard for my feelings. “You’re wrong.”

“I’m not.” She pulled her keys out of her coat pocket. “If I didn’t find out about the Wrong Number thing, you would’ve outgrown me by the second time I spilled something in your Audi or wore the wrong shoes to the club.”

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