come to love.” A sigh rocketed out of him as he tossed the pen he’d been compulsively clicking. “I don’t know. I want something with her. I want all of it, I guess. But I’m terrified she doesn’t want it too, and then this whole thing will have been a bust.”
“Welcome to the joys of getting involved with someone,” Grayson said sagely. “There is no guarantee ever. Not even a little bit. The only thing you can be sure of is that it’s gonna hurt like hell at some point…and that at the end, it will have been worth it.”
Oddly, his friend’s words were comforting. Getting it off his chest had helped more than he’d expected, and the three of them chatted for a little while longer until Blake’s stomach started to rumble and he was ready for lunch.
He spent the rest of the day being as productive as possible, until he couldn’t prevent himself any longer from heading down to the gym to seek out Michelle. He whistled as he headed down there, his shoes scuffing on the rough cement path leading up to the gym.
It was a beautiful, brilliant day, with bright blue skies and that unmistakable scent of early spring in the air. The smell that spoke of rebirth, overturned earth, encroaching heat. All the beautiful, simple things that reminded him somehow of Michelle.
Just as Blake approached the gym, the door opened, and Michelle stepped out.
Dressed in a chic black suit with peep-toe heels.
He stopped in his tracks, looking her up and down. “Wow. Hey there, beautiful.”
He’d never used that word with a woman and meant it so much. But with Michelle, it was so true that he felt other words churning inside him. Words that made no sense, after so little time. Michelle, I think I’m in love with you.
Maybe that would explain all the craziness of his thoughts recently. Why she was the only thing that seemed to matter in his world sometimes.
Pink stained her cheeks and she hoisted her purse on her shoulder. But nervousness radiated off of her. “Hey, Blake. What are you doing down here?”
“Just came to see you, actually.” He stepped closer, getting the sense that he’d caught her off guard—and that she might be hiding something. “Where are you headed?”
She rolled her lips in, confirming his suspicions. She didn’t answer right way, opening her mouth though nothing came out.
“Michelle…” he prompted.
“I actually wanted to tell you about this at a different time,” she said, her words rushed together as she glanced around them, as though checking for eavesdroppers. “But I’m on my way to a job interview.”
The news crashed through him. He nodded, unsure what this meant. Of course, there was plenty he didn’t know about her career goals and plans. But still, it felt a lot like another rejection. She didn’t want to work here anymore.
“Are you unhappy here?” he asked, unable to contain his curiosity anymore.
“No, no, no,” she insisted, waving her hands as if dismissing the idea. “It’s not that. I just think it’s…well…it’s good to know what my options are. You know?”
He didn’t know. None of this made sense anymore, and fuck, he wished he had his best friends here to help him figure this shit out again. This, right here—this was why he didn’t do relationships. He was apparently so shitty at it that he could drive away top employees.
Grayson had just promised Blake that it would hurt like hell. Maybe this was the moment, arriving early.
“Well, I can provide a reference, or whatever you might need.” Blake had to force the words out. He wanted to be helpful, no matter what she chose. And dammit, he didn’t want to let on that he was hurt. Part of it was pride, admittedly—but also, if she wanted to leave, he didn’t want to be a jerk about it.
“Yes, that would be great. I’d really appreciate that, actually.”
“Awesome. Well…good luck,” he said, unsure if he should hug her, or just wave, or maybe go home and never contact her again. The rules of dating were so weird, and he’d never once bothered to even try to understand them. Until now.
“Thanks, Blake. I’ll text you later.” She reached out to squeeze his hand before she hurried off, leaving him in a cloud of his own confusion.
On the one hand, there were a million reasons she might be looking for a new job. It might even be to avoid any further complications with their relationship. But could that be