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I take that as a positive sign, so I nod even though his gaze is stuck to the road ahead. Our journey from Manhattan was filled with small talk before it was interrupted by a call from his wife and kids. Listening to him assure them that he’d kiss them goodnight as soon as he got home if they got into bed at that moment brought a smile to my face.

My dad used that same tactic on me when he had to work late, and even though I can’t remember every time he came into my room to kiss me goodnight, I know he kept that promise because that’s the kind of man he is.

As soon as the car has stopped, he’s out of his seat and opening the rear passenger door. “I can help you out.”

It’s an offer I won’t refuse because the game I’m holding has some weight to it. I hand it off to him as I slide out of the car. As soon as I’m on my feet, I take it back and hold it close. “You’ve been so gracious. Thank you.”

“Tell me if I’m out of line, but this is a first date, isn’t it?”

Smiling, I study his face. I’m not the best at guessing another person’s age, but I think he has to be in his mid-thirties, if not a bit younger than that. I’ve learned that insight into others can’t be measured by a calendar, though. I’ve met people decades older than me who lack wisdom, and some years younger who seem to have been born with it.

“Is it that obvious?” I ask him.

“The look on your face matches my wife’s when I invited her to my apartment for the first time.” He lets out a low chuckle. “I served her pasta from a can, and we split a soda.”

“That sounds perfect,” I whisper as a couple holding hands strolls by on the sidewalk in front of William’s building.

“It was.” He nods. “We recreate that same meal on our wedding anniversary every year.”

“You’re a lucky man,” I assume because he radiates joy. I see it in his green eyes as he talks about his wife, and I heard it in his voice when he spoke to his kids on the phone.

“Enjoy tonight.” He rubs his chin. “It might be the beginning of a story that lasts a lifetime.”

For the first time all day, I feel my pulse slow slightly. A sudden calmness settles over me as I look toward William’s building again and spot him opening the lobby door. He’s dressed in charcoal gray pants and a black sweater. He’s pushed up the sleeves, revealing his toned forearms. He truly is a striking man with a smile that could stop traffic. Knowing that smile is just for me fills me with a sense of happiness I haven’t felt in a long time.

“Thank you again,” I tell the driver. “I’m going to take your advice and enjoy every second of tonight.”

31

William

I walkbehind Opal as she navigates her way up the three flights of stairs that lead to my apartment, or, more accurately, the first apartment I ever owned. I cursed as soon as I arrived at the building this morning to find the only elevator broken again.

It was a running gag for the residents of this building when I first moved in. Fortunately, the landlord saw fit to let me use the freight elevator to move my furniture to the third floor back then. I convinced a couple of friends to give me a helping hand in exchange for pizza and beer. On that day, I thought I’d found the apartment I’d spend the rest of my life in. Little did I know that it would eventually become a convenient place for me to bring women I wanted to fuck.

Staring at Opal’s ass beneath the fabric of her dress is making me feel like more of a bastard than I already do. I’m too far into this to correct it now, though. She thinks I live here, so I’ll play that part for at least tonight.

“When did you move in here?” she calls over her shoulder as we approach the third floor.

“A few months after I graduated college.”

“You mean Harvard,” she says, tossing me a look. “If I had gone to Harvard, I would work that fact into every conversation I’d have for the rest of my life.”

I laugh that off as we reach the floor where I once lived. I point to the slightly ajar door of apartment 3B. “That’s me.”

She glances at the door before leveling her gaze on me. This is one of the few times I’ve seen her outside of her bar, and she’s never been dressed like this. She is, without question, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.

“You’re staring at me,” she says, laughing it off. “Is there something on my face? I ate half of a chocolate bar before I came here.”

The admission lures me closer to her. I study her lips carefully, noting how perfectly shaped they are, and how incredible it felt to kiss her.

“Is there some chocolate on my face?” She starts to reach up to swipe her hand over her lips. I’m too quick for her, though, as I catch her hand in mine before it reaches its destination.

I may be holding the special edition of the game under my arm, but with my free hand, I squeeze her fingers before I plant a soft kiss in the middle of her palm. “There’s nothing on your face. You’re so beautiful it’s hard not to stare at you.”

Her lips part slightly as she lets out a slow breath. “Wow.”

“Wow?” I question, trying not to smile. “That’s a good wow, right?”