“It feels awkward because that’s the way you feel. We’ll go on with our lives. It doesn’t mean anything. Not to Abel or me. Hopefully, not to you either.”
“Seriously?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Her face glows with a smile that gets quickly chased away by another thought.
“You like him?” she asks.
“Abel? Yes. I always did.”
I take another bite of cake.
She gives me a furtive glance.
“He’s a very handsome man,” she says.
“Yes, he is.”
She lowers her eyes, red up to her hairline.
“And well endowed,” she says under her breath.
I breathe out a chuckle.
“That too. There’s no way to deny that now.”
She flicks her eyes up.
“He’s a good man, too,” I say seriously, brushing crumbs off my fingers.
She stays silent.
“Is this the reason you are sad?” I ask.
“Maybe.”
Smiling, I push out of the chair and walk to the fridge.
“You want some?” I ask, pulling out a water bottle.
She nods.
I set a bottle for her on the desk and take a seat.
“You spent some time with him that evening. Do you like him?” I ask.
“Yes. I like him... A lot,” she adds, a bit embarrassed.
I examine her for a moment.
She avoids my eyes.
“Abel is a very good friend of mine, but he’s not my boyfriend.”
“He was friendly with me, and I think he liked me too,” she says timidly.
I weigh my words.