7 #3
It took me a second to piece her words together, making me frown. “Why? It’s not like you were pretending.”
Her shoulders dropped as she turned to face me. “No, but if I take on this project…I also can’t pretend that I don’t know him.”
She had a point. That would be more awkward.
“Maybe you won’t have to pretend.” When she gave a look that said be-for-real, I quickly added. “I mean,” I rushed on, “maybe he forgot about you too? It was over two years ago, and you haven’t run into each other since.”
“There’s at least a tiny chance he doesn’t remember.” I offered a hopeful shrug when she stayed silent.
She rubbed her temple again. “Yeah, the chances of both of us experiencing the same thing are highly unlikely. No matter how much I actually want that.”
I snorted, my thoughts immediately derailing. “Imagine. The Formula One driver—wait, just a driver or has he won a championship?”
She muttered something under her breath so quickly and quietly I was pretty sure only bats could’ve picked up the frequency.
I arched a brow. “Yes?”
“Three,” she repeated. “He’s won it three times.”
My eyes widened, earning an immediate eye roll from Samyra.
This time, though, my expression didn’t change. “Right. So if the hottest experience of my life managed to forget I existed, then obviously the three-time world champion is still hopelessly hung up on you after two years. I’m sure that’s some kind of balance.”
“Yeah,” she muttered dryly, clearly getting annoyed by the glee in my voice. “This is exactly why I didn’t tell you.”
I grinned. “You should’ve. I almost feel better.”
She simply shook her head and focused back on her food. Her gaze fixed on the folder that sat between us.
“Are you seriously thinking about saying no?” I asked, unable to fully read the expression lingering on her face.
“Yeah,” she admitted softly, and I pursed my lips.
“What’s the worst that could happen?”
“That he remembers me,” she said. “And takes this as some kind of…I don’t know, sign to reconnect?”
“And that would be a bad thing?”
She hesitated, carefully turning over her words before nodding. When she spoke again, her tone carried that unmistakable end of discussion edge.
“He was a one-night stand. That’s all he is ever supposed to be. No matter what.”
I decided then and there that eight in the morning was far too early to unpack Samyra’s Olympic-level commitment to avoid…well, love. So instead, I went for the angle I knew would actually get through to her.
“I get that,” I said. “But before you make your decision, think about what you told me a month ago, and how stuck you’ve been feeling at work lately.
This could be huge for your career. Like, come on, Sammy.
It’s Formula One. Singhania Diamonds. and Monaco.
” I gestured dramatically with my spoon.
“Do you know how insane the networking alone would be? The people you’d meet, the doors it could open?
This is the kind of opportunity people spend years begging the universe for.
You could walk away from this with enough connections to do literally anything you want next. ”
She stayed quiet, so I pressed on.
“And I’d hate for you to give all of that up because of a man.
Albeit,” I added, pointing at her, “a man who had you looking like he’d personally rearranged your soul when you came back to our room the next morning.
But still. He’s just a man. Even if he is still hung up on you—which we aren’t even sure about—that is not your burden to carry. ”
I shrugged. “Plus, you’ve managed to go the last two years without even crossing paths. This is one event, Samyra. One job. Then you can go right back to your life afterwards like nothing happened.”
“Yeah,” she said, sounding resigned, but the stubborn resistance from earlier had finally started to crack around the edges.
I tried not to look too victorious about it.
Samyra narrowed her eyes at me anyway. “So,” she drawled, “is that your plan for the day now? Taking your own advice and refusing to let a man ruin your experience on the first day of your dream job, since apparently that’s not your burden?”
A smile tugged at my mouth before I shook my head.
“I said no such thing. You’re a far more evolved and emotionally open-minded person than I am.
” I pointed my spoon at her. “I’m still going to the job, obviously.
But, personally, I will absolutely be blaming that man for ruining my mood during what should’ve been one of the best mornings of my life. ”
That earned the laugh I’d been aiming for.
“I’m serious,” I continued. “Sure, I may have played a small role in cracking open this particular can of worms, but I refuse to spend the aftermath dramatically drowning in emotional damage. Shit happens, and if he thinks pulling this makes us equal…then he’s got another thing coming at him.”
“Thought so,” she replied, shaking her head as she reached for her coffee again, not at all surprised by any of this. “Well, I look forward to hearing how today goes for you.”