Chapter 3 #2
She licked her lips, running her hands through her thick, gorgeous hair, and then tugged at her right ear.
It was another nervous tic. I had the overwhelming urge to close the distance and kiss her, find out if she'd react the same as all those years ago.
She used to make the most delicious sound just before she opened up for me, granting me access to her mouth.
Exhaling sharply, I turned, pretending to inspect the windowsill, trying to regain control.
"Why did you even come back?" she asked.
“That's a long story.”
“Okay.”
Looking up at her, I saw her twiddling her thumbs. “Avery, are you feeling uncomfortable?" I asked, getting straight to the point.
She shrugged, holding her hands up. “I don't know. This feels a bit weird.”
I closed the distance again despite knowing it wasn't the best idea. The need to kiss her was back and even stronger than before.
“I don't know if moving in together is a good idea," she said. "I don't know you anymore. We're practically strangers.”
“That’s a risk you run with any roommate. Besides”—I tilted in closely until I could smell a whiff of her perfume again—“I wouldn't call us strangers.”
"What would you call us?" she murmured.
I looked down at her lips before straightening up.
I was teetering in dangerous territory. “I'm struggling to find the right words.
'Acquaintances' feels like a mouthful. And it doesn't even come close to describing us.
" I thought for a moment. "I have an idea.
Why don't I take you out for a drink tonight?
We'll spill our secrets. Then we won't be strangers anymore.”
I looked her straight in the eyes, turning on my most charming smile. Her eyes rested on my mouth for a split second before she cleared her throat. I’d rattled her, which was exactly what I wanted.
“I can't. I promised I'd take Alana out.”
“You're still friends with her?”
“I'm sleeping on her couch. She offered, even though we hadn't spoken basically since graduation.”
“I see. So you have no problem camping out on her couch but hesitate moving in with me. I’m sensing the double standard.”
She burst out laughing. "Touché."
“You will barely see me, Avery. I work all the time.”
“How many hours per week is 'all the time'?”
“A hundred, give or take.”
Her eyes bulged. “Give or take? That's like two jobs.”
“I think it's going to be closer to eighty.”
“Still two jobs.”
“In that case, I'm going to be a great roommate.”
She bit her lip, looking around. “I don't know. What if you do decide in a few months that you want to leave again, and then I'm left with all this rent?”
“I would never put you in a bad position, Avery. You know that."
“I see you still like to play knight in shining armor, huh? Then again, I guess that’s why you became a doctor." She glanced around the loft. "Well, I have two more options that I'm going to look at this week."
Disappointment hit me like a fist. What the hell? I hadn't expected that.
When I’d first replied to her message in the alumni group on Facebook, it had been to extend a courtesy to the woman who once meant the world to me. I would've done anything for her back then, but then I lost her. When had it gone from that to wanting to share the apartment with her?
“I can take you and Alana out for drinks later," I offered. "I'd like to catch up with her as well.”
“I don't think we can do that tonight, but it would be lovely to catch up at some point, even if this doesn't work out.” She twirled her hair around her fingers, and I couldn't help but laugh.
"What?" she asked.
“You still have the same body language and mannerisms. It's a very odd sensation. I can't even describe it. It's like we're in the present but also in the past at the same time.”
She smiled, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “I know what you mean. I had the exact same sensation when I saw Alana.”
“Come on, let's go back downstairs. We don't want to run into the next visitors.”
"Don't you want to check out the competition?" she asked playfully, looking at me over her shoulder.
“No.”
“That's right. You intimidated that poor dude into practically giving you the apartment. I don't even think the others stand a chance.”
“Good. They shouldn't.”
“It's not yours just because you were the first one to contact him about it. You can't claim something simply because you were first.”
Funny, because that was exactly what I wanted right now: to claim her.
Dammit, Sam, she used to be yours. Not anymore.
This evening was not going the way I wanted. I thought it would be a friendly catch-up. Instead, I was fighting every instinct not to kiss her.
As we walked through the living room, I instinctively reached out.
This time I didn’t catch myself and did put my hand on her back.
She straightened sharply, looking at me sideways.
I saw her swallow hard and dropped my hand.
She flexed and then unflexed her fingers, playing with the ring on her middle one.
I had a flashback to our first night together; she'd played with it just the same way before she told me she was ready.
"Thank you. The apartment is lovely. We'll let you know soon," she told Mal, who nodded.
We left just as two people came in. They looked like a couple and gave us the side-eye.
"Want me to drive you somewhere?" I asked her.
“No, thanks. I like strolling around the city a bit. I’ll give you my answer this week.”
“Okay. Say hi to Alana.”
She was only a few steps away, and I felt her absence immediately. We had a connection after all these years, and that made me happy. Avery was the one who got away.
I was going to take the apartment anyway. The question was would she move in with me?