Page 46 of Broken Headboards
Besides, now I have my probiotic shake to balance things out.
From time to time, I steal a glance at Austin. I still can’t believe he actually sent for his butler or whatever to go get me a probiotic shake. Not exactly a romantic gesture but, at the same time, it makes me feelsomething.
I guess he isn’t the asshole I thought he was.
Keep your cool, Tess, I hear my own voice inside my head.Don’t fall for this guy, remember what’s at stake.
Right, billions of dollars and enough prestige to get me in the covers of magazines all over the country. Thank you, random disembodied voice inside my head, I remember what’s at stake.
But even though I know exactly what’s at stake, I never think about any of that during breakfast. Somehow, and for the first time in weeks, my mind actually lets go off all the stress...and I just enjoy the moment.
And it feels good, you know?
To sit out here, the early morning sun bathing the whole balcony as we enjoy each other’s company. We talk about nothing and everything, and I laugh over and over again. He should be my sworn enemy, and yet...I simply feel at ease when I’m around him.
“I never thought I’d meet someone like you,” he suddenly says.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“I’ve been working in this industry for ages now. And I love it, you know? I enjoy being given the chance to create something new from scratch, and offer it to the world. Almost everyone else, though, just does it for the money. There’s no—”
“Passion,” I cut him short, finishing his sentence. “I know what you mean. I actually started learning the ropes with my father. He owned a small carpentry shop, and he did every piece of furniture by hand. It was a hard process, but he loved every second of it. For him it was never about the money. It was about the process. I think I always carried that with me, and that’s part of my company’s success. Money is fine, of course. But if money was all I wanted, I would’ve probably ended up in some other industry.”
“We’re not so different then, are we?” he asks me, offering me an honest to goodness smile.
“Seems like it,” I admit. “But it doesn’t matter much, does it? We’ll still have to fight once I leave this apartment.”
He does a slight pause, looking straight into my eyes, and then nods slowly.
“I guess so. There can only be one, right?” he asks.
“Yes.” I know might sound cold right now, but believe me—after last night, I’m not exactly happy about the fact that Austin will remain an enemy. But what can we do? It’s a dog-eat-dog world, after all.
“You live very well, Austin,” I say looking over his balcony.
“So do you, Tess,” he says back to me.
We finish breakfast in silence, and then I head into the bedroom to get dressed. When I’m finally ready to head out, he stops me right before I leave.
“After you step out that door, we’ll be at each other’s throats again,” he tells me, and I can’t help but wonder if that’s a question or a statement.
“Yes,” I nod, my heart tightening as I do it. “Back at each other’s throats.” It shouldn’t be hard for me to say these words, but the truth is that I no longer enjoy the way they sound.
“You think there could ever be a happily ever after for us?” I ask against my better judgment.
“One of us would have to win, and the other would have to lose, Tess,” he says to me. “I don’t know if we could do a happily ever after with that.”
“I thought romance novels usually had to end happy,” I say, a bit glum.
“Who says we’re not in a thriller?” he asks with a grin, and I put dark thoughts out of my mind.
As I finally leave and wait for the elevator to come and get me, I look back over my shoulder at the door to his apartment. I remember the way we stumbled inside after we left the Ritz-Carlton, both our bodies and minds still burning from the show we put on.
God, what’s wrong with me?
To be honest, that’s a question I’ve been asking myself every day. But I can’t escape him. It’s a stupid thing to say, but I don’t know how else to put it. Even now, as we agreed to go back to the way things were, I couldn’t help but feel a note of sadness well up inside of me.
Is this how it’s going to be forever?
Eternal rivals, trying to crush each other?
I should be used to the idea, but somehow I find myself hating it. And, worst of all, I’m anxious about what he feels about the whole thing.
Oh, Tess, what’s happening to you?, that voice inside my head returns once more.
The answer?
I have no idea.
