Page 43 of Love or Leave

Antonio was not—and never would be—someone she could go to on a date with.

Still, her brain brought images to the forefront of them on a twilight date in a field of wildflowers, snuggled up in a warm blanket, stargazing under the pale moon.

She wished she knew what it felt like to be touched by him, wished she could remember the first night they met. Wished he was single and into her and wanted all the things she wanted but refused to acknowledge.

Why did he have to be so damn hot?

God, just his lips alone could—

No!

She banged her head on the cold, hard desk a few more times, forcing herself to remember the heartache etched on his face when he'd hung his head at the party and code worded “freezing.”

Fran's rejection devastated him—he was still one hundred percent in love with her.

Whatever Cara felt for him was moot.

She picked herself up and grabbed her phone, forcing out a crappy reply.

Cara: Okay.

She wondered if her disappointment came through, but a second later, she got another message from Jalen.

Jalen: I got some tickets to the Orca's game next Friday. Want to go?

She stared at the words.

A minor league hockey game?

Why would he ask her to a minor league hockey game?

She already knew the answer. Because he didn't care about putting in any effort to find out what she liked and take her on a date. He didn't seem to want to know her at all.

She was feeling like an accessory to him, like a fancy watch he put on and took with him to places he wanted to go.

She already knew that she would have a terrible time at a hockey game with him, fidgeting around and wondering what to ask him just so he would talk and fill the void. And hockey games lasted over two hours.

Ugh.

It wasn't ideal, but he was a nice guy and she wanted to see where things between them would go.

Cara: Okay

She sat back. It was too bad she didn't feel as attracted to him as she did to Antonio, but maybe that would change. She'd have to give Jalen more thought that weekend while she was away, ask her friends what they thought, and see what they said. If she decided she didn't want to go, she'd just change her mind later.

And besides, she needed the dating practice. The last thing she wanted was to be awkward and fidgety on her future first date with her soul mate.

Actually, what she really needed to practice was sex.

An image of Antonio in her bed flashed through her mind and she reached up and literally slapped herself across the face.

This was going to be a rough weekend.

twelve

"Rough morning, eh?"

The voice cut through the constant hum of monitors and the distant wail of an incoming ambulance. Antonio’s eyes burned as he looked up from his phone screen, the florescent lights overhead making his exhaustion feel even heavier. The email’s subject line still glowed before him: “Application Approved – 412 Lakeside Drive Apartment 902.”

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