Big Chicas Don't Cry(97)

He grabbed my arm. “What the fuck? Seriously? What. The. Fuck. Why are you acting this way?”

The doors opened, and I yanked my arm from his grasp and ran inside the waiting elevator. I pressed the button for the parking garage over and over again. And because I never pick the easy way out of anything, I glanced at Adrian one more time.

Every handsome feature was scrunched in confusion. The seconds seemed to tick by in excruciating torture, and eventually his expression morphed into something I’d never seen on him before.

Pain.

“Why don’t you want us to be friends anymore?” he yelled as the doors began to finally move.

My watery eyes met his hurt ones.

“Because I’m in love with you, dummy.”

Adrian’s stunned face was the last thing I saw as the steel elevator doors closed between us.

The texts came fast and furious. But I turned off my phone as soon as I pulled out of the parking garage. And later, when I was in bed and heard him knocking on my front door, I put on my headphones and tried to go to sleep.

I’d said everything I’d wanted to say. And then some.

I couldn’t second-guess my actions. Not anymore.

Because when it came down to it, it didn’t matter if Adrian loved me or not. I had to do what was best for me and my career. Plus, when you confess your love to your boss, it’s probably a good idea to go work for a new one.

And so the next day, while Adrian was snuggling in a cabin with Isela, I walked into Charlie’s office and gave him my two weeks’ notice.





Chapter Sixty-Three


SELENA


In a city filled with millions of people, why did I feel so alone?

I looked at my desk calendar and sighed. It had only been three weeks since I’d seen my family, yet I couldn’t wait to see them again in just two days.

I was lucky that Kane closed its offices during the holidays. That meant I’d always be able to fly home for Christmas. But there was another reason why I was feeling so lonely. And he hadn’t called or checked on me since I’d arrived.

Nathan, obviously, was still mad. Or hurt. Or both.

I’d sent him a text on my first day to let him know that everything had gone well. But he never responded. I tried calling once, and it went straight to voice mail.

In more ways than one, I’d gotten the message.

So I focused on building my new life in New York. I was still living out of a suitcase in the agency’s hospitality suite at a nearby hotel. But I had some leads on apartments, and I’d even figured out the subway system in the neighborhood. I called my cousins and my family every other night. My mom told me that I talked to her more now than when I lived in Los Angeles.

In other words, I was getting used to life in the Big Apple.

My stomach grumbled, and I checked the time. It was already getting to be nine p.m., and I hadn’t eaten dinner yet. I remembered seeing a Chinese place around the block, so I grabbed my thick coat and headed outside.

It was snowing. And so much colder than I had planned for. Still, I was determined to get food.

I walked the block, shivering every step. By the time I could spot the restaurant’s sign, I was jogging. Anything to get out of the cold. This California girl couldn’t hang with temps like these. I made a mental note to go shopping while I was home and stock up on leg warmers, mittens, and thick sweaters.

The restaurant was nearly empty when I finally crashed through the front doors. I’d never been so happy to see soup on the wall menu behind the counter and decided to eat it there so it could stay nice and hot. I was about to ask if they also had dumplings when I recognized a figure sitting by himself at the table in the back.

Nathan.

I froze, even though I was pretty frozen to begin with. He was looking down at his phone, so he hadn’t seen me yet. That meant it was up to me as to how to handle it.

First, though, I ordered my soup, no dumplings. Nathan stood as I handed cash to the restaurant employee. I took the receipt with my order number and glanced over at him again. He finally looked up and caught me staring. For a moment, I thought he didn’t recognize me. Or worse, was going to pretend he didn’t recognize me.

He didn’t, though. He continued walking and stopped at the counter.

“Hey there,” he said with a small smile.

Suddenly, I ached to touch him and feel his arms around me. Why had I been such a fool? This man was gorgeous and smart and funny, and, most importantly, he had me all figured out. I would never find a man like him again.

“Hi, Nathan. Small world, huh?”

“Seems like. Sorry I never texted you back. I got busy and then forgot—you know how it is.”

“Sure, of course. No biggie. I had just wanted to thank you again for helping me get this job. It’s pretty great.”

He nodded. “I’m glad it’s working out for you.”

We didn’t say anything else and just stood there for a few seconds in silence.

“Ma’am?” the cashier said, and I’d never been more grateful for an interruption. “Your soup will be a few more minutes. I will bring it to you at your table.” I smiled at him and then back at Nathan.

He cleared his throat and stuck his hands into his navy coat. “Well, I don’t want to keep you from your dinner. I better get going. It was nice seeing you, Selena.”