Page 141 of A World Apart
“Do you want to try again with him?”
“I don’t know,” she said, cocking her head to the side, eyebrows furrowed. “I’m vengeful, you know?” She offered a half-shrug. I didn’t try to disagree with her. We all had our character flaws and this was one of hers.
She was like Mr Darcy; once her good opinion has been lost, it is lost forever. Usually. Maybe not in Ben’s case, as it was in Mr Darcy’s case with Elizabeth Bennet.
“He needs to tell me what the fuck happened, that’s for damn sure,” Becka said decisively. “And then I think, maybe, I need to see if that makes a difference.”
“What if it’s something unforgivable, like he cheated?”
She winced before slowly saying, “I think that would make it easier for me to decide, but I don’t think it would turn it off. Not immediately, anyway.”
I nodded, understanding what she meant. Emotions are not appliances.
“When are you going to see him again?” I didn’t try to pretend that she wasn’t going to, we both knew she’d decided to long before I came in here this morning.
“He said he’ll call me, so let him do the leg work. For once,” she added darkly.
I sat up and shrugged. “You’re a big girl, Becka. But if you need me to break his legs, give me some advance notice so I can get my alibi straight, yeah?”
Becka snorted. “Yeah, you and my Stanley cup, a formidable pair.”
I nodded seriously. “Proper insulation is no joke.”
We shared a look before dissolving into giggles. I don’t know which of us reached out first, but we ended up in each other’s arms all the same, the laughter giving way to the silence of shared space.
“I’m going to miss you so fucking much.”
“I know. You’re going to clean that sofa.”
“I know.”
Chapter 45
“Annyeonghaseyo, Youngsoo.” I inclined my head to him politely, trying to hide my smile at the way his eyes widened. Jihoon was on the other side of the lobby, talking to Celine and Trevor Kyle. I knew he hadn’t heard me.
“Annyeonghaseyo, Kaiya-ssi,” he muttered, reflexively bowing, but only a little.
I caught Jihoon’s eyes for a split-second before he looked back to Celine, who was speaking. I was probably crossing a line being down here at all, but I couldn’t help myself when Jihoon had texted me to say they were arriving.
Trevor Kyle was staring at me, his head tilted, one side of his mouth quirked up. I didn’t like the way his attention made me feel; like I had bugs under my clothes, crawling around my skin like they owned the place. I forced myself to tear my gaze away and headed back over to the stairwell, looking over my shoulder just once to look at Jihoon, to admire the way his hair fell down past his ears, the way he smiled slightly when he talked, the way he held himself.
He caught me looking again, and I could see the faint tug of a smile he was trying not to let show. It felt like we were sharing a secret, the kind that swells in your chest like a warm, fizzy bubble. The kind that’s part delight, part bittersweet ache, teetering on the edge of something more.
I shook my head, consciously grabbed the door handle, pulled it open and walked back upstairs, gaining more clarity with every step that took me further away from him.
It had been near unbearable these past few nights, knowing damn well where he was in the city, but being unable to do anything about it. I wondered if this would ever fade, it felt so acute now.
I headed to Jeremy’s office. He’d been dodging me lately, I think he felt bad that we both knew I was out of a job in a few months, but I’d made my peace with it. I hoped that made it easier on him. I entered his office and he was exactly where he should be; sat in his chair, scowling at his laptop screen like it had offended three generations of his family.
“Sup, boss,” I said cheerfully. He flinched, like I’d shouted the words at him.
“Oh, hey Kaiya. What can I do for you?”
“That’s not how a job is supposed to work, boss. What canIdo foryou?”
He sighed and looked up from the screen. “Kaiya, we both know damn well I got nothing for you. I ran out weeks ago.”
“I’m too efficient is what you’re saying?”
