Chapter Thirteen

Kelly

Kelly looked down at her phone, her heart sinking once more. She didn’t know why she hadn’t heard from Blake all day, and she was beginning to become annoyed—and even a little angry. It wouldn’t be the first time something like this had happened to her, but at the same time, it was never very easy to stomach. She felt that even if a guy wasn’t interested in seeing her again, he should at least have the decency to let her know.

But, in her experience with men, most of them found it easier to just vanish on her and never speak to her again, casting her off as though she was nothing at all to them. And every time it happened, it hurt. Sure, she didn’t expect them to marry her or even to have a long-distance relationship with her, but there was something about Blake that she had just thought would be different.

She’d really thought he was different from the other men who came breezing through—that he would at least give her the courtesy to let her know what was going on and what he was thinking, not just disappear on her when she became inconvenient.

Kelly looked up at herself in the mirror, trying to make sense of it all. She had left his hotel room early that morning because she’d promised to take another one of Miska’s shifts. She had argued with herself for a few minutes before leaving, trying to decide if it would be better for her to leave a note or a message, but she’d ultimately decided that it was better for her to simply leave and let him decide what he wanted to do with it.

She’d expected that once he’d gotten up and seen that she was gone, he would send her a text and at the very least tell her that he’d had a good time the night before.

Even now she felt sore from the intensity of it all, and she would happily choose to do it all again in spite of how she was feeling, if she was given the chance—but her phone remained silent. At last, the alarm went off, reminding her that it was time she got to work and start her shift, and with a sigh, she tucked it into her purse. She would no doubt see Blake at some time during the shift, but part of her hoped that she wouldn’t.

Unless he had a good explanation for not messaging her, she didn’t want to know what he would have to say to her. Or perhaps there was another reason he hadn’t. Maybe there was some issue with his phone. Maybe his phone had died in the night and he hadn’t had the chance to charge it yet. After all, how could he just ignore her after the connection they’d had? He’d felt it too. She was absolutely of it.

Maybe I should text him? she thought as she walked out the door and started for work. She didn’t want to think about Blake, but he was the only thing on her mind. Each cab that drove past her, she couldn’t help but look to see if Blake was the passenger, and each man she saw in a suit walking out of the building made her heart skip a beat—perhaps Blake was heading out to take care of that meeting he’d mentioned he had.

“Stop this right now!” she muttered to herself as she walked through the door and nearly tripped trying to see if a man who walked by happened to be Blake. She was losing her mind in the anticipation of it, and knew that if she was going to make it through the day without making a complete fool of herself, she was going to have to get this under control.

What was that about you not being a drama queen, Kelly? she thought grimly.

***

“I heard you went out on a date last night,” Annie said when she walked into the kitchen. Maria was washing dishes as usual, and she turned and grinned at Kelly alongside her friend.

Kelly felt her cheeks flush scarlet red, and she knew she was going to have to tell them how it had gone, though she wasn’t so certain she wanted to. Before she knew it, she was telling them each little detail of the night before—right up to when she’d left the hotel room that morning.

“Why did you leave?” Annie asked with a confused look on her face, and Maria put her hands on her hips, waiting for the explanation she already knew wasn’t going to be satisfactory. Kelly felt a new wave of doubt wash over her, and she tried not to be defensive, though it was clear that was what was happening.

“I don’t know. I didn’t want him to be freaked out that I woke up next to him or something. You know how men are—they act all cool one moment, then the next they get all freaked out like you’re trying to marry them or something!” She crossed her arms defensively, and both her friends exchanged a glance.

“How would you know what he’s thinking unless you were there to talk to him about it? He invited you to spend the night. I don’t think he would have been too surprised to find you still in bed with him the next morning, you know?” Maria asked as she looked back at Kelly.

Kelly could feel a knot in her stomach and silently prayed that she hadn’t made the wrong decision in leaving.

The truth was, she was scared of what was really happening with Blake. The fact that her friends thought she should have stayed with him that morning only made it more difficult for her to accept that she had just gotten up and left—and perhaps ruined her chances with the love of her life.

She had turned to walk out to the dining room, but stopped suddenly. Had she really just thought of him as the love of her life? Did she even know what that meant? How could this man she had only known a few days possibly merit that title? In all the men she been with over the years, she had never found one that she had considered herself to be in love with.

But, once again, there was something that was different about Blake. He had touched her in ways that no one else ever had before, and not just physically, either. She’d felt a sense of connection to him that she had never felt before in her life, and she wanted to know more. She wanted to feel as though she belonged with him, and that he felt the same way. Squaring her shoulders, she walked out to the dining hall with a greater confidence, ignoring her friends.

***

She did her best to get through the morning, but as soon as she had a free moment, Kelly grabbed her phone and slipped into one of the corners of the kitchen, away from everyone else. She debated for a moment, trying to decide if it would be better for her to call him or send him a text.

After a few minutes of debate, Kelly knew she was going to have to do something or forget about the whole thing, so she sent a simple text, hoping he would see it and respond to it quickly.

Hey, sorry I left so early this morning! I had to get home and change before I headed back to work, but I wanted you to know that I had a great time last night. I would love to do it again! She read through the text several times before finally sending it, then she stood with her heart racing.

There was no indication that he was typing a response to her of any kind. She waited a few more minutes, doing her best to remain calm. As the minutes ticked by, the ache that had been her heart all morning turned into a lump of sadness in her throat, and she took a deep breath, trying not to let the tears that welled up in her eyes spill over onto her cheeks.

There had to be a good reason. She was being ridiculously dramatic, the exact kind of behavior she usually hated. There just had to be a good reason.