Page 81 of Thanks for the Friendship
We barely get into the car before Cal’s lips are on mine again. He stops abruptly and leans his head against the head rest.
“I’m sorry, I just need to get something off my chest,” he exclaims. “I know I said that tonight we’d have dinner as friends, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since that first night I saw you at the Hillards’ housewarming party.”
Okay, I wasn’t expecting a full confession.
“And I don’t want you to think I’m a bad person because I was still with Sara,” he continues. “I told you we’d been having problems for a while. And honestly, I should’ve ended things long before I saw you again.”
“But you didn’t,” I say softly. “I actually saw her at Diane’s the other night. She made it clear that I should stay away from you and that you’d end up back together.”
He shakes his head. “She cheated on me, not only with AJ but with another doctor too.”
Wow. Poor innocent Sara really gets around. She definitely has everyone fooled.
“It’s been over for at least a year,” he continues. “I thought if I just threw myself into work then I wouldn’t have to face it. I let it go on too long because I was afraid to start over again. And then you walked back into my life, and everything changed.”
He turns back to face me. “Granted it was a long time ago, but I wish I could change the way I ended things with you.”
I nod. “You broke my heart.”
“I know. I was a dumb eighteen-year-old kid,” he admits. “I let my ego get in the way when Theo told me he saw you with that Brent guy. I still hate him, by the way.”
I grin. “So do I.”
I reach up and run my fingers through his blond hair. “Who knows? Maybe things happened the way they were supposed to. You went to college then medical school, and we had experiences we were meant to have.”
He brushes my cheek with his finger.
“So now what?”
I give a shrug. “I have no idea. Maybe we continue our friendship?”
He shakes his head. “I think it’s too late for that—I’m throwing that whole friendship thing out the window.”
I try to swallow the lump that keeps building in my throat.
“What does that mean?”
Without another word, he kisses me again. I think it’s clear that Cal and I are quickly moving out of the friend zone. The question is—where do we go from here?
Chapter Twenty-Three
I’m not sure what I was expecting Cal’s apartment to look like, but I’m actually quite impressed. It’s really spacious for a one bedroom. Of course, he has the quintessential bachelor pad leather couches and large TV hanging on the wall, but otherwise it’s decorated rather nicely. The walls are covered in artwork, and the kitchen has all the appropriate appliances, including a state-of-the-art blender and an air fryer.
“I know it’s not fancy,” he says, opening a bottle of wine.
“Believe it or not, it’s nicer than I expected.”
He pretends to wipe sweat from his forehead. “I was concerned the realtor in you was going to get all judgmental.”
I laugh. “That’s actually a valid concern because I tend to be. But in my defense, it’s my job. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to explain to clients that they have to declutter their homes just so we can stage photos. Their argument is usually that people are buying the house and not the stuff inside it—well, how the hell are they going to get a good look at the house, if you have piles of toys and junk everywhere?”
His eyes grow wide. “Damn, you’re feisty when it comes to this subject.”
I let out a puff of air. “It’s one of my biggest pet peeves.”
He hands me a glass of wine and asks if I want to head to the living room. When we sit down, he slides his arm along the back of the couch behind me. He puts on some background music, setting the mood for a perfect evening of talking and well—more talking.
“What made you decide to get into real estate?”
