Screw him. I couldn’t believe how full of shit he was.
As soon as I was out of the conference room, I bolted down the hall. My legs couldn’t get me off campus fast enough. I was annoyed for thinking it was possible Caine was interested in me but held back because I was his assistant. Even more so, I was pissed at him for pretending that was the case. I hadn’t been imagining the signals he gave the other night at dinner.
I’d nearly made it out of the building when I abruptly stopped, causing a student to crash right into me.
“What the hell?” he barked.
“Sorry.”
I started walking again. I should get the hell out of this building, but I knew myself—certain things ate at me. If I didn’t get this off my chest, I was going to be miserable all day. I needed to go give Caine a piece of my mind. Screw it.
Turning around, I crashed into the same student again.
“Seriously?” he said.
“Jeez. You’ll live. Don’t walk so close behind people!”
I took off for Caine’s office. I might lose my job for telling him off, but at least I would be able to sleep tonight. So what if I was proving his point that I was tightly wound?
The door to Caine’s office was cracked open. I paused to collect my thoughts for a moment, then reached for the door handle. Screw knocking. But a woman’s voice stopped me from busting in. Her laughter hit my skin, sparking a fire that burned its way up to my cheeks. I hadn’t heard Professor Pink’s voice earlier, yet somehow I was certain it was her.
“Remember that little Italian place?” the woman said. “The one with the fireplace in the back?”
“Giordano’s.”
“Yes, that’s the one. We should go there again sometime. The dessert cart looked incredible.” She paused. “Although we didn’t make it to dessert that night, did we?”
I’d heard enough. I didn’t stay for Caine’s response. I couldn’t. As pissed off as I was when I’d marched my ass to his office, hearing him with another woman had turned that into hurt and embarrassed—something I preferred not to let others see. So, I prescribed myself my own therapy and instead of barging into his office, I popped my earbuds in and headed home.
I had zero desire to go out to our monthly friends’ dinner tonight. I preferred to stay at home and wallow in self-pity. But when I attempted to cancel, Ava guilted me into showing up. So, I forced myself to get ready. Screw it. If I didn’t feel good, I might as well look good. Plus, blow-drying my hair was oddly therapeutic for me. I found the constant, repetitive brushing and smoothing very calming.
Needless to say, my thick, naturally curly hair was pin straight by the time I was done—I’d needed a lot of calming. Since I’d taken the time to make my locks look good, I went all out with a full face of makeup and even put on a cute outfit and high-heeled sandals.
Davis’s expression told me he, at least, appreciated the extra effort when I arrived at O’Leary’s. Tonight it was only me, him, and Ava since our other former roommate was away with her new boyfriend on a cruise. Once the three of us sat down, I was glad I’d come. I really did enjoy my time with these guys. We laughed as we caught up, mostly at the crazy stories Ava told. But then just a half hour into our night, Sal, the new waiter, came over and said he was sick and needed to leave. He asked if one of us could call Charlie to come in and take over his shift.
Since there were only a few hours until the kitchen closed anyway, Ava and I both volunteered to cover for him. Plus, his complexion was slightly green, and I was pretty sure he wouldn’t make it hanging around until Charlie drove in from Queens.
“You look too nice to work tonight,” Ava said, pointing to my feet. “And those are not waitressing shoes. I got this. There aren’t many tables left, so you two hang out, and I’ll come join you in between serving.”
Although Davis and I had ended things in a good way, we really hadn’t hung out just the two of us since whatever we had ended and he’d moved out. Since I was dressed up, and awkwardness set in as soon as Ava left, it felt sort of like a first date.
“So…” Davis said. “This feels weird.”
I laughed. “I know. Why? It shouldn’t. It’s just us. We’ve hung out a million times.”
Davis shot me a sheepish look. “Because you look really hot tonight.”
“Are you saying I didn’t look really hot when we lived together and I rolled out of bed every morning?” I’d said it joking around, but Davis’s answer was serious.
“Actually, I think you look beautiful all the time.”
I blushed. “Such a southern charmer.”
Davis and Ava had ordered a bottle of wine, and he lifted it to refill his glass, then held the bottle over my empty one. “Have one with me?”
I hesitated, thinking back to the last time we’d had drinks together—I’d wound up in Davis’s room.
With a devious grin that told me he was thinking the exact same thing, he filled my glass…to the brim and said, “Just one.”
The wine definitely helped. Now that the bottle was empty, the strain between Davis and me was gone. We’d gorged on pasta and wine and caught up on the last few months. Things were feeling back to normal.
“How are Umberto and Lydia?” he asked.
It was just like him to remember their names because they were important to me. He was always very thoughtful and attentive.
“They’re doing really well. Still the happy threesome.”
“And your thesis?”
“Good. Caine seemed happy with my progress. Although who knows.” I finished off my glass of wine. “He could hate it tomorrow.”
“Caine?”
“My new thesis advisor.”
Davis nodded.
“He’s kind of a giant ass,” I added. Not that he’d asked.
“When are you finished?”
“Another few months and I’ll be done with my thesis and graduating.”
“Then what?”
“I’m not sure yet. My minor was elementary education, so I was thinking of applying to some local school districts that have musical therapy programs for autistic children.”
Davis smiled. “That suits you. I could definitely see you doing that.”
I sipped my wine. I was now on glass two and already feeling a buzz. “What about you? Are you happy here in New York? Do you think you’ll stay forever?”
“Maybe.”
I wasn’t sure if I’d imagined it, but I could have sworn his eyes had dropped to my lips.
“What about you? Are you happy? Seeing anyone?”
My good mood took a nose dive. I wasn’t seeing anyone, but that didn’t mean I was happy about it. I’d managed to forget about Caine for the sum total of an hour tonight.
I sighed. “No. I’m single. You?”
Davis must’ve taken my downturn of spirit as a general statement about my single status.
“Not seeing anyone. But I’d like to be.”
Yeah. Me, too.
I sipped more wine. “Oh yeah? Tell me about the lucky girl.”
Davis grinned. “She’s short, kind of quirky, beautiful, smart.”
I rested my head on my hands. “Sounds perfect. Does she have a brother for me?”
Instead of answering, Davis reached over the table and took my hand in his. “I’ve really missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too.”
“Have dinner with me this weekend? Just me and you.”
Huh?
Seeing the confusion on my face, Davis continued. “I wasn’t ready to date last year. I didn’t want to jump into something with you when my head wasn’t screwed on straight. I’m in a better place now.”
The wine must’ve totally gotten to me. I seriously hadn’t realized he was talking about asking me out. I’d waited for this for almost a year, yet now I felt unsure. Luckily, Ava came to my rescue. She scooted into the booth next to me, playfully bumping my hip with hers, and took over the conversation. I was grateful for the reprieve.
After another hour of sitting around and talking, we decided to move to the pub tables in the bar area since the dining room was empty.