He straightened and turned, casting a glance at me over his shoulder, and just the profile of his torn expression made my heart hurt.
“How much of that did you hear?” he asked.
I tilted my head to the side and shrugged a shoulder. “You’re not taking advantage of me,” I said quietly.
He turned all the way to face me, crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned back against the counter, studying me. “Don’t listen to her. She’s just pissed, that’s all.”
Was he telling me, or himself? At least what he was saying made sense. She’d pursued him but been rejected. Maybe her anger had been a defense mechanism, but it was hard not to see a sliver of truth.
Greg looked resigned. “We need to tell Preston about us.”
I sighed. “He’s in North Carolina.”
“I meant when he gets back.”
Dread lined my stomach like lead, weighing me down. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
He raised an eyebrow, signaling annoyance. “You think he should hear it from Judy instead?”
“Of course not.” I scowled. “How’s he going to hear it from her? You told her to stay away.”
His irritation grew. “I did, but—”
“No. We talked about this.” The anxiety left over from Judy’s interruption lingered and churned, making me feel awful. “We said we’d tell him once we were ready.”
His mood was worse than mine, and for the first time, he directed a gaze at me like I was an insolent little girl. “I know you don’t want to, but we can’t avoid this.”
“I’m not ready.”
He sighed. “You’re acting like a child—”
The word died on his tongue, but it was too late. Anger and embarrassment welled inside me, rising like a bubbling caldron. “Oh, I’m a child now? I thought you told Judy I was an adult.”
“I said you’re acting like one. There’s a difference.”
I tightened my grip on my overnight bag. “I have to go.”
He threw his hands up, then set them on his hips. “You know what? Fine. I think that’s a good idea.”
It wasn’t what I expected. Wasn’t he supposed to fight me on this? Tell me all the ways I was being wrong? Even though it was what I’d asked for, it felt like he was giving up, and suddenly it was the last thing I wanted.
His expression softened. “Last night was great, and I don’t want to ruin that. She rattled us. Let’s cool off for now, and we can talk later. Okay?”
Stunned wasn’t a strong enough word for me. He was right. The unannounced guest had set me on edge, and getting some space and a clear head was the best idea. And he was right too about last night. I didn’t want the confrontation with Judy to tarnish my time with him any more than she already had.
So, I nodded and agreed with an uneven voice. “Okay.”
We’d said we were going to talk about it, but Greg didn’t bring it up that evening when he texted to see how my day was. And he didn’t mention it the next night, either. We pretended both the Judy and Preston issues didn’t exist. Like they weren’t looming over us, and we weren’t on borrowed time.
Except Preston made that difficult. During my lunch break, my phone buzzed with a text message.
Preston: I miss you.
I clicked the button on the side of my phone to make the screen go black, wishing it’d take the message out of existence just as quickly. What did he mean, he missed me? I’d been around for months and he didn’t care.
I groaned as I realized what was probably going on. He was lonely in North Carolina right now, away from his friends. It was the only reason he’d be thinking of me.
After a long day at the animal hospital, I passed on grabbing dinner with Lilith, needing to go home and take a shower. Not because I was feeling gross from work, but because standing in the tub under a stream of hot water was my safe space to release my emotions.
I loved my job. I wanted with all my heart to be a veterinarian. But some days were incredibly tough, and this morning I’d had to watch a family say goodbye to their beloved German shorthair pointer. I was almost as wrecked as they were but did my best to keep it together.
As the hot water beat down on me, it all came out in a cleansing cry.
And I felt better when my shower was over, but as I wrapped the towel around my body, there was still a craving for release itching inside me.
Cassidy: Hey! What are you doing tonight?
I dried my hair while I eagerly waited for his response, and then got dressed in skinny jeans and the t-shirt I’d bought at the Joven concert.
Greg: Rounds. One more patient and then I’m done.