He closed his eyes as soon as he spotted it and inhaled a deep breath.

“You can hate me all you want, but let me explain. At least give me that.” My lips quivered.

He flashed his eyes open as if my words surprised him. With his free hand, he wiped my tears. “Don’t cry. You know I can’t stand to see you cry.”

Don’t let me, and do something about it, I wanted to yell at him.

“Not here. Not now. I don’t want to talk to you here with your roommate, and I don’t want to talk to you in a restaurant. I’ll text you my address. I’ll let you know what time. Don’t go to work tomorrow…I’ve already called in sick for you. You should be a lot better by Sunday. We’ll talk then.”

I nodded as he shifted me to steady my stand. “You okay to stand?” His eyes went straight to my br**sts.

If I had covered them with my arms at that minute, he would know I knew he was looking…awkward…but I couldn’t help the thought of his hands on them. Trying to make this as smooth as possible, I ran my hand through my hair and crossed my arms. He shuddered slightly, and I didn’t know what to think of that.

Max blinked. “I better go. Don’t forget to take your medicine, and eat something before you do, or your stomach will let you know you forgot.”

I reached over and opened the door. “Max…thank you for being here. I’ll pay for the doctor’s bill and the medicine, and whatever that—”

He didn’t let me finish. “See you on Sunday,” he said wearily, then walked out the door.

Trying not to make it obvious, though it may have seem a bit stalkish, I stuck out my head just enough to see him walk down the hallway and enter the elevator.

Chapter 24

Sunday couldn’t come fast enough. The past night had been another rough night’s sleep compared to the other rough nights’ sleep the days before. Max had been there on Thursday, so I had to wait three days before I got to tell him my side of the story. I was feeling a whole lot better, and I had to thank Max for that.

My mind was blown away by the fact that he cared enough to come to my rescue. Though he had mentioned that it was his company policy, I wasn’t too stupid to realize that he was worried about me, and this gave me hope that things could work out. I hadn’t known Lisa was trying to reach me, but then again, I didn’t recall the phone ringing, and my cell phone was on silent mode…it had also ran out of battery power.

Becky had a lunch date. She told me we would exchange stories that night, and she would give me more details about the possible new man in her life. I couldn’t wait to hear all about him. As I stared for God knows how long, I glanced at my closet full of clothes and saw nothing worth wearing. How was that possible? Becky and I had gone shopping recently. Needing to get to Max’s house, I decided to wear a pair of jeans and a red button-up sweater.

After slipping on my coat and a pair of boots, I was on my way. Max didn’t live far from work. I had expected to be looking for a house, but instead I found myself standing in front of a tall building. He lived in a pent house. Nervously, I headed up the elevator as my finger found its way to my mouth. I didn’t realize how hard I was biting until I pulled it out from the pain. It was a very bad habit I needed to break.

Standing in front of Max’s door, I inhaled deeply and rang the white circular button on my left. After a long few seconds, the door cracked open and anxiety flooded through me. Exhaling and inhaling quick breaths, I wanted to pass out. Most of the anxiety went away when I saw that gorgeous smile on his face. At least it was genuine this time, like he was happy to see me.

“Hi, Jenna. You look….” He paused. “You look better. Come in.”

Max was wearing cotton shorts and a plain white T-shirt, just like the one I’d borrowed… kept…and he was barefoot. He still hadn’t shaved, which made him look even sexier. I had to find a way to stop staring. Trying not to glance around was almost impossible. After Max took my coat, I took in the breathtaking view from his window, which took up the entire back wall.

The city lights dazzled against the black sky. A multitude of colors shined like Christmas lights, holding their vibrant hues. As my boots clicked away on the dark wood floor, I followed him to the living room. The furnishings were simple but elegant, and I approved of his taste. His place was big, spacious, open, and wide. You could even see the kitchen from the living room.

“Sit anywhere you like,” he said.

Already standing next to the sofa, I just plopped myself down to the nice, expensive, leather spot.

“Would you like anything to drink?” he asked, pouring himself some liquor into a wine glass. “Some water or juice perhaps?”

He had only given me two options since he already knew my lack of alcohol tolerance. “No, thank you,” I replied. I didn’t want to be there longer than I needed to be. The longer I stayed, the stronger the likelihood of me not wanting to leave.

“So….” He cleared his throat after taking a sip of his drink. “What did you need to talk to me about? You made it clear before that we shouldn’t date, and you made it clear by being with him that night. From the way I’ve been behaving, I have to say you were right. We shouldn’t be dating.”

His words pierced through my heart with a sharp sting. Looking down, I nodded. I needed to be brave. This was more difficult than I had thought it would be. It would have been easier to express myself when it had happened, but to say all that I felt a week later, not to mention being really sick, and to hear him say we shouldn’t be dating, was extremely difficult. Then I knew I had lost my chance.