Page 93 of The Dating Dare

“Oh, for goose’s sake.” She closed her eyes and pressed the button, long and loud.

When there was no response, she peeked from one eye to make sure she hadn’t pressed the wrong button. Her finger still hovered right by Seth’s name. She had pressed the right one. Did he know she was out here? Was there a camera? Of course, he must’ve seen her through the intercom with her face scrunched and her eyes squeezed shut, and ignored it.

Her stubbornness kicked in and gave her some much-needed energy. She’d come too far to be sent away at the gate. She pressed the button again with her eyes wide open this time.

“Dammit, Seth.” At least answer the intercom.

She buzzed him in three rapid successions. She wanted to hit the damn thing, but someone was coming out of the building, and she didn’t want to get arrested for destruction of property.

“You come in?” asked the young woman when she opened the gate to come out.

“Really? May I?” Tara asked with her hand on her chest. She was ever so grateful. The other woman must’ve seen how desperate she had been to reach Seth on the intercom.

“Mais oui.” She stepped out of the building and held the gate wide open for Tara to get through with her rolling bag.

“Merci. Vous êtes très gentile.” Tara waved as the nice woman smiled and walked off to her destination.

He might not want her near him, but she was inside, one step closer to him.Ha. He lived on the sixth floor, so when she spotted what appeared to be an elevator, she walked toward it. It was the size of a small pantry and had iron railings as the door. She slid it open and got inside. She and her bag filled it to maximum capacity.

When the door didn’t automatically close, she fiddled with the handle and closed it by hand. She pressed the button for the sixth floor, but it didn’t light up, and nothing was happening to the elevator. Too nervous to trust the old-fashioned contraption anymore, Tara got off the teeny elevator and headed for the open stairway in the lobby.

The stairs were narrow and steep, and difficult to maneuver carrying a bag, which got heavier by the minute. By the time she reached the sixth floor, Tara was out of breath and had a sheen of sweat on her forehead. She stood at the top of the stairs taking a moment to catch her breath, so she wouldn’t be a panting, sweaty mess when Seth saw her through the peephole. Maybe that was better than pale and petrified. The exertion had probably put some color in her cheeks and now might actually be the best time to knock on his door.

She dragged herself and her bag up the last few steps to reach Seth’s door, and knocked.

“Seth,” she called out. “It’s Tara.”

No answer.

“Please open the door. Just hear me out. Please.” She rapped on the door again. “Are you home?”

Maybe he was out, but her paranoid mind told her that he washome on the other side of the door, silently listening to her plea. Heart steeled and cold. Wanting her to suffer. Because she deserved it.

Her knees threatened to buckle so she leaned against the door. “Aubrey says hello. Don’t be mad at her for giving me your address. I’m her best friend and she probably couldn’t help but take pity on me. I’ve been such a wreck. If I had more energy, I would’ve noticed how many people I was worrying. It seems I’ve been toonicelately, and it was freaking people out. I’m a little offended, but then again Little Miss Sunshine just isn’t me. I think I’ve been trying to make up for what I did to you by helping other people.”

Reason returned to her. Seth might be angry with her, but he wasn’t cruel. If he was home, he would’ve opened the door by now. But even knowing he wasn’t home didn’t stop her from spilling her heart out to the freaking door. The words wouldn’t stop.

“But I don’t want you to worry. I’m not here to make you worry. Being here near you is making me feel alive again. And I’m terrified—really terrified—that you won’t give me another chance, but knowing that I tried to win you back will help me move forward. I don’t want a life without you, but I’ll respect your decision. I’ll continue to dream, and follow my passion. I won’t be whole, but I’ll be something.”

She cleared her throat. It was true. She was done with existing like a ghost. Life was too precious and amazing to watch it pass by while she wallowed in a fog of grief. She was going to do everything in her power to convince Seth to give her another chance, but if it really was over, then she would go on. She wasn’t going to allow anyone or anything to erase who she was. She had the power to decide who she was and to live the life she chose. Loving Seth had taught her that.

“I didn’t mean it. Any of it. Especially the part when I said I could never love you. How could I never love you if I’m already in love withyou? That was the biggest lie I’d ever told. But I need you to hear this. Even if I’ve irrevocably broken your heart and you could never trust me again, know that I love you with everything in me. I love you so much that being with you makes the world a place full of hope and promise, and I feel like I can do anything. With you by my side, I won’t be afraid of losing myself again, because you bring out everything true inside me.”

Closing her eyes, she soaked in the fact that she was in Paris. He was in Paris. They were so close.Seth.

“How did you fall in love with me when I fought so hard to stay distant? Do you…” Tara swallowed. Maybe it wasn’t true anymore. He might not love her. He might hate her. “Seth? Do you still love me?”

“Tara?” A voice—a voice she loved and would know anywhere—said from the stairway.

She spun to face him and lost her balance, but Seth was instantly by her side to catch her from falling. They stared at each other, breathing hard. Did he know she’d been talking to the door all this time, confessing her love to it? What could he be thinking? Once she gained her balance, she stumbled back from Seth and smoothed her hair away from her face.

“Hello, Seth.” She sounded so formal. Talking to the door had been much easier than talking to the real-life man. He was so tall, so handsome, and so… confused. She tried to rectify the matter. “Um, hi.”

“What are you doing here?” he said, his eyes traveling over her as though checking to see if she were real.

“I came to see you. To talk to you.” She took a step toward him. “Is it okay that I came?”

“I… yes… no…,” he stuttered, the furrow between his eyebrows deepening. She didn’t know what to make of it. She’d never seen Seth truly flustered. She was just thankful that there was ayesin the middle of his muddled response. And yet she couldn’t ignore thenoeither.

---