Page 73 of About That One Night
I can only hope that one day she’ll understand the magnitude of my love and find it within herself to love me back, even if it’s just a smidgeon of how profoundly I love her.
Hoping that I can make her understand that this one thing—my feelings for her—isn’t just some statement out of desperation, I begin to plead my case.
“Remember the first time we met?” I ask, my voice soft with the memory.
Zoe’s lips curve into a smile, her eyes distant as she recalls. “Yeah, at the bistro when Lily was trying to convince me that a road trip searching for her old flames was safe—and not crazy at all.” She laughs, the sound light and melodic.
I can’t help but chuckle, shaking my head. “It was a little out there,” I concede, but at the end she found herself and my best friend found his happiness—his forever.
I take a sip of my own lemonade and continue, “The first thing I noticed when I arrived at the bistro was you. Beautiful Zoe Harper.” My voice drops lower, more intimate. “There was an instant attraction, and when you said my company was made up instead of looking hazy and in awe you definitely wounded my ego but won my attention in ways no one has done before.
“You were a challenge.” I pause and smile. “You’ve always been challenging and maddening and there’s something about you that was refreshing in ways that I needed. Then, as we helped Lil and Eth, I got to know you. Your dreams, likes, dislikes . . . everything was great up until you mentioned ‘the Tool.’”
“Tom,” she corrects me, her eyebrow arching slightly.
I wave my hand dismissively, feeling a twinge of old jealousy. “Whatever. The point is that for the first time in my life, I was actually building the foundation of a relationship with a woman I found not only beautiful and smart but also witty and kind. Yet, she was already dating and had her life all set.”
Zoe gives me a skeptical look, her head tilting to one side, but thankfully, doesn’t interrupt. I take a deep breath, steeling myself for honesty.
“That’s when I stepped away because I couldn’t deal with whatever was going on inside me. There were too many emotions to comprehend. Thankfully, we barely crossed paths.”
“But when we did, you acted so juvenile with me and gave Tom a hard time, like a petulant child who didn’t know how to socialize,” Zoe points out, her tone a mix of amusement and exasperation.
I shrug because honestly, I was just trying to cope with my emotions—without knowing what was happening. “I never claimed to be a mature adult, babe,” I say casually. “Now that I’ve had time to process, I know it was jealousy.” My hands clench and unclench at my sides. “He was living the life I wanted, with the woman I was falling in love with but had to forget because she already had the perfect life.”
Zoe’s expression softens, a touch of sadness in her eyes. Not sure if it’s because of what I’m telling her, or if the end of her relationship with Tom still causes her some pain.
“It wasn’t perfect,” she says quietly. “It was mostly an illusion. Probably because when I met him it was cool to be dating this older guy who liked to travel and . . . I didn’t realize he wasn’t planning on having more than just a fun life.”
“We can still travel and have fun,” I offer quickly.
Zoe’s hand rests unconsciously on her stomach. “There are more pressing issues we have to focus onfirst,” she reminds me gently. “Can we talk about the baby?”
I nod, taking a deep breath. “Right. I need you to understand my perspective first, babe,” I say, my voice earnest. “So, the moment I learned Tommy Boy was out of the picture, I was about to swoop in but realized that you weren’t in the right state of mind. I had no idea if you were heartbroken or not, but I wasn’t planning on being your rebound.”
She snorts, a mix of amusement and disbelief crossing her face. “Yet, you proposed being my friend to . . .”
I smile, my heart racing. “To help you find out what you want in life, and hopefully, make you fall in love with me, Zoe,” I confess, my voice thick with emotion. “Obviously, I couldn’t keep it platonic for long.”
She laughs loud and when she composes herself, she says, “It lasted two seconds—you can nevernotbe inappropriate.”
“Can you blame me? I’ve been wanting to kiss you since the first time we met. Which is why I had to make things happen between us. Like pushing my friend to go on an insane trip. Or helping him coordinate everything they needed—with you,” I confess because the more she knows, the better she’ll understand that my feelings didn’t just appear when she said she’s pregnant.
Zoe’s brows furrow, her eyes narrowing as she processes my words. Confusion and disbelief flash across her face. “Are you telling me that everything you did was so I would fall in love with you?” sheasks, her voice filled with both wonder and skepticism.
I shake my head. “Not in the beginning. At first it was so you would notice me. The rest came later.”
“Having your chef friends cook special meals for me?” Zoe’s voice rises slightly, her hands gesturing in the air.
“Yep,” I reply, unable to keep a small smile from tugging at my lips.
“The studio?” She scrunches her nose, a habit I’ve always found endearing. “You didn’t have to do that, you know?”
I shift in my seat, feeling suddenly exposed. “That was a selfish act. You were either with Lily or your mom. I couldn’t get you alone,” I admit shamelessly.
Zoe’s laughter fills the room, her head thrown back, eyes crinkling at the corners. She shakes her head. “You don’t like when people notice you’ve done something nice for them.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say defensively, crossing my arms over my chest.
