“Work?” She cocked her head. “Where do you work?”
I pressed my tongue against my front teeth, annoyed at myself for the blunder. And yet… why should I have been upset? Georgia was a new person in my life; perhaps she could afford the chance at a fresh start.
As soon as I had the thought, I knew it wouldn’t be possible. Georgia might have been new, but everything in my life was the same.
“For my family,” I lied. “Remotely.”
“Oh. That sounds nice.”
“It is.” Avoiding her eyes, I took a bite of the fresh cheese bread.
“Do you go to clubs much?” Georgia blew on her coffee.
“Uh… sometimes.”
I’d been going much less lately. It used to be that the energy at clubs invigorated me, but recently it had left me drained.
“Last night, Gisele mentioned something about a club, right? Is that where you know her from?”
“I know her from school, but we used to go clubbing together.”
“Oh.” She sipped her coffee.
Something twisted in my chest. Was Georgia jealous of Gisele?
If so, she didn’t need to be. Though Gisele had made her interest in me obvious, my feelings had never matched hers.
I raked my fingers through my hair and tried to find the right words. The truth was, the moment I had first laid eyes on Georgia, something in me changed. It was as if I’d been placed on a new trajectory in life, one I didn’t yet fully understand.
It sounded odd, but who was I to judge the way of the world?
“I like you,” I blurted out, before I even knew I would say it.
Georgia stared at me with wide, unblinking eyes. “Oh.”
“Yes.” I cleared my throat. “I know that you won’t be here for long, but I want you to know that I am not looking for a fling. That has never been my preference.”
She bit her bottom lip. “Are you saying that we shouldn’t see each other, then?”
“No, not at all.” I reached for her hand and when she didn’t draw back, I intertwined my fingers with hers.
“Then what? Because I have to go back to New York in six months.”
“I know.” And I would spend every moment until then dreading the day she got on that flight.
“What if…” She looked out the window, gathering her thoughts. “We enjoy each other’s company, and just see what happens?”
I considered that. Given that the only other option was not seeing Georgia at all, it felt fair.
“I would like that,” I said.
“Good.”
“You have, uh…” I gestured at my face.
“What?” She touched the wrong cheek.
Reaching up, I brushed a crumb of bread from the edge of her lips. Her skin was satin smooth, so good to the touch it felt forbidden.