Page 16 of Quake
“Then text him,” Hayley said.
“He’s the guy… I clam up and make a moron out of myself every time he’s around,” I said, staring at my phone. “It would be an hour of utter humiliation.”
“It would be an hour of him feeling you up,” Dom said with a grin. “Imagine all thecorrectinghe’d have to do.”
“Dom,” I scolded.
“The first step in facing your fear of humiliation is to go,” Hayley said. “You might suck, or you might do better with some one-on-one.” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
She was right, but I was having a much better time avoiding the situation altogether. Which was another problem. Seemed I had another fear to add to the never-ending pile I was trying to overcome.
Opening the bottom drawer of my desk, I pulled out my handbag, my gaze falling over the forgotten manuscript I’d pilfered the other week. I hadn’t even started it yet.The Fighter. Maybe it was an omen. I’d be a class A hypocrite if I gave up now.
Slamming the drawer shut, I sighed, dumped my bag into my lap, and unlocked my phone.
“Fine,” I said to no one in particular, but Hayley and Dom gave each other a high five.
“We want details,” Hayley said. “No holding out on us.”
“Yeah, we want to live vicariously through you, and don’t you forget it!” Dom chortled.
Ignoring them, I opened my text messages—which were empty as they always were—and pressed the top right corner to compose a new one.
A prickling sensation began to travel down my spine as I tapped on the screen, my fingers shaking and my palms sweating. What if he’d changed his mind?
It’s Juliette. I’m interested. When can we start?
I pressed send before I could chicken out and immediately felt like vomiting into the bin under my desk.
There. He would text me back or he wouldn’t. Either way, I was too embarrassed to go back to self-defense class tomorrow night?.????
Throwing my phone into my bag, I rose to my feet.
“What? You’re going?” Hayley complained. “You’ll tell us if he texts you back, right?”
“Sure,” I replied, my wits scattered. “I’ve got to go out and run some errands for Jade. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Not wanting to be put through the third degree by my well-meaning workmates anymore, I scurried across the office, through the glass doors, past reception, and jammed my finger on the call button for the elevator.
Caleb was just doing his job. It wasn’t anything more, so why was I getting all hot and juicy? There was no way he was interested in me like that.Thatbeing romantically. Sexually. An awkward, meek, frightened little bookworm like me? No way in hell.
An electronic tone signaled the arrival of the elevator, and I stepped inside, beginning to feel sick. I shouldn’t have texted him. I couldn’t handle rejection right now. I was still getting my bearings with the city and my job. I couldn’t handle a setback after such an upheaval. After the night in the bathtub…
Luckily, I was alone in here, so if I did upchuck, it wouldn’t be on anyone else but me.
My phone beeped in my bag, muffled by the layers of cheap vinyl pretending to be leather. The elevator began to descend, and I hesitated, my hands shaking. I was sure I’d forgotten what tone I’d set on the stupid thing it’d been that long since I’d heard it.
I wanted to ignore the little beep, but it came again, reminding me I had a message waiting to be read.
In the end, curiosity won out, and I pulled my phone out of my bag, bringing it to life.
Tonight, was his reply.Six p.m.?
Shit, shit, shit… My palms began to sweat as the elevator dinged and the doors opened on the ground floor. Stepping out of the car, I looked at the message again. What did I have to lose? Only some dignity. Yeah,only.
Don’t be such a scaredy-cat, Jules.
Deciding to dive in head first, I typed back,Okayand hit send.
