by Gabbi Wright
He’d ordered them take-out from an American Chinese Restaurant she knew that had vegan options with tofu and allowed him to order what he liked without giving him guilt.
Yes, he was perfect, though she had vowed not to date anyone who didn’t choose to be vegan. He couldn’t be too perfect, could he? If there was going to be something wrong with him, maybe she could accept that, at least for now.
“What about tomorrow?” She asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Think it will be awkward?”
“I don’t know, you already stare at me most of the ay anyway. I don’t think anybody will notice any difference.”
“What? No, I don’t.”
“You sort of do.”
She felt herself grow red. “I didn’t think I was that bad.”
“I’m just kidding. You’re not. Sometimes. Like when you’re working.”
She punched him in the side, eliciting a grunt. He was right, of course, though she’d always hoped he hadn’t noticed.
“Anyway,” he continued, “I’ll be gone a few weeks, so nobody will suspect a thing. When I come back, you’ll have had plenty of time to completely regret this entire day.”
“Why would I do that? I don’t regret anything.”
“I hope not,” he said, but when he tried to hug her, she resisted.
“And where are you going?”
“Hawaii. I’ve had a vacation booked for months. I’m leaving in the morning.”
“Oh.”
She was losing him already. Everything felt so fresh and new. This was the part of the relationship she liked, while she got to know him, get to know his habits and tendencies, what he liked and what he didn’t, to being the center of his universe.
The bad part, the familiarity, came too soon, when he wouldn’t want to cuddle after sex, or choose to watch a movie when she’d want to go for a walk. She wasn’t ready for complacency.
“I guess you’re right,” she said. “What do you think we’ll be like when you get back?”
“I’m still your boss, I imagine I’ll be even more of a taskmaster, walking by and shouting ‘get to work’ all the time. I’ll give you stern glares. No one will ever know.”
“Would it be so bad if they did find out?”
“Oh, probably. I’ve had a firm rule about never getting involved in an office romance, for that very reason.”
“So, is this it, then?”
The thought kind of hurt. Brooke hadn’t exactly planned on being official, or anything, but she had for a brief moment thought that maybe they could be an item. Just for a while, of course.
He didn’t answer her. Either he was trying to spare her feelings, or he didn’t even know himself.
“You’re right,” she said, “We shouldn’t press each other any further than what we had. It was fun, but can you imagine?”
He frowned, but still didn’t say anything.
Problem was, she could imagine. What if this guy had been the one she didn’t run from? What if it had been possible? Turns out, they weren’t getting by day one. That was a bit fast, even for her. But this way, being honest with each other, they could admit they both just itched a scratch and move on. She wouldn’t have to think about him while he was gone or worry that he would meet somebody and fall in love with some other woman in Hawaii, while she pined away after him back in the middle of land-locked and snow-covered Idaho.
Yes, much better this way.
There would be no broken heart this way.
Okay, she admitted, maybe a little broken, but it would heal faster. It wasn’t like she’d even had time to fall in love with him.
Because that was most definitely not what she felt for him.
“Maybe you should take me home,” she said, “Unless you plan on ravaging me again.” She tried to sound like she was up for it. She was, actually, if he was. But it hurt, suddenly, like she was losing something she knew she never actually had.
“Are you sure?” he asked, “I still haven’t had you clean my house.”
“I guess I’d better let you rest. Especially with a long flight ahead of you.”
He agreed, unfortunately. After she dressed in her clothes that were freshly washed and dried, her date of doing absolutely anything he wanted was over.
When they returned to her home, she wondered if he expected a goodbye kiss. She didn’t give him one. Best to end it now. Even though she longed for one last touch of his lips.
It pleased her that he too looked disappointed.
CHAPTER 16 – ANTHONY
Brooke had reminded Anthony of what he struggled with, the office relationship, and he had kept his mouth shut lest he go further into convincing them the relationship wouldn’t work, because a part of him, a large part, wanted it to work.
But what if the conversation went the other way, and they did commit to each other? Would that have been so bad? It would have brought with it a whole slew of complications he was not prepared for. How could he separate work from pleasure? He wasn’t sure he would’ve been able to, not without hurting her feelings eventually.
But keeping his mouth shut had exactly the former ending. She took it that he didn’t want a relationship and all but called it off herself. He now drove by himself across Boise, missing her company. The day wasn’t over, and he’d briefly considered finding more ways to keep her in his company.
But that would’ve felt like he was taking advantage of her. He felt he had already.
And how did she feel?
Sexually fulfilled, dropping her off at home afterward with no promise of a future, it left him hating himself.
But what could he do? He was leaving early in the morning, while it would still be dark. He had two weeks away from her, away from work, and would have plenty of time to think. He’d have time to decide if he could change enough to be worthy of love. And she would have time to decide the same of him, that she found him worthy of her love.
That worried him. He’d already left one woman disappointed. He suspected he wasn’t worthy at all.
CHAPTER 17 – BROOKE
Brooke flashed her parents a fake smile and said she’d had a wonderful date. She really had; it just had ended a little confusing. It wasn’t Anthony’s fault. She’d pushed him to consider the relationship, and what guy could handle that on day one? It had taken the pressure off of her, so she wouldn’t have to disappoint him in three months, when he’d start to think he wanted to spend his life with her.
And when she realized she wouldn’t feel the same. That marriage promised something more than she could give.
That horrible feeling like she was losing her freedom.
Why was love so complicated?
Emily was not as fooled as her parents and followed her into her bedroom.
“Don’t you ever knock?” Brooke asked.
“What happened?” Emily asked, “Did he take advantage of you? You should have called me.”
“Yes,” she said, and when a look of rage formed on Emily’s face, she quickly added, “But I pushed him. I guess I took advantage of him, mostly.”
“What happened?”
“Do you want a play by play? Do you want to know how he measures up in bed?”
“Maybe later? I want to know about you first. Are you okay?”
Brooke sighed. “I think I’m broken. Why am I so scared to love, Em? What’s wrong with me?”
“Nothing, why would you think that?”
“I don’t know.”
Emily reached out and wiped a tear from Brooke’s cheek, one she didn’t realize had escaped.
“I want to love and be loved. Why do I run? Why do I chase them away?”
“Well,” Emma said, cautiously, “Maybe you have some sort of sixth sense.”
Brooke snorted. “I don’t believe in that stuff anymore. I don’t even read horoscopes anymore. And I certainly don’t interpret my dreams anymore.”
“Maybe this one you should?”
Brooke
plopped down on her bed, feeling like the entire world had abandoned her. She felt adrift without a purpose, completely incapable of loving or being loved.
Emily sat down next to her, placing an arm about her waist. “I’m serious,” Emily continued, “Like, maybe all those other guys had issues that you didn’t know about, and you bailed before you got stuck in a bad relationship.”
“Or I threw away a good thing.”
Emily gave her a squeeze. “Well, the heart wants what it wants. Was this guy somebody you were interested in anyway? Or did you put yourself into this mess on accident?”
Brooke rested her head on her sister’s shoulder. She wanted to cry, just for emotional release, but wasn’t ready to. Emily was trying to work through this with her, and she had a tendency to get angry at the guy if she started crying. Her sister would track him down and slash his tires if she thought he’d hurt her. Maybe break a window. She thought it best not to find out.
“Both,” she answered, “I’ve crushed on him almost since I got the job. I only keep the job because of him and Dina. I don’t think I’m very good at it. But I shouldn’t have written the note, either. I had the crappiest white elephant gift. I would have never been able to look him in the eye if I’d given it to him.”
“Did you tell him how you feel?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“I don’t know. He seemed to care. It doesn’t matter, Em, he’s leaving for two weeks. All I can do is wait for him to come back, and what then? If I got my hopes up, and he comes back with a new girl on his arm, I think it would destroy me.”
Emily stroked her hair like she was the younger sister. Emily had a way of comforting her as if she were a teen girl crying over her first break-up. “I guess that’s the risk, isn’t it? We never really know. I guess that’s the risk you have you take isn’t it?”
“I don’t want to. I don’t want to think about it. But I’m afraid he’s going to be all I can think about now.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, forcing herself to calm before she lost it. “I’m going to be okay. I’m going to forget about him. At least this way I can move on without getting cold feet later. I’m free. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. And now I don’t have to fall out of love or worry about a broken heart.”
“Too bad you’ll never know.” Emily stood up, gave her one last pat on the hand. “I’m going to go join mom and dad. You don’t know what you want, sis. It sounds like to me he might be worth waiting for. Otherwise, I don’t think you’d be in this situation. So, what if you break up with him in six months?”
“I’ve never dated past three.”
Emily snorted. “Or three. At least you tried, right? You act like you’re afraid to love, to commit. But I think you’re smart. You recognize when you’re not happy, and don’t stay in relationships you’re not interested in. you’ll figure it out. If this was a mistake, I know my sister will learn from it. You’re smarter than you realize.”
Brooke stood up hands on her hips. “You can’t leave, I want to argue more.”
“No, I’m hungry and I can smell mom’s enchiladas already. I do believe you have a sixth sense. Listen to it, and you’ll do all right. You hungry?”
“No.”
“I’ll let you be mopey with me later. If you like, I’ll sleep over, and you can keep me up all night long trying to convince me he’s not worth it. It’ll make it easier for you when you go back to work tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Ugh. Tomorrow was Monday already. After Emily left, Brooke flopped back on the bed. A sixth sense? She scoffed. If she had a sixth sense, she’d buy a ticket to Hawaii and meet him on a beach. Hawaii wasn’t that big was it? It looked small on the map. She could track him down.
She knew she wouldn’t, though, it was just another fantasy about the untouchable guy she’d gotten lucky with.
CHAPTER 18 – ANTHONY
Anthony would forget about her. That’s how it always went. He’d forgotten about Sheryl; he’d forgotten about the other girls he’d dated in college and High School. It was his nature to bury himself in work.
The worst part is he could still taste Brooke on his lips. He could remember her smell.
Brooke had been somebody he wanted to spend more time with. The little time they’d had, he’d completely enjoyed himself, loving her sense of humor, her quirks, even trying to make her happy with her vegan lifestyle.
Damn it, he wanted to make her happy. Just to see her smile. Just to see the spark in her eye. He found himself already missing the sound of her voice and the touch of her hands.
It felt like love at first sight, though she’d been right in front of him the entire time.
He’d intended to get some sleep before the airport, but he felt wide awake, and wishing he could have told her how he felt.
But how did he really feel? Was this love? Because, he was almost certain, if it wasn’t, he was right on the cusp, and another kiss would push him over the edge.
With less than eight hours before he needed to be at the airport, he needed to sleep, not fantasizing about the woman he’d let get away.
It was going to be a long night, and alone, he had too much time to think.
CHAPTER 19 – BROOKE
Four a.m. Emily had left Brooke’s room around midnight so she could get some sleep. Brooke had fallen asleep, finally a little later.
And now Emily shook her awake.
“Hey,” she said, “Get up, he’ here.”
“Huh?” She tried to shake the sleep from her head, and her head threaten to split open in protest. “Who’s here?”
“The guy, what’s his name, Tony.”
“The security guard? What’s he doing here?”
“What are you talking about? I said your boss is here.”
Brooke blinked, suddenly realizing what her sister meant. “Why?”
“How the heck would I know? He said you’re running late. I’m not sure, but dad will get grumpy and chase him off if you don’t hurry.”
Brooke staggered out of bed and hurried as fast as her sleepy head would let her, Emily prodding her along from behind.
She passed her parents in the hallway. Her mom asked, “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I forgot something on my date. He has to catch a flight.”
She opened the door, and there stood Anthony, shivering in the cold of the morning. “Hey,” he said, “I tried to call you, but you wouldn’t answer.”
“I silence my phone at night. What’s wrong?”
He sort of smiled, but it wavered, as though he wasn’t sure of how excited she actually was to see him. At four in the morning. “I have one last request of you. I just happen to have an extra ticket to Hawaii. I hated to let it go to waste, and I was thinking who’d I’d most like to spend my time with. You’ve got about an hour to pack and get ready before we need to be at the terminal.”
Brooke shook her head. “The note expired at midnight.”
“You’re right, that sounded more romantic in my head. But, if you are interested, I have something for you.”
He held out an envelope. Was he giving her the note back?
She took it, staring at it, unsure.
“I’ve always had a way of putting work in the way of relationships,” he said, “And that’s made me distant. I didn’t know how to tell you that yesterday. And it’s my fault for ruining the date. You made me realize that there’s more than just work. That’s why I’m offering you this invitation. I want to put you first.
“But anyway,” he continued, “I’m wasting time. Open it.”
She did so, slowly. She still felt half-asleep, and to be honest, she wasn’t sure if she were still dreaming or not. It certainly felt like a dream – why else would he be here, standing on her doorstep?
Inside was a single piece of paper, with a handwritten message.
Dear Brooke:
This certificate entitles you to two weeks with I, Anthony Johnson,
doing anything and everything you want –
Offer only redeemable in Hawaii.
Signed,
Anthony
She was definitely dreaming. She waited for the dream to pop. She pinched herself, though this was leading up to be a rather good dream.
The pinch hurt.
“Yes,” she said, “I’ll be ready in thirty.”
And her heart skipped a beat as he smiled that beautiful smile of his.
“I’ll wait in the car,” he said.
Emily shoved past her and seized him by the arm. “You’ll do no such thing. You’re going to wait in here, with me, while she gets ready. And we’re going to talk. I want to know everything about the guy who’s kidnapping my sister for two weeks.”
His smile faltered. Even as she turned to go, her parents were also waiting to learn more about him, and what he intended.
Brooke seized her sister by the arm and squealed, “I’m going to Hawaii!”
She ran off, abandoning her boss to her family.
CHAPTER 20 – BROOKE
Two weeks in Hawaii. As they exited the plane, the thrill of the vacation could not compare to her company. They had made small talk on the plane, while secretly in her head she thought of all the things she was going to make him do for two weeks.
Her thoughts went back to his skilled tongue and mouth quite often. And she was most definitely going to make him run around shirtless as often as possible.
She kept reminding him of the note, and he became more and more nervous.
“This is going to be so much fun,” she informed him.
Anthony laughed, and seized her by the hand. “Before you derail this vacation by keeping me in bed,” he said, “There’s something I need to tell you. We can’t start without me getting this off my chest.”