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‘Hey.’ My smile is tight. ‘How’s it going?’
I sit there, staring at him, waiting for him to say something, but for a long time he just stares at me as though he’s trying to make sense of a math problem.
‘How are you?’
His question lands right between my breasts. I swallow back an acerbic rejoinder and try to remember the line I’d prepared. ‘Fine, thanks. I’m sorry about leaving the wedding so abruptly. I had something pop up and—’
‘What’s going on, Ash?’
My stomach swoops. He knows me too well to be fooled by my lie. ‘We agreed the wedding would be the end for us.’
‘We agreed I’d help you meet someone else.’ He pauses, a frown on his face as he searches for something else to say. ‘The wedding was neither here nor there.’
Something flares inside of me. ‘This might come as a surprise, but I think I’m pretty confident I can find my own dates. Thanks all the same.’
His expression shifts, a look of frustration drawing his brow downwards, but before he can speak a waitress appears, a bright smile on her face.
‘Hey! What can I get you?’
Theo drags his eyes away from me. ‘A beer. Asha?’
I feel like I need a drink but I want to get out of here as quickly as possible. I order a single shot of Scotch.
The waitress disappears, leaving us alone once more. I notice everything about him. I look at his hands and the memories of them on my skin are visceral and shocking.
‘I wasn’t pimping you out to my friends.’ His voice is raw, like it’s being dragged from deep inside of him. ‘I just wanted to know you’d be with someone who deserved you.’
Theo looks away from me for a second and I study him for several moments, my eyes resting on his face, my heart twisting painfully in my chest. God help me, I love him. I love him so much that sitting across from him is a form of agony and torture because I know he doesn’t love me, that he won’t ever love me. He loves sleeping with me and, if I played my cards right, I could make it so that we keep doing what we were doing, mind-blowing orgasm after mind-blowing orgasm. But then what? For how long?
I have to get away from him.
‘Look, Theo, this has been great. I’ve had a lot of fun with you, but I think it’s pretty clear it’s run its course.’
He turns to face me slowly but is forestalled from answering by the reappearance of the waitress. She places our drinks down and slides the bill between us. Theo takes it without looking up, placing his black credit card on the tray then passing it back to her. ‘Start a tab,’ he murmurs. I think it’s just to get rid of her.
‘Yes, sir.’
‘I won’t be staying long.’
‘Why not?’
I frown.
‘Why can’t you stay?’ He doesn’t give me a chance to answer. ‘Why do we have to end this?’
My stomach squeezes.
‘Australia was just an arbitrary line in the sand. I don’t want this to be over.’
‘I do.’ I’m surprised to hear the truth ringing through my voice.
‘Why?’
I grind my teeth together. ‘We want different things.’ I stand up, reaching for my bag and jamming it under my arm. I have to get out of here. He’s as much quicksand as ever. ‘This isn’t enough for me.’
‘I know that.’