Page 113 of The Hookup
She couldn’t have been more wrong.
She scooted a couple of inches away from him, as if she was seeing him with new eyes. She had given him her all; her body, her time and her attention, and all for nothing. For a moment she was powerless to move. Paralyzed to say anything, or fight back.
The shock of what he had told her reverberated inside her head, in her belly, in every fiber of her body. She had lied when she’d said it was because of Marie that she had stepped up to take care of him. The truth was, she hadn’t done any of this because she expected a medal. She’d done it because she had genuinely cared for this guy; for this selfish, twisted man with issues. A man who could not love, and could not allow anyone to love him.
When was she ever going to learn that love didn’t come from these types of connections?
“Where are you going?” he asked, as she got up without saying a word.
“I need to go.”
He reached for her hand, and missed. “It’s not like that now. Maggie’s in my past.”
She folded her arms together. “But you used me. You took me to the wedding not because you cared, but because you had ulterior motives.”
He looked puzzled, but didn’t answer back.
“You wanted to impress her, even after all these years that she’s been with your brother. You still have feelings for her.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but the denial was too hard to make. She didn’t need his validation of it. She knew, because of his actions, it was clear.
He was so messed up he couldn’t even see it.
She nodded. She was done with his bullshit.
Nothing he said to her now would make a difference.
The man needed a psychotherapist, not a girlfriend.
Chapter 39
She had been so incredibly blind, and so incredibly stupid.
Tears threatened to fall again as she rushed into her apartment block, only to find Arnold standing in front of the elevator. He turned around on hearing her footsteps, and she couldn’t hide her blotched face.
“Miss,” he said, moving out of the way, but resting his hand on her arm. “Why are you crying?”
She shook her head.Not now, Arnold.
“Did someone hurt you?” he asked, looking cross.
She shook her head again, praying that the elevator doors would open so that she could shoot right in.
“Miss.” This time he placed himself directly in front of her so that she would have to swerve around him to get in. “This ain’t like you.”
She huffed out an irritated breath, and then stopped herself. Just because Luke had put her in a foul mood didn’t mean she had to take it out on anyone else. That would be stooping to his level. “Not now, Arnold. It’s…it’s not been a good day.”
“I can see that,” he said, nodding his head, listening.
“It’s…I’ll get over it,” she said, choosing her words carefully.
“One minute, Miss,” he said, when the elevator doors swooshed open. He rushed over to his desk, grabbed something, then rushed back. He held out a large, unopened bar of chocolate. “This’ll make things look better. Won’t fix anything, but …” he nodded, shoving it further towards her as she resisted taking it. “Take it.”
She chuckled, and it felt so odd that she could laugh about something in this moment. Her eyes welled up, in gratitude.
“Thank you, Arnold.” She didn’t know what else to say. His offering overwhelmed her. It was such a simple gesture, yet full of care and concern. Worth its weight in gold. This man whom she had practically never acknowledged, had lifted her spirits when he could just as easily have ignored her. “This is…,” she was choked up by his kindness, “this is so sweet of you,” she managed as she stepped into the elevator and watched his grinning, toothless smile while the doors closed.
With Luke, she often felt that he was the taker, and she the giver. She was the one who cared, and many times she was the only one who hurt, and loved and had feelings. She had pretended it wasn’t one-sided, when she should have known from the start.
