Page 103 of Behind Frenemy Lines

Loretta: “It’s awkward that she’s going to Hong Kong. But you know, LDRs are a thing.” Looked at Hayley, who took her hand and squeezed it. “I don’t know, Charles. I know you think I’m being this hopeless matchmaking auntie, but you really seem to vibe with Kriya. That never happens. It’s worth fighting for, isn’t it? At least tell her how you feel. Maybe you’d be giving her a reason to stay.”

Stared at their joined hands, resting on the dining table. Light gleamed off the opal in Hayley’s engagement ring.

CG: “I wouldn’t want to persuade her to stay, if she’s keen on this role. It sounds a good fit for her. She knows the business well. She’s on good terms with the internal stakeholders. The work is likely to be less technical, more about providing strategic guidance to the business. That wouldn’t suit me, but it would play to Kriya’s strengths. Not that she lacks technical skills, but her soft skills are particularly strong. The hours should be better and the pay will be comparable, at least to start out with. It might not rise at the same rate, but I doubt she would have wanted to make partner anyway.”

Hayley: “You sound like a legal recruiter.”

Loretta: “I told you, he’s obsessed with Kriya. Every time he talks about her, he does this super detailed analysis. He’s like a one-man Kriya Rajasekar subreddit.” To me: “I can’t believe you’re just going to let her go. Are you really happy working all the time and going to the gym and not having anybody to smooch when you come home?” She smooched Hayley, who laughed.

Loretta turned back to me. “There’s more to life than your job, you know, Charles.”

That was true for them. There wasn’t much more tomylife than my job.

And there wouldn’t be, so long as I failed to do anything to change it.

CG: “I know.”

Loretta: “So what are you going to do about it?”

Put down my phone. I’d come to a decision. Seemed to me I didn’t have much to lose, except face.

How much face did I have left with Kriya, anyway? She’d seen me in myDuke of Badmintoncosplay.

CG: “I’m going to take a holiday.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Kriya

When I cameout of the Sanson office, Charles was there.

I spotted him at once, amid the crowds of central Hong Kong. He was leaning against a lamppost, dressed in a cream linen shirt, light brown trousers, boat shoes, and sunglasses. He looked like something out of a magazine, probablyMonocle,untouched by the heat of the Hong Kong summer.

If you’d asked me before I saw him, I would have said I had mixed feelings about the idea of seeing Charles again. I’d archived my WhatsApp chat with him, so I wouldn’t keep going back to look at his last message.

But in the moment, all I felt was uncomplicated pleasure. It was like seeing an old friend unexpectedly, among a crowd of strangers.

“Charles!” I went up to him. “Look at you. You look so cool!”

Charles’s ears went pink. He took off his sunglasses. “Hi.”

I gave him a hug. He allowed it, a little awkwardly. He smelled incredible, which made me feel both horny and sad.

I squashed down both sensations.

“I didn’t know you were in Hong Kong,” I said. It was oddhe hadn’t mentioned it when I messaged him. Maybe something had cropped up at work. “What brings you here?”

Charles looked embarrassed.

“Well,” he said. “You.”

I gaped. He squirmed.

“Really?” I said.

“Loretta said I should give it a shot. I wanted to talk to you, and what I have to say is better said in person.” He squared his shoulders. “You mentioned having a coffee, on WhatsApp. Could I take you up on that? Are you busy now?”

“Er, sure. I don’t have any plans for the rest of the day.” I paused. “Though I might go for yuenyeung instead. Do you know where’s good for lunch around here? Something local.”

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