Page 85 of Just Another Meet Cute
Despite the fact that Ian was so frustratingly annoying, stubborn, and …wonderful, I still loved him. Even when I didn’t want to, which was pretty much most of the time. Despite all the problems it caused and all the people we would hurt.
Oh my God. Especially Ryan. How was I going to tell him—tell anyone—that I fell in love with his brother?Twinbrother? Which was on its own different level of weirdness. I still liked Ryan. Like really liked him, and I thought it was enough. It should have been enough. But the way I felt about Ryan was different from my feelings for Ian. Less intense and consuming. With Ian, everything was just … more. And I couldn’t deny it anymore.
But I still didn’t know how Ian felt about me.
I mean, Ithinkhe liked me, too. He definitely wanted to kiss me yesterday and would have if we weren’t interrupted. But it wasn’t just that. It was the way he looked at me sometimes. How his face brightened when we talked, like I made his day better by being there. Or the way he touched me … he had to feelsomething, at least. As cheesy as it sounded, Ian and I had a connection. Chemistry.
Although the fact that he was ghosting me now wasn’t exactly very encouraging, but the fact that hedidwant to kiss me was. Oh God, it was all so confusing.
It was ironic how different the two of them were about their feelings. Ryan had always been pretty upfront with me about everything. While Ian was not.
Why couldn’t I have been in love with Ryan instead? It would have been athousand times easier. But no, my stupid heart had to fall in love with stupid Ian. Who wasn’t even talking to me anymore.
But I needed to know. Needed to find out once and for all how he felt. If maybe he felt the same way I did.
After all, wondering was worse than knowing.
Maybe it was time I took my own advice.
“Are you sure she’s not going to kick my ass as soon as she sees me?” I asked Linh for the tenth time as we lingered outside Aunt Sarah’s office.
She hitched the giant box in her arms a bit higher. “Yes, I told you already. The safest place is at work so she can’t make a scene. Every time I need to confess something, I come to her office. It gives her time alone to simmer, but she’s too busy to obsess over it. And by the time she comes home, she’s usually okay. Even her coworkers know to distract Mom for me after I leave.”
Despite my fear, I smirked a bit. “You do this pretty often?”
“Often enough.” Linh grinned for a moment before nodding toward the glass door in front of us. “Now, can you open the door before my arms fall off?”
Shifting the two bags of lunch boxes to my left hand, I grabbed the door and yanked it open. The heel of my foot held it open as we ducked inside. “How do you manage this each week?”
“This is the biggest order I’ve ever had. Must be the truffle flatbread I messaged everyone about. I hope they’re not disappointed because I’m not providing any refunds. I already ordered a new knife set for myself.”
She marched into the giant office and plopped the box onto the receptionist’s desk. “Hi, Ms. Susan. I’m here with the lunch boxes.”
A curly-haired woman popped up from her seat and let out a heavy sigh. “Thank goodness! I was late this morning so I skipped my breakfast, and that smells so heavenly. I’m probably going to inhale it all right now.”
With a wink, Linh reached into the box for a lunch box marked with a smiley face. “I know. I made your flatbread extra doughy and cheesy. And I included some strawberry shortcake that I made the other day.”
Ms. Susan looked like she was about to cry as she snatched the box from Linh’s hands. “Bless you, sweetie.”
Linh continued to unpack the boxes and waved a hand toward an office on the right. “Mom’s in there. Harper might be in there with her. She temps during the summer. Just say that Ms. Susan needs her to fax the case file. That’s code for her to give you some privacy.”
“Are you sure you don’t need help? I could pass out forks or even—”
“Will you go? You’re wasting this opportunity.” Linh shoved me forward when I continued to stand there.
Letting out a couple of deep breaths, I tiptoed toward Aunt Sarah’s door.
This was pretty much the last place I wanted to be. But like I knew I had to forgive Mom—and how I had to give Dad a chance—I knew I also had to fix our relationship with Aunt Sarah, no matter how much I wanted to run away. I was trying this new thing where I actually talked to people instead of assuming things.
Knowing all this didn’t make it any less terrifying.
Aunt Sarah hung up the phone when I knocked on her office door. “Hey, Aunt Sarah, are you busy?”
With a shocked expression, she twisted in her seat to look out the door behind me. “What are you doing here?”
My legs were shaking like Jell-O. I gently placed the lunch box on her desk and slid it forward like a peace offering. “I’m helping Linh with her delivery today.”
Her eyes narrowed a bit as though she saw right through the ploy, but she accepted the box. She didn’t open it right away, though. She moved a couple of folders and paperwork around on her desk before turning to stare at me, waiting for me to continue.
