the cinema with you tomorrow night, but right now, I need to go and find his wife a fucking necklace. Perhaps I’ll have it engraved, P.S. your husband is a cheating bastard .”
She stood up, grabbing her coat off the back of her chair.
“He has kids, Portia.”
“I know. I wouldn’t really do that. I’m just angry. Shall we do lunch again tomorrow?”
“If you want? If you’re not gonna bowl into here like a tornado, and whirl off again…”
She shook her head at me. At last, I caught a slight smile.
I stood up too, and before she could turn and walk off, I grabbed her arm, turned her back a little and bent and pressed a sharp kiss on her forehead. It was like pressing an iron brand on her. I wanted this girl. I wanted her to be mine. Pride punched me in the gut when I’d first seen her today.
She gave me a shaky smile, then turned, her arm slipping from my grip.
Chapter Six
Oh my God, it was freezing, and I was starting to think Justin was a little bit mad. We’d been seeing each other for four weeks off and on, more on than off. At least twice a week he planned some outing, a date , and at least three times a week he ended up around mine and we had sex.
I’d bought a new pack of condoms, and we were nearly through it.
Today, though, today, the outing he’d planned was a picnic in Central Park, which would be really cool–in the summer–it was winter–and it was freezing. The grass had been white with frost earlier. Now the ground was just cold and hard, but he’d actually laid a blanket out on it, and he’d bought hot pastries from a deli round the corner, and hot chocolates. The guy was crazy. He had a wicked sense of humor, and he’d taken to teasing me constantly. He said it was to drag me out of my in-office moods.
Once, he’d stuck a post-it on my forehead at work when he’d walked past to go to the kitchen. It said: out of office tonight . We’d had a date planned, a trip to the ice rink and Chipotle.
Fortunately, ‘cause he was always messing around, no one thought it odd, or guessed there was anything in it. They hadn’t seen what he’d written. I’d screwed it up and thrown it in the bin.
I lay back feeling the cold creeping through my coat. I had three layers on–but I was so cold. It penetrated my gloves and hat. I looked up at the sky. It was clear blue and bright, framing the branches of a tree above us.
Justin was lying on his back beside me. He laughed to himself.
“What’s funny?” I rolled onto my side and looked down at him. I guess if I had to say who he most looked like, it would definitely be Jason Derulo, but Justin got better looking the more he smiled. He had charm and I was falling for it.
His brown eyes stared up at me, glowing warm like dark amber. “Just this. Just us. Just you. I still can’t believe I’ve got a thing going with the office ice-queen. The climate suits you.”
My palm hit his shoulder. “I’m out-of-office.”
He caught my wrist and pulled me on top of him. I squealed, until his fingers gripped the back of my head and then he kissed me, slipping his tongue between my lips and holding my mouth to his. It was all that mattered in the world. Yeah, Justin had charm.
When he let me go, my palm rested on his chest and I looked down at him. All around us, others were enjoying the park on a Saturday afternoon. Kids ran about, a group of guys played a ball game, loads of people were walking dogs. For a moment we stared at each other, then he whispered in a low voice. “Do you wanna go back to yours?”
“Yes.” I did. We folded the blanket up and dumped our rubbish in a bin, then caught the subway train, fingers laced.
I had a sudden flash of fear. I kept getting them. A feeling that I was getting in too deep, too fast. But then I’d tell myself, I’m living for now, this isn’t about tomorrow, or happy endings, it’s about being happy today–and I was happy. Probably for the first time in a year. Probably for the first time
She stood up, grabbing her coat off the back of her chair.
“He has kids, Portia.”
“I know. I wouldn’t really do that. I’m just angry. Shall we do lunch again tomorrow?”
“If you want? If you’re not gonna bowl into here like a tornado, and whirl off again…”
She shook her head at me. At last, I caught a slight smile.
I stood up too, and before she could turn and walk off, I grabbed her arm, turned her back a little and bent and pressed a sharp kiss on her forehead. It was like pressing an iron brand on her. I wanted this girl. I wanted her to be mine. Pride punched me in the gut when I’d first seen her today.
She gave me a shaky smile, then turned, her arm slipping from my grip.
Chapter Six
Oh my God, it was freezing, and I was starting to think Justin was a little bit mad. We’d been seeing each other for four weeks off and on, more on than off. At least twice a week he planned some outing, a date , and at least three times a week he ended up around mine and we had sex.
I’d bought a new pack of condoms, and we were nearly through it.
Today, though, today, the outing he’d planned was a picnic in Central Park, which would be really cool–in the summer–it was winter–and it was freezing. The grass had been white with frost earlier. Now the ground was just cold and hard, but he’d actually laid a blanket out on it, and he’d bought hot pastries from a deli round the corner, and hot chocolates. The guy was crazy. He had a wicked sense of humor, and he’d taken to teasing me constantly. He said it was to drag me out of my in-office moods.
Once, he’d stuck a post-it on my forehead at work when he’d walked past to go to the kitchen. It said: out of office tonight . We’d had a date planned, a trip to the ice rink and Chipotle.
Fortunately, ‘cause he was always messing around, no one thought it odd, or guessed there was anything in it. They hadn’t seen what he’d written. I’d screwed it up and thrown it in the bin.
I lay back feeling the cold creeping through my coat. I had three layers on–but I was so cold. It penetrated my gloves and hat. I looked up at the sky. It was clear blue and bright, framing the branches of a tree above us.
Justin was lying on his back beside me. He laughed to himself.
“What’s funny?” I rolled onto my side and looked down at him. I guess if I had to say who he most looked like, it would definitely be Jason Derulo, but Justin got better looking the more he smiled. He had charm and I was falling for it.
His brown eyes stared up at me, glowing warm like dark amber. “Just this. Just us. Just you. I still can’t believe I’ve got a thing going with the office ice-queen. The climate suits you.”
My palm hit his shoulder. “I’m out-of-office.”
He caught my wrist and pulled me on top of him. I squealed, until his fingers gripped the back of my head and then he kissed me, slipping his tongue between my lips and holding my mouth to his. It was all that mattered in the world. Yeah, Justin had charm.
When he let me go, my palm rested on his chest and I looked down at him. All around us, others were enjoying the park on a Saturday afternoon. Kids ran about, a group of guys played a ball game, loads of people were walking dogs. For a moment we stared at each other, then he whispered in a low voice. “Do you wanna go back to yours?”
“Yes.” I did. We folded the blanket up and dumped our rubbish in a bin, then caught the subway train, fingers laced.
I had a sudden flash of fear. I kept getting them. A feeling that I was getting in too deep, too fast. But then I’d tell myself, I’m living for now, this isn’t about tomorrow, or happy endings, it’s about being happy today–and I was happy. Probably for the first time in a year. Probably for the first time
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