I gave Zane a small smile. “It was nice to see you, Zane.”
He nodded, and I could see from his expression that he wasn’t sure what to make of the situation. Welcome to the club, friend, I thought silently.
“I will call you,” he promised then gave me a quick hug before walking away.
I couldn’t look at Jason. I focused on the people on the dance floor and pretended he wasn’t standing beside me.
“I’m calling Leonard to bring the car,” he said after a while. His voice sounded detached and impersonal, as if he was talking to a stranger. “Are you ready to leave?”
“Yeah, I am,” I replied without looking at him.
We made our way down to the exit and found Leonard waiting in the black SUV with tinted windows. Jason opened the rear door and waited until I was inside and seated before closing it and going over to the other side.
“Hi Leonard,” I said to the driver in a small voice.
He smiled at me in the mirror. “How’re you doing miss?”
I smiled sadly. “Just great,” I said, even though I felt like crying.
Jason entered the car and directed Leonard to drive to my apartment. I clasped my fingers together and chewed on my lower lip. The sense I was getting from him was that he was angry with me, but what gave him the right to be? He’d practically told me I meant nothing to him, that I was a booty call. Telling some guy we were together after that would have just made it seem like I was desperate.
I didn’t want to seem that way, even if I was.
Why can’t we just fuck until we get tired of each other?
I pulled in a painful breath. When I’d said those words, I’d really thought it was possible. What a fool I’d been—blind, too. Some things didn’t go away with time, and my pull toward Jason was one of those things.
Leonard parked on the street in front of my apartment and I gave Jason a quick smile. “Thanks for the ride,” I said. “Good night Leonard.”
“Good night,” the older man replied cheerfully.
I opened the door and stepped outside, surprised to see Jason also leave the car and come over to my side. I lifted my face to his, searching his expression, searching for what to say. “Do you want to come inside?” I said finally.
“Why not?” He tapped on the front window and said something to Leonard, who drove away.
He took my arm lightly then followed me inside and up the flights of stairs. He waited while I fished the keys out of my purse and unlocked the door.
It was dark inside, and I switched on the lights. There was something tense and heavy in the silence, and it hadn’t started when I ran into Zane. It had begun much earlier, out there on the balcony.
I went to the kitchen and filled a glass with water even though I wasn’t thirsty. I took a sip then put it down before walking back to where Jason was standing in the living room. He took off his jacket and draped it over the arm of the couch.
“I don’t think Amy will be back tonight,” I said.
He chuckled wryly. “Likely not.”
I tried to read his expression, but I was getting nothing. Was he planning to stay, to leave? Was he planning to talk about what happened with Zane?
He pushed his hands into his pockets then drew them back out. “Who was he?”
I didn’t have to ask who he was talking about. “He’s a guy I met a couple of years ago. I ran into him at a party recently.”
“Met?” His eyebrows went up.
I exhaled. “I met him when I was…” When I was a different person. I closed my eyes. “We hooked up a long time ago, once.”
He drew in a breath. “And now you’re looking to hook up again?” He didn’t wait for me to reply. “Good thing we’re not exclusive then.”
Immediately, I imagined him with another woman, any other woman, and I felt a physical pain in my chest.