Page 24 of Fragile Kiss (Fragile 2)
Vacillating? “What do you mean?” Her face felt flushed from two glasses of wine. It seemed more potent than she remembered wine being.
“I guess...” Andrew shifted, crossing a leg underneath him. “I can’t figure out what you want. First, you break up with Cayden and make sure he knows there’s not another chance. You tell him to move on which, clearly, he’s not doing. Do you want to get back with him?”
“No,” Lillian retorted quickly. “I mean, yes, but no.”
Andrew raised an eyebrow.
“Of course I do, Andrew. But I’m not the best for him. I would only hold him back. I wonder if I was holding him back at all when we were still together.” She was getting emotional. “Either way, he’s free to find someone who can spur him on more than I ever could.”
“So, the answer is no, your intention is not to get back with him?”
She shook her head. “Correct.”
“So why in the hell would you fly all the way out to Los Angeles, for who knows how long, to help the woman he’s moving on with?”
“We don’t know if he’s getting together with her,” she muttered sheepishly.
“That doesn’t matter. But I mean, be real. He was at her house.”
“Maybe he trains her at her house.”
“Come on, Lillian. I know it’s tough to imagine him with someone else, but he’s doing what you asked him to do.”
“I didn’t ask him to spread the word about my business to his hook-ups.”
“I thought you just said you weren’t sure if he was hooking up with her or not.”
Lillian’s loud groan startled the cat, who jumped to her feet with saucer-sized eyes. “It’s okay, kitty, lie back down,” she tried to soothe the animal, but made an ugly face at Andrew. “I know I’m going back and forth. Obviously, I’m conflicted about this.”
“Make up your mind, already.” He said it in a low voice, but it was passive-aggressive enough to make her blood boil.
“What’s your problem, Andrew? You’re being really obstinate right now.”
He set both feet on the floor and scooted forward to the edge of the sofa. “Of course. I think this is a big mistake, and I think you’ll end up getting back together with Cayden.”
“Honestly, that’s not the worst thing in the world that could happen, you know. He’s not a serial killer. He’s a great guy; it was just my choice to break up with him because I saw how I would hold him back in the future.”
“It seems bad enough to me. You can’t seem to get over him.”
Lillian was fuming. “How can you say that? I just broke up with him a week ago! The wounds are still fresh!”
“I wanted to help you get over it quickly.”
“You are helping, but not by acting so coldhearted about the whole thing.”
“Maybe I’m being sort of cold about it because I wanted something different.”
His words froze her. Please, no. Not this again. Please don’t do this, Andrew.
“Maybe...” The corners of his mouth turned down. “Maybe I wanted you to see how much happier you are with me than you were with Cayden.”
“Andrew,” she tried, without any plan of what she should say after his name.
“I know,” he cut her off. “I know I shouldn’t have brought it up. I thought last time was going to be the only time, but I couldn’t shake it. And now you’re single—”
At a loss, Lillian held up her hand to stop his rant from going any further. “Andrew, please stop.”
“I’m sorry.” Immediately he stopped talking, but she knew by his face and tense body language that he wasn’t done yet. “I wouldn’t leave you, Lillian.”
