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It was a stupid lie of an excuse, but he seemed to buy it.
When the elevators reached our floor, I said goodbye and walked swiftly to my office. My stomach was in knots, and remained that way for the rest of the day. It was hard to focus on work or my meetings. I just kept thinking about Daniel, after I had worked so hard to forget him. Or at least tried to.
Monica came by on my lunch break and we went to the deli on the corner. I ordered a veggie sandwich, even though I would have loved some cold cuts piled on. I wanted to do everything right by the baby, so instead I sat there and chewed on cucumber and lettuces smooshed between two halves of French bread as I told her about the morning.
“You mean he just was waiting for you?” asked Monica between bites of her sandwich.
“I guess.” I shrugged.
“What did he want?”
“To apologize. Then he offered me a ride to work…”
“And you said, ‘hell no.’ Right?”
I reached in my bag of chips and popped one in my mouth, avoiding her gaze as it crunched.
“Heart…”
“I don’t know, Monica. He seemed different.”
She let out a solitary laugh, its sarcasm biting.
“I doubt I will ever see him again,” I said, looking out the window to the bustling sidewalk, hoping it wasn’t true.
Little did I know.
When I walked out the door of my apartment building the following morning, I saw him leaning against his town car with another cup of tea in hand. I swore he could hear my heart pounding in my chest as I walked toward him.
“You’re back,” I said.
“I hope that’s okay.” He handed me the cup of tea.
“It’s hot today,” I said after taking a sip.
He gave me a smile. One I hadn’t seen before from him. It was genuine and warm. He opened the back door and gestured for me to get inside. I hesitated just for a second before realizing there was no place I would rather be than next to him in that car. I slid inside and he followed behind me.
“How are you feeling today?” he asked as the car pulled away from the curb.
“I’m okay. Just tired,” I said. I wasn’t sure if it was from pregnancy or the thought of him that kept me up last night.
“That’s normal,” he mused.
“What, are you some sort of expert now?” I asked, a smirk trailing across my lips.
“Trying to be,” he said.
His eyes looked at mine and fell to my lips where they stayed for a delicious moment too long. I wondered what he was thinking and if it was the same thing as me. How it would feel to taste each other again.
Again, we arrived in Manhattan too quickly for my liking. I was actually begging for there to be traffic. Wasn’t that what New York was known for anyway? I begrudgingly said goodbye and got out of the car, looking around cautiously to make sure no one saw me.
The work day dragged on as I thought about the possibility of seeing Daniel again. It seemed ridiculous that he would make the drive out to Brooklyn each morning just to bring me tea and drive me to work, but that was exactly what he did.
Each morning, I found him leaning against the town car in that sexy, relaxed way of his, holding a steaming cup of tea. Because of this, I took extra time getting ready. I didn’t squeeze myself into tight skirts or dresses, but an extra spritz of perfume and a swipe of lip gloss wouldn’t hurt.
Each morning, he told me I looked nice, and the way his eyes took me in made my skin break out in goosebumps. It was as if he was imagining what was underneath, as if he didn’t already know. We didn’t fall into this complicated situation by staying clothed.
This morning, I wore a white linen dress that skimmed just above my knees. I had pulled my hair back into a braid that fell down my back. When Daniel saw me, his eyes wandered and he didn’t even try to hide it.