Page 102 of Desserts for Stressed People

I hold myself up on my elbow as he stands to take off his pants. Studying his muscular legs sprinkled with short, dark hair, I wonder how it’d feel to squeeze them with mine. “You want to...sleep?”

He smirks as he folds the pants and drops them on the white leather armchair. “Yes. You haven’t rested in forty-eight hours. You’re exhausted, and you’ve just cried.”

I’m too tired to argue, but I wish we’d take things further tonight. Still, when my head hits the pillow, it feels like floating on a cloud. My eyes shut, and I can feel myself drifting off in a second.

“Scoot over,” Shane whispers.

I’d argue that the right side of the bed is mine—I normally would—but I can barely move up enough for him to lie down. Nor can I focus on the fact that Shane is laying down beside me, his chest to my back as he kisses my shoulder. I can’t enjoy the contact of his skin against my shirt, his legs entangling with mine. I’m barely aware of his hand stroking my arm, of his delicious smell leaving its imprint on my sheets.

It’s the first time any of this happens, and I’m missing it, because I’m falling asleep, but my heart hasn’t gotten such a heavy workout in years. Being here with him is all I need, ever.

Him and his desserts.

Chapter26

The Date

I haveno clue what Shane and I are doing tonight.

Staring at the brown locks roaming over my shoulders, the dark circles plaguing my tired eyes, and the pale skin of my face in the mirror, I lay my makeup on the desk. Since sleep hasn’t been an option for the past few days, makeup will do.

Red lipstick, smoky eyeshadow. Might be too much. Nude makeup? Maybe it’s too simple. If only he’d tell me where we’re going, this would be so much easier.

Still, I can’t wait for my first date with Shane. Seriously, it’s ridiculous. We’ve been spending most of the last five weeks together, but tonight is official, special. New and exciting. Which also means I’m a nervous wreck.

When the buzzer rings, I stop dabbing my foundation.

That’s not Emma. She knows I’m going out with Shane tonight. I don’t think it’s Shane either, because I gave him a key to the apartment. With everything that’s been going on at the office, at least one of us always ends up staying at work until midnight, when the other is fast asleep. And I love waking up next to him too much, so, though it’s absurdly early for it, he has a key.

I walk to the intercom and press the button. “Yes?”

“Can I come in?”

At the sound of his whiney voice, my stomach clenches. “No, Alex. You can’t.”

“This is my home too, Heaven. If you don’t let me in right now, I’ll call your parents. I’ll show up at work. I’ll fucking wait right here until you come out. And I won’t pay for the lease—you’ll be kicked out.”

There it is. Though I knew this moment would come since Emma showed me that screenshot, it hits me as if I didn’t foresee this. As if it comes out of nowhere. As if I didn’t know the man I spent the last five years of my life with would throw me under the bus in a minute, without a second thought. “Call my parents, if you want. Call yours too. Tell them about all the shit you’ve been up to, while you’re at it.” I press the button with even more strength. “And don’t worry about the lease, because I don’t want your money.”

The event is only a few days away, now, and with it, my promotion and raise will come. No one can deny I did a great job, everything considered, so I definitely have it in the bag. To hell with Alex.

“It’s not my fault—”

“You’ve cheated on me, Alex! You’re constantly belittling me, using me, and setting me aside when you’re done. You don’t love me—you just want to keep me around.”

“I madeonemistake! One, and this is what I get?”

I scoff. “One?Onemistake?”

“Yes, one! And I swear it will never happen again.”

I draw in a deep breath. I understand he’s suffering, but he needs to stop harassing me, and I won’t coddle him as he lies to me yet again. “Joining a dating app is more than one mistake, Alex. You can actually count each of the girls you matched with as a separate mistake.”

“Dating app! What are you talking about?”

I scoff. “RadaR, Alex! I’m talking about RadaR!”

There’s a beat of silence, then, out of the intercom, comes his voice. “What the fuck is a RadaR?!”