Talia: I’d offer you dinner again, but I don’t believe you’re a woman who likes to be hounded by the same person she has to look at daily while she eats her lunch. So, I’ll say goodnight and hopefully catch you at the bistro sometime this week.
Faye considered her next move. Why couldn’t she have a best friend she could turn to when she was in this predicament? Why did Phoebe have to be so against Talia and what she did? Honestly, Faye needed new friends.
But then Faye scrolled back through her message thread with Talia, that smile still beaming. Talia was offering to have dinner with her, so why the hell was Faye willing to sit here alone when she could be spending time with someone she was growing fonder of as the days passed?
You’re setting yourself up to get hurt here.
Faye: I could probably come over for a little while. Give me thirty minutes?
Talia: I’d really love that. See you soon!
Exhaling a long, slow breath, Faye threw the blanket from her knees and got to her feet. It would only take her ten minutes to walk to Talia’s place, so she had some time to make herself look presentable. Sure, she could go over there in her comfy clothes, but what kind of impression would that give? Faye wanted Talia toseeher, not run in the opposite direction.
You’re playing with fire…
* * *
Talia grinnedas she dipped a spoon into her curry, testing it one final time before Faye arrived. She’d listened to everything Jay had said to her a few nights ago, and even if Talia was still unsure, she wanted to spend some time with Faye to see how well they really got on. But it was pointless; Talia already knew she could spend her days…and nights, watching Faye. She knew how well they worked together from just the small number of times they’d been alone with one another.
Talia had once blown Faye off, but now she desperately wanted to make amends for that.
The problem was, she didn’t know how to go about it. Talia hadn’t been in a relationship for a few years and even that had turned to shit. It didn’t matter how happy Talia had been with Megan; it didn’t make any difference if she believed she could make someone happy. It had all gone wrong along the way, and that reminder of Megan packing her things and leaving still sat at the front of her mind whenever she considered dating again.
But Faye was different. Without Talia kissing that woman or touching her, she knew Faye was different to everyone she’d ever put her time and effort into in the past. No other woman had looked at her the way Faye did. Not Megan, notanybody.
The buzzer jolted Talia from all thoughts of Faye, her smile widening as she reached for the receiver.
“Hey!”
“Let me up—it’s bloody freezing out here.”
Talia released the main door, replacing the receiver as she opened her own front door. She wanted to see Faye arriving. She loved the way her heart pounded at the sight of her. Would Talia ever pluck up the courage to tell Faye that? Damn, she certainly hoped so.
The lift doors opened, and Faye stepped out, smoothing down her jacket before she turned to find Talia watching her. “Oh, h-hi.”
“Hi.” Talia grinned. “Did you run here?”
Faye dragged a hand through her hair. “No, why? Do I look a mess?”
“Never. You just got here really quick.”
“I didn’t want to keep you waiting.”
Talia, in all honesty, would wait forever and a day for Faye.So why don’t you ask her out, you fucking coward!She cleared her throat, opening the front door wide. “Come on in and get warm.”
Faye smiled as she stepped past Talia, their bodies brushing and sending a thrill through Talia from head to toe. Each little glance, just Faye’s presence nearby, it had to mean something. Talia could dress it up however she liked, but the feelings she had for Faye were there…and they were real. Too real for her to make head nor tails of right now.
“I really love this apartment,” Faye said as she shed her jacket, hanging it over the back of a stool at the breakfast bar. “I didn’t realise how spacious they were.”
“Yeah, I love the open plan. It just makes it feel brighter, you know?”
“I do. I love my place, it’s cosy, but in the summer, it feels really stuffy.” Faye moved towards the window that led to Talia’s small balcony. “I bet it’s gorgeous here when the sun is out.”
“I’m hoping so. I haven’t really had much sun since I moved in. But let’s make it a plan to find out once the weather picks up.”
Talia watched Faye as she stared down at the river. She could see her reflection, thrilled that Faye was smiling as she nodded in response. “I’d like that.”
“Right, well you make yourself at home, and I’ll plate dinner up.”