Page 72 of Take the Plunge

In a perfect world, yes, I would love that to happen, but it’s not my choice. Jett has to want to come out, and he has to want to date me.

“Newsflash, Kian, the husband almost never leaves their wife.”

I tug my hand through my hair. “I’m not having an affair.”

“But you are letting him string you along.”

“He’s not. I went into this with my eyes wide open. I knew it wasn’t going anywhere. I knew it was just sex.”

She gives me a sympathetic look. “But you want it to go somewhere. You want it to be more than ‘just sex.’” She makes air quotes. “Your heart is going to get broken if you don’t walk away before you fall for him even more.”

“We’re going around in circles. Can we please stop talking about it and enjoy the quiz?”

“The quiz you’re bugging out on after one more round?”

I clutch the edge of the seat. I get that she’s pissed with me, but why won’t she let my fling with Jett go? She’s wrong about all of it. Isn’t she?

The landlord rings the bell, signalling the start of the second round.

I stand.

“Where are you going?” Nathan asks.

“To my booty call.”

“But you’ll miss the sausage rolls,” Olly says.

The landlord gives everyone who wants one a freshly baked sausage roll after the quiz has finished.

“I don’t eat sausage rolls,” I remind him.

“Oh, yeah.”

“Kian.” Aria reaches for my hand, but I snatch it away.

“He’s not using me,” I hiss.

“You can keep telling yourself that, but that won’t make it true. Walk away, Kian.”

“I don’t want to. I just—”

“Need to give him a bit more time to decide what he wants?”

I nod.

“How much time?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“A week? A month?”

I shrug.

“And if he still doesn’t choose you?”

My chin trembles at the all too-probable outcome. “Then it was never meant to be. Good luck with the rest of the quiz.”

* * *