Cynda and the City Doctor - Theodora Taylor Page 0,29

Enjoy the rest of your life with Svetlana.”

“Ingrid,” he corrected. “And I’m sorry, Cynda. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about her. That was wrong of me.”

“That’s alright. I know now,” I answered, my voice hard. But the truth was, the longer we stood there, the harder it was becoming to act like a big girl. All unbothered. Like these were just dating games that people play.

“No, it’s not alright,” he answered, his voice as soft as mine is hard. “I know…I know I hurt you. I would have been enraged if you had a fiancé and he had shown up the way Ingrid had.”

My heart soured at his empathy, wishing what he said wasn’t true. I liked being easy breezy Nurse America. The pretty girl who flitted into guys’ lives and ghosted right back out of them when they did something I didn’t like. And I definitely wasn’t one of those women who equated sex with love.

But this was different somehow. Finding out Rhys had a fiancée had cut me deep. And I hadn’t quite recovered. It had been weeks since the confrontation in Rhys’s apartment, but I hadn’t so much as flirted with another guy.

In fact, my last monthly call with Billie and Gina had verged on boring. Usually, I had a tale or two to regale them with. This month’s episode of Cynda and the (mid-sized and not nearly as glamorous) City. But for some reason, I hadn’t been able to bring myself to talk about Rhys. So Gina and I had ended up listening to Billie’s scintillating report on her challenging course load for her accounting degree.

I hadn’t brought him up. Hadn’t allowed myself to dwell on him.

Rhys had hurt me. Really hurt me. And admitting that made my stomach crumple in for a second. But only for a second.

“Okay, fine, I understand. But understanding doesn’t mean forgiving.” I took my arm back. “So see you later.”

I started up the steps with no plans to give him another second of my time.

But then he yelled out behind me, “I ended things with Ingrid. I called off our engagement because I only want to be with you.”

Don’t stop. Keep walking, I told myself. No good can come from you messing around with this White boy who was just engaged to a Swedish bikini model a minute ago.

But my feet didn’t seem to be on the same wavelength as my brain. They froze me in place on the top step. And then the next thing I knew, I was turning around.

“Really?” I asked him with my heart beating in my throat.

“Yes, really.” His reserved expression softened. “I don’t want her. I want you. Only you. Now the true question is, do you want me back, Cynda?”

I thought about saying no. But before I could come up with a particularly Cool Cynda to pull that rejection off, my body betrayed me. Yep, straight up betrayal. That was the only explanation for why I went flying back down the stairs and into his arms.

No, I didn’t meet up with my roommate and her girlfriend that night. Instead, I invited Rhys up to my apartment for some make up sex.

And somehow we just never stopped making up. I still didn’t do boyfriends, but I liked Rhys. A lot. He was fine, funny, easy to get along with, and freaking fantastic in bed. Hard as I tried, I just couldn’t think of any reason to ghost him. So spring passed into summer and then came fall. Then the next thing I knew it was time to go home.

“It’s just a stupid anniversary thing,” I explained to Rhys the morning before my flight. I was at his place, rushing around and trying to throw everything I’d taken off last night into my overnight bag before my Uber arrived. “I swear Rachel is only doing this second wedding mess for gifts and attention. I don’t even want to go—have you seen my other Dansko? I can’t find it anywhere.”

Which was crazy, because Rhys’s apartment was a combination of grey, white, and black, and my Dansko was a glittery purple. You’d think it would stand out like…well, a glittery purple thumb.

“Why am I just now hearing about this trip that will take you away from me for a whole weekend?” Rhys demanded.

“I dunno,” I answered, dropping to my knees to look for the shoe under the bed. “Maybe because we were too busy doing other stuff last night…and this morning. Which is why I’m now