“Yes,” she said carefully.
Just how much had Eric told him? Had he mentioned coming back to her place? And how she’d basically offered to “watch Netflix and chill” with him?
How she’d fallen asleep on him?
She swallowed the mortifying memory.
“You’re okay?”
“I’m fine.” Or she would be. Her hand tightened around her phone and she took a slow breath. “James, you have to stop texting me and calling me all the time.”
“I miss you.”
She nodded and closed her eyes. “I know you do. And honestly? I miss you too, James. I miss our friendship. We basically grew up together. We were together since middle school, whether the romance part was full of spark and excitement, or when it eventually lost it. But losing the friendship hurts the most.”
There was silence for a moment. “I agree. Except for the spark and excitement part.”
So he didn’t quite get it yet.
“We belong together and can get through this. The kiss with Tori meant nothing—”
“I’ve realized the kiss was an excuse for us to end it,” she blurted. “Or at least for me. And if you think about it really hard, you might find it was for you too.”
There was a moment of silence, before he rasped, “No. I refuse to believe that.”
“James.” She gentled her tone. “I think it was only a matter of time before the relationship ended, even if you hadn’t kissed another woman. I care about you and always will. But as a friend. I don’t know how to make you see that.”
“I can’t. I know I should, but I can’t.”
“Well, until you can, and are in the same headspace as me, I can’t talk to you anymore. And I hope you can respect that.”
The relief at having said the words lifted a massive weight from her heart. But when he didn’t immediately reply, she knew he still struggled with the idea.
She sighed. “I’ll take your silence as an answer. I need to go now. Take care of yourself, James.”
She ended the call before he could reply, because really... what more was there to say?
*
Thank god therewas class tonight.
With still ten minutes until class started, Eric was grateful for the mind-numbing release the next hour would bring. While on the floor doing various leg stretches, he glanced around the studio.
It was a smaller class this evening. There were only ten other students, and Master Myeoung was off to the side of the studio writing something on a paper on his desk.
Eric rose to practice his jumping sidekicks. Every part of him focused on the promotion test in a few months. Well, every part of him that wasn’t thinking of Hannah.
But, god, it was hard not to think about her. Even if he hadn’t seen or heard from her since that night.
He was worried. Not just that he’d scared her off, but for her safety.
Out of the corner of his eye, someone entering the dojang caught his attention.
“Anyounghasaeyo, Samchon.”
While Eric couldn’t understand any words in Korean that weren’t directly related to Taekwondo, he definitely recognized the voice that had spoken them.
He snapped his gaze to the entrance and his chest tightened at the sight of Hannah in the doorway, dressed in the martial arts uniform, and bowing to Master Myeoung.