“I talked to Zayne briefly, but then my boss beeped in and I had to take it.” He looks away for a minute before his attention is back on me. “I have to go to Dallas when I get back to Raleigh. I’m still going to stay as planned, but then…”
His voice trails off.
“Then you definitely have to go, and you won’t be back on the weekends.”
“Yeah. That.”
And there it is. Our expiration date.
Shit.
I want to say that I’m okay, that I knew this was coming, but the fact is, I’m not.
“Say something,” he quietly pleads.
But, in typical dork fashion. I don’t say what I’m thinking. Instead, I blurt out, “I’m going to make myself a turkey club. What are you in the mood for?”
14
ASH
“Can we just…?” I snap and immediately pause. I’m frustrated as hell, and I don’t want to take it out on Olivia. “Can we please wait on lunch and talk about what I just shared?”
I can tell she’s annoyed at me for forcing the conversation, but I don’t want to keep tiptoeing around it. Who knows when everyone’s going to be back, and I want the two of us to be open and honest and on the same page about what’s going to happen after I leave.
She puts the lunch stuff away and sighs. “Do you want to go sit inside?”
Nodding, I get up and follow her into the living room, where we sit at opposite ends of the couch.
I’m not taking it as a good sign.
“We’re in an unusual situation,” I begin slowly. “Most of the time when people start dating—and yes, I consider what you and I are doing the same as dating—they’re in the same place. Geographically, at least. You and I don’t have that luxury. But we do have a connection. A damn strong one, and I don’t want to give that up. Do you?”
Even from the other end of the couch, I can see her eyes well with tears even as she shakes her head.
Relief washes over me. “There is a lot we need to figure out, but we don’t have to figure it all out today. I really just need to know that you feel the same.”
“How do you feel?” she whispers.
“I’m crazy about you, Olivia. Like…so crazy about you, it overwhelms me. You are this beautiful, vibrant woman, and I still can’t believe you’re interested in me.”
“Why wouldn’t I be? You are this amazing and brilliant man, and…do you even realize how sexy you are? I told you on that first day here that you have the whole Superman and Clark Kent thing going on, and that is the truth. I love how you have seen me at my absolute worst time and time again in a really short time, and you never judged me for it.”
“To be fair, all of those situations weren’t your fault. And the woman on the flight seriously provoked you.”
“It wasn’t just the flight or even the funeral,” she tells me. “It’s…it’s everything. You talk through things. So when you have a powerful reaction to something, I am confident that you’ve thought about it before hitting that point. You take your time and always come up with these brilliant solutions to everyone’s problems.”
“Not all of them. I still haven’t found the perfect plot for your book.”
She gives me a watery smile. “Can you be serious? Please?”
“You’re right. You’re right. Go on.”
“I’ve been afraid to let myself think about what was going to happen at the end of this trip because I can’t see a scenario where this continues. And it breaks my heart because I have been happier in this last week with you than I think I’ve ever been.”
She lets out a shuddery sigh, and I brace myself for whatever she’s going to admit next.
“When I saw you at Matt’s funeral, I was wildly confused. I thought maybe you were in the wrong place or maybe I had conjured you up because I really wanted to see you again.”
