Page 79 of Until We Meet Again

I move away from the table and out of earshot of anyone else so I can talk to my girl.

"Hey, sweetheart."

"Hey."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm okay. Are you?"

"I've been better." Silence fills my ears, and I take a breath. "I'm actually in the place where I took you on our second date."

"I know. I'm at the bar across the street."

Filled with a sudden burst of determination, I turn quickly and power walk to the entrance. My mind is entirely focused on how desperately I need to see her. As I exit the building, my eyes are drawn to her standing in the doorway of a loud and raucous bar. It's not my scene, but I only see her.

A few yards away, Tessa stands before me, dressed sinfully sexy in a dress so tight that I can see every curve of her body clinging to the black material, accentuating her natural beauty and sparking the possessiveness within me—she's so close and yet so out of reach. I'm fighting my impulse to rush over to her and claim her so that no one else wrongfully believes they have a shot with her, but the rational half of my brain tells me not to.

This girl is going to be my undoing.

I can almost make out her face, but all I see is confusion, which makes me uneasy; she's confused about her feelings. I get it, but what she wants is completely out of my control, and she needs tofigure out what's best for her here. I shouldn't be selfish with her, no matter how much I want to be.

She deserves better.

She deserves better than me.

But fuck that.

Chapter 35

Tessa

When I mentioned going out earlier, I was in a different state of mind—I was a different Tessa. I was feeling like shit, and I wanted to escape every thought that was racing around in my head. But an hour later, I'm back to being the real me—the Tessa who hates socializing.

I'd much rather be in my sweats, no bra on, holding a book in one hand and a hot drink in the other. However, I find myself wearing a tight little black dress adorned with a pair of Jen's high heels.

This Tessa is desperate to cancel and curl up in bed with a fictional man.

I head to the living room to find Jen sitting on the couch, looking stunning in a chic blue and white strappy dress. As I join her, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and carefully adjust the back of one of my earrings.

"What do you think of Professor Liu?"

"Huh?" She pauses the television and looks up at me.

"Professor Liu, what's she like?"

"I'm not sure. She's just a teacher. Why?"

"She's into Zane."

"I hate to break it to you, Blondie, but most people are."

"Okay, I'm serious now—we need to put an end to this name." She lets out a gentle laugh and rises from her seat, joining me by the mirror. "They've gone out for drinks tonight."

"Excuse me?" She flips from laughter to rage real fast.

"Not on a date, but more like a teacher gathering."

"And that bothers you?"

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