Page 64 of The Midnight Club
He shook his head. “No. I know what Maceo must have felt, the tremendous guilt he must have been carrying around. It was a mistake, a one-time thing, not an affair.” He sighed and pulled up a chair, sitting down, taking her hands. “There is a difference between a one-time thing and a full-blown affair, Ori, and I know that. I was not always faithful either. I have not … been faithful to her memory.”
His gaze locked onto hers and she shivered with the intensity of it. “You must know how I feel about you. But I would never act on it while you were happy with Maceo. Are you happy with Maceo?”
She opened her mouth to tell himyes, yes, yes, I love Maceo more than my own life,but the words choked in her throat.
He bent then and kissed her on the mouth softly, and smiled as he drew back. “Maceo is a fool if he doesn’t hang onto you.” He kissed her again, and she felt herself respond, returning the kiss.
She pulled away after a second, stunned at her body’s response. Alex cupped her face in his hands.
“I’ll see you in the morning.” And he was gone, walking down the dimly lit corridor. She stared after him, her mind in turmoil. Whatwasthat?
Ori went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked lost, she thought, lost and frightened. She got back into bed and turned on her side, away from the sleeping Maceo. She stared at the darkness outside the window until her eyes grew heavy and she let herself sink into sleep.
Kate and Lisanderhad not seen each other since the day Nikos had almost caught them kissing. Kate and Nikos had talked and talked, but both of them realized, this was the end. Kate moved out of the apartment and was staying on a friend’s couch, and now she was apartment hunting,
By the third apartment, Kate’s spirits had begun to lift.A new life,she thought, and remembered when she’d last said those words. The day she met Lisander. Could that really have been less than forever ago?
She smiled at the realtor, Mindy, who was looking at her expectantly.
“Well?”
The apartment was a one-bed, one-bath, small, but the large windows and view over the city more than made up for it. Even better, Kate thought, were the inbuilt bookcases that stretched from floor to ceiling. She could see herself curled up on the couch with a book, maybe a dog curled up in her lap. The thought of it made her excited.
“Yes. This one is just perfect, I mean, a little small, but hey, it’s just me. What’s the situation with the seller?”
“He bought it to rent out, did that for a few years, and then just wanted to get rid of it. Everything is included, all the furniture—it’s a tad worn, but useable. You could move straight in, and as there’s no forward chain, escrow shouldn’t be difficult.”
Kate nodded. “I do love it.The openness of it, the kitchen and living room are a nice space.”
She could feel Mindy watching her and grinned. “Min, just ask the question you’ve been holding in all day.”
Mindy laughed. “All right. A few weeks ago, you told me there was no way you could live anywhere but with Nikos. What changed?”
Kate didn’t answer for a beat, then sighed. “A lot of stuff has happened. A lot. I don’t really want to go into it, but let’s just say I needed some distance, some independence.”
Mindy nodded sympathetically. “I get it. And your friend? The tall guy, Lisander, was it?”
Kate, rather indiscreetly, had told Mindy about Lisander.
Kate didn’t meet her gaze. “He’s just a friend.”
“Whatever you say.” She gave Kate a cheeky grin. It faded when she saw the unease in her friend’s eyes. “Hey, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”
Kate shook her head. “It’s complicated. Just some stuff I have to sort out.” She smiled at Mindy. “I’d like to make an offer.”
Mindy indicated the table. “Sit down with me, and we’ll go through the figures.”
Kate pulled out a chair and sat down. As Mindy chatted and calculated, Kate realized she was glad she was here, in her own place—well, hopefully her own place.
She went backto her office. Despite it being a Saturday, she wanted to catch up on work. Also, her friend whose couch she was sleeping on, could probably do with some alone time with her partner. She’d been there for a couple of hours when her phone rang.
“Hey, Kate. It’s me.”
Her heart began to thump wildly. “Lisander? Where are you?”
“Outside your office. I saw the light on … may I join you?”
Kate looked out of the window and saw it was dark already. “I’ll come down and unlock the door.”
