Page 9 of Takedown

“Okay,” Tina says, holding both hands up in surrender, “talk to your husband…” I groan at the mention of that title. “…and let’s talk afterwards. Lunch is on me today,” she says before getting up.

My stomach grumbles, and I immediately regret my salad. I look longingly at the cheeseburger and fries a couple is having at the next table over. I pick at my food, but I can feel Alex’s eyes on me.

“What?” I ask. I look up, and Alex hasn’t so much as touched her food. “Please eat before I text Jason.” She rolls her eyes and picks up her fork. We both laugh at my threat, and some of the tension in my shoulders lessens.

“Right on time,” Alex says, holding up her phone. Jason’s name flashes across the screen. My mind goes back to seeingMy Husbandon my phone a few days ago.

“Hey, Jay,” Alex says. I listen to their one-sided conversation, and as usual, Alex is listing everything she’s eaten today. “Is that good enough for you, Jason?” She laughs at whatever he says, then she puts the phone to her belly. “Okay. The baby loves you.” She laughs again and says, “Yeah, I guess I do too.” She blows him a kiss and ends the call.

We eat in silence, but I don’t miss Alex’s wayward glances. Once we’re done, I push my plate back and lean in my chair. I barely tasted the food while I ate, and despite the food in my stomach, I feel empty.

“You know how Adam’s eyes follow you wherever you go whenever you’re in the same room?” Alex asks. Tina returns with a warm chocolate chip cookie for each of us and slides back into the booth. “Well, I’ve noticed that your eyes follow him too,” she says softly. She turns to me and brushes a wayward piece of hair off my cheek.

“That’s only because I need to make sure he’s not going to attack me,” I grumble.

“And remember that time we saw him going to his apartment with a woman?”

“Not really,” I lie.

“You were pissed about it for days until he introduced her to us. As soon as you learned she was his cousin visiting from Dublin, your attitude vanished,” Alex says, and Tina nods.

I reach for my cookie and take a small bite. Normally, I’d devour this, but I’m too stressed to eat today.

“I don’t remember it that way. I had a stressful week at work, so that’s probably why I was in a bad mood. It had nothing to do with his cousin.” I take another bite of the cookie and add, “We had that audit.”

Alex and Tina look at each other again, and neither one of them seem convinced by my answer.

“So, you weren’t jealous of the thought of him dating someone?” I roll my eyes at Alex’s question, but inside I want to scream. The very idea of Adam and another woman makes my blood boil, but only because he’s ruined so many of my dates, not because I want him for myself.

“Hell no, I wasn’t jealous. Maybe if he had someone, he’d leave me alone.” I shove the other half of the cookie in my mouth and pray they change the subject, but once again, my prayer goes unanswered.

“Then why do you look out the window whenever you hear him going out or coming in? And what about that time you thought you heard high heels on the stairs?”

“What about it? I don’t remember that.” I clear my throat loudly and look away.

“You ran up there and barged into his apartment. You had egg on your face when it was his mother.” Alex and Tina both stare at me. The look in Alex’s eye tells me she’s not going to let me get away with pretending not to remember.

“Oh, that. Yeah.” An uncomfortable throat clearing later, I say, “I was only trying to get back at him.” I can feel the color creeping up my neck and face.

I barged into his apartment without the courtesy of a knock, ready to confront the woman. When I saw his mother, I turned on my heels and walked out, but not before I saw Adam’s eyes light up at my sudden appearance.

Alex and Tina exchange looks again, but I clear my throat and cross my arms, almost daring them to say another word.

“Mellie, is there any part of you that wanted to marry him? You guys have this gravitational pull. I don’t know why you’ve turned him down so many times.” Alex holds a hand up before I can deny it. “Don’t answer now. I already know what you’re going to say. Listen, talk to Adam tonight, okay? Stop running from him. You two did a grownup thing, so sit down and talk about it like adults.”

6

NEW YEAR’S EVE

Only ten minutes until the New Year. I knock loud enough to be heard over the loud music on the other side of the door. A smiling face opens the door, but it’s not the one I’ve been obsessed with for the past two years. No, this is a friend of her brother’s, and her very protective husband comes and stands right behind her. His eyes narrow at me, and he puts an arm across her shoulders. He pulls her closer and kisses her temple.

“Jake and Sandy, right?” I ask, and she smiles warmly but he only stares at me. Jake is Jason’s best friend since college, and Sandy is his wife. They step away, and I walk inside.

“Hey, Adam,” Jake says. “Everyone’s in the kitchen.”

I follow them, holding the bottle of champagne I’ve been saving. My eyes find her immediately. She’s at the kitchen island pouring drinks. I go and stand next to her and she freezes. She knows who it is. Just like I always know when she’s nearby.

“Happy New Year, love,” I whisper.

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