Page 44 of Anxious Hearts
Finn raised an eyebrow. ‘Charming?’
‘Or funny. Or sophisticated. Whatever it is super-hot 23-year-old fashion designers find appealing.’
‘Have you ever thought about being a couples counsellor?’
Kelly laughed. ‘Get out of my sight, Don Juan.’
Finn winked. ‘Thanks, Kel.’
‘You’re welcome.’
Kelly stepped back into the lift and watched Finn return to his apartment. A tiny part of her heart fractured, again. Just the tiniest hairline fracture. One that you would barely see on an X-ray, but, when combined with the all the others, would eventually cause her heart to break forever. How many times would she do this? Stand there while the doors closed on her and Finn?
***
Kelly stared at her notes. Read them again. Deliberately slowed down to digest the words and numbers. But nothing made sense. Nothing was sinking in. How could it when all she could think about was Finn and Ashley and what they were doing right now? After running into each other following yesterday’s telethon, they’d arranged a second date for tonight. Finn had tried to play it cool when he told Kelly they were having a ‘night in’, but he was clearly looking forward to it.
She pushed her chair back from her desk and stretched her arms above her head. Her vertebrae popped, releasing some of the tension that was locked in her spine. She groaned.
Her phone buzzed – a message from her mother about plans for Easter Sunday tomorrow. Kelly gave a thumbs-up back. She looked at her other unread messages, which she’d been ignoring all day. She wasn’t a slave to her phone like everyone else in the world; Kelly answered messages when she was ready and on her terms. But when she read Eli’s congratulatory texts after seeing her on the Care for our Kids Appeal, she almost wished she’d responded when he’d sent them last night.
Could she text him now and ask him to come over and study? Help get her mind off Finn and Ashley and back to what was actually important? It was eight o’clock. Was that too late? Would it make her look desperate? Or give him the wrong idea?It’s not like it’s a two a.m., drunk, booty-call message. She would make it clear that she wanted to study. Was having trouble focusing. Could use his help.
He responded almost immediately.
Half an hour later, there was a knock at her door.
***
They’d been running through cases for less than an hour, but Kelly was already exhausted. Eli’s arrival had done nothing to help her focus. In fact, it had probably just made it more complicated. Throwing her feelings for Eli into the mix had just stirred the whirlpool that was already threatening to drag her under.
And what were those feelings? She didn’t know. Or at least, she wasn’t sure. She liked him. She enjoyed spending time with him. He was smart and funny and good looking – although he could use a haircut – but what future could they possibly share? The three years after the exam would be just as brutal as life was now. How did a couple build a relationship when they barely saw each other?
No, it couldn’t work. You either had to be married before you started this process, which would be too early, or you waited until it was all done, which would be dangerously close to being too late.
‘Are you feeling all right? You’re not sick, are you?’
Eli’s voice broke her reverie and she actually blushed. It felt like he’d been listening to her thoughts.
‘Sick of you asking questions that aren’t about juvenile diabetes.’
‘If you were a type of diabetes, you’d be the juvenile kind.’
‘For someone who’s allegedly quite clever,’ Kelly said, ‘that’s an idiotic comment.’
Eli smiled. ‘You think I’m clever?’
‘I said allegedly.’
Eli’s smile widened. ‘You’re off your game. Must be the superstardom of being on television for three and a half minutes.’
They’d talked about her appearance when Eli first arrived. He congratulated her and said she’d handled the kiss situation well. Kelly had reaffirmed her position that she and Finn were just friends and, although Eli hadn’t argued, there had been a slight strain in his voice when he proposed they get started on studying.
Kelly didn’t want to go back to that discussion. She sighed. ‘I’m not off my game. I just don’t feel like studying anymore.’
Eli gripped the table as if they’d been hit by a major earthquake and he was trying to hold himself steady. Kelly grinned reluctantly.
‘Well, now I really know something is wrong,’ Eli said. He stood up and put out his hand. ‘Come on, let’s move from the case studies to the practical components of the exam. I’m going to conduct an examination to work out what serious malady assails you.’
