Page 88 of Must Be Love - Irresistible Bachelors

“Did Amber tell you what happened?”

“She refused, which is probably good for you. If we knew the truth, we might not have come here.”

Honestly, I agree with Nicole. And I’m grateful to Amber for keeping my secret. Nicole and Daisy are fiercely loyal toward their friend. They wouldn’t hesitate to out me to the FDA and the dermatology community if they knew what I did to hurt Amber.

Daisy sighs. “Listen. You need to man up and go talk to Amber. She’s miserable without you.”

“She is?” I ask.

I hate the thought of her being upset, and I know it’s my fault. There’s so much I should have done differently.

“She barely left her apartment this week. We finally forced her to go out with us last night, and she ended up crying at the bar. You need to talk to her to fix this. We don’t like seeing Amber this way.”

“I don’t want her to feel that way, either,” I say. “But I don’t know what to do. Every time I try to go to her, I talk myself out of it. I wanted to wait until she isn’t angry anymore.”

“Amber is going to be angry until you talk to her. She has calmed down a lot this week, but she’s obviously upset. The only thing that will make this better is a conversation.”

I stand up from the couch. If Amber’s friends are encouraging me to go talk to her, I need to listen. This means there’s a chance that Amber will forgive me. Daisy and Nicole wouldn’t have come here if all hope was lost.

“Okay. You’re right. I’ll go talk to her.”

Daisy claps. “Good! Our work here is done.”

Nicole and Daisy stand to leave. My head is spinning as they walk out the door.

Amber brought a hurricane into my life in the best way. Nothing has been calm since we met at the convention two months ago.

I didn’t realize how boring my life was until I met Amber. I can’t go back to how things used to be. I need her to spice things up for me.

I give Nicole and Daisy a head start. It might be awkward to run into them on the train. I want to drive into the city, but that would take longer than just using the subway. Plus, I don’t know where to park on Amber’s street. It was hectic picking her up that morning. I can’t imagine trying to stay in that neighborhood.

There’s a reason people who live in the city proper don’t drive much. Once you find a parking spot, you keep it until you absolutely need to leave.

After ten minutes, I put on my coat and practically run out the door. My mind is racing a million miles a minute, but I ignore it. I won’t let myself second-guess this decision. I’m going to talk to Amber.

I’ve spent five days thinking about having this conversation. It’s about time I actually have it.

The train ride to Amber’s neighborhood is only ten minutes, but it’s grueling. With every stop, my resolve strengthens. This is the right thing to do.

The more I tell myself that, the more I start to believe it.

Finally, I exit the train and climb the stairs onto the street. Amber’s apartment is less than a block away.

My feet are frozen in place. New Yorkers push past me angrily, shooting dirty looks in my direction. I ignore them.

You can do this, I tell myself. I force my body forward. The walk to Amber’s apartment is a blur.

Before I can lose my nerve, I knock on Amber’s door.

Her eyes widen when she opens it and sees me.

“I thought you were Daisy and Nicole,” she says. “They told me they were coming back.”

“Oh. Um. Sorry. They came to see me at my house.”

“What?”

“Amber, we need to talk.”

“I don’t want to talk to you,” she says.

She starts to close the door, but I force it open.

“Please,” I beg. “Let me explain.”

Amber pauses. She looks like she wants to shove me out into the hallway, but she lets me in and closes the door behind me.

Her apartment is what I expected it to be. It’s simple and cozy. Her couches look comfortable and well worn. The kitchen is small with outdated appliances, but I can tell from the dishes in the sink that she uses it often. My kitchen is wasted on me. Amber belongs in a house like mine. She fit so well the few times she was there. I could see her staying forever.

First, I need her to forgive me. From the dirty look she’s giving me, that’s not going to be an easy task.

Amber looks worse for the wear. Her eyes are a little red, like she spent last night in tears. She’s moving slowly, like she might be hungover. It doesn’t take much for her to get drunk. My girl has a low alcohol tolerance. She could have only had a couple drinks last night and still have a hangover today.

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