Five Minutes to Love

by Jennifer Wilck

  ****

  That night, Aviva stared at her phone, her finger hovering over the Send button. Jacob had called earlier and she’d let it go to voice mail. She didn’t want to encourage him. The problem was, every time she decided to tell him she wasn’t interested, a memory of how much she enjoyed being with him stopped her. She hadn’t stopped thinking of him all day. It would be rude not to respond. She hit Send.

  —sorry I missed ur call. Day got away from me—

  That was polite but didn’t encourage him. With a sigh, she pulled out nail polish and painted her nails. A minute later, the phone buzzed again. With a groan, she read his text.

  —NP. I was studying too. Movie?—

  Now what was she to do? Did she want to go to a movie with him? Of course. But should she? No way. Well, she couldn’t answer right now—her nails were wet. She needed to break it off with him. Be honest. Explain that her dreams and his were polar opposites. As much as she enjoyed his company, there was no point in pursuing this.

  She blew on her nails and waited for them to dry. She couldn’t send him a breakup text. And if she called and he was in the library or something? She didn’t want to do that either. But she didn’t want to lead him on. She flopped back on the bed. Ugh. Going to the movie would enable her to see him. She could break up with him in person.

  —k—

  Aviva turned off her phone for the night. She stared out the window at the street below. Streetlights cast the pavement a yellowy orange, stretching long shadows on the cement. While cars and pedestrians continued to traverse the main streets on a pretty regular basis, her street, which was a few blocks from the main thoroughfare, wasn’t as busy. Hoboken might be a mecca for young professionals, but this part of town slowed late at night.

  She was doing the right thing. Despite Hannah’s attempts to convince her Jacob wasn’t like her dad, it was stupid to start something with a guy whose dreams were so different from hers. Leading him on was a mistake. They were going to the movies on Tuesday, and she’d break it off with him.

  Chapter Six

  Between the time they made plans and the moment she left for the movie theater, Aviva half-dialed him numerous times to beg off their date. Each time she started, whatever stopped her from telling him over the weekend stopped her again. Or her boss walked into her office. Or the phone rang. Or her roommates interfered.

  The door to her room burst open. Her other roommate rushed in. “I have the perfect man for you, Avs,” Maddy gushed.

  “What?” She’d been reading. She cleared her latest book boyfriend from her head to focus on her roommate.

  “Man. You. Perfect. His name is Phil. He’s an artist. He’s the brother of my friend’s roommate. He just broke up with his girlfriend. I think you’d be perfect for each other. You know, since Erica’s speed-dating idea didn’t work.”

  An artist? That was new.

  “Come on, you said you’re tired of professional guys. This guy is an artist. He’s probably starving. What possible excuse could you come up with now?”

  Aviva smiled to herself. “I’m kind of already seeing someone, but…”

  “What?”

  The shriek made her ears ring. She winced.

  Maddy sank onto the bed. “Tell me everything.”

  “His name is Jacob. I met him speed dating. But I don’t think…”

  “So it worked?”

  “Sort of.” She wouldn’t tell her they’d both ditched the event. “We went out to dinner, and we’re going to the movies.” She was just about to add it was the last time they’d see each other, when Maddy flew across the bed. She knocked the breath out of her as she grabbed her in a hug. “I’m so happy for you!” She paused before she left the room. “I’ll just tell Phil you’re no longer available.”

  “Wait!”

  But Maddy had left. The door clicked shut. She’d get his number Tuesday, after she broke up with Jacob.

  Aviva approached the movie theater on Tuesday. Jacob was outside waiting for her. Her steps slowed. She fiddled with her necklace. How should she greet him? Should she hug him? That might be lame. Kiss him? That would be misleading.

  His face brightened when their gazes met. Taking the decision out of her hands, he pulled her close to him. Tipping her chin, he placed a whisper-soft kiss on her lips. If she could have melted into the ground, she would have. His lips were firm, his grip on her arm secure. His fingers on her chin gentle. Spicy aftershave floated around her. Her pulse increased as warmth infused her belly.

  When he pulled away, she forced herself not to whimper. Women who were about to break up with a man didn’t whimper after a kiss like that. Technically, women didn’t break up with men who kissed like that.

  “Hi, I hope you don’t mind I just did that,” he whispered.

  She should mind, or at least brush it off, rather than lead him on. But her traitorous body still felt like liquid. “I wondered if you might…or if I should kiss you first.” Apparently her mouth had a mind of its own.

  His grin lit up his face. He wrapped his arm around her. “How was your day?”

  “Long and frustrating. Yours?”

  “Went to class, turned in a paper, studied. The usual. Why was yours frustrating?”

  She pulled away. Did he want to know or was he being polite? His gaze was focused on her. Not on the lips he’d kissed, or her breasts, but on her eyes. He stood there patiently waiting for her to respond, like he had all the time in the world, like he didn’t care if they missed the movie.

  She relaxed her shoulders. “My boss is trying to organize a major fundraiser for our client—that one I was telling you about at dinner. Let’s just say she doesn’t handle stress well and her stress is making me crazy.”

  She nodded toward the theater entrance. They headed that way, Jacob continuing to ask questions about her job.

  “She adds additional deadlines to projects so we make sure to meet the client deadlines, which wouldn’t be so bad except the closer we get to a deadline, the more of a perfectionist she gets. More deadlines, more annoyance, and more time at work, because, in her eyes, you don’t leave until you’re completely finished.”

  He steered her toward the movie doors. They found seats. “Wow, your boss sounds difficult.”

  “She is, but she’s also an amazing mentor, so I have to put up with her temperament in order to learn from her. Days like these can drive me crazy. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hog the conversation.”

  He grasped her hand as the lights dimmed. “Don’t be,” he whispered. “I love listening to you.”

  She shivered, but whether it was from his words or the touch of his hand, she didn’t know. When the lights came back on, she blinked in the brightness.

  Jacob turned toward her. “Did you like it?”

  “Yeah, it was really funny. I’m glad you picked it.”

  “You can learn a lot about a person by what makes them laugh.”

  “Oh really?” She rose from her seat but made no move to exit the aisle. “Like what?”

  “Like you laughed when the woman made snarky comebacks to the man, which means you’ve got a pretty intelligent wit. You didn’t laugh nearly as often at the physical comedic elements, so slapstick probably isn’t your thing. You leaned forward when the hero and heroine showed chemistry on the screen, so deep down, you’re a romantic.”

  Aviva’s face heated. “Wait a minute, the chemistry didn’t make me laugh, so why did you notice?”

  He brushed a lock of hair off her face. “I notice lots of things about you.”

  She ducked and turned to leave the theater. He followed, holding onto her hand. Once outside, he pulled her close to the building, away from the moviegoers who teemed around them.

  It was time to break it off with him.

  “Are you in the mood for a bar or a dessert place?”

  “I’d love a dessert place.” It would be quieter there.

  He led her three blocks to Dahlia’s Delights. “Are you re
ady?”

  He held the door. She walked in and stopped dead. The sweet shop was bubble-gum pink. Everywhere. From the walls to the chairs to the lamps hanging from the ceiling. She gasped. He led her farther in, away from the doorway. “I don’t believe you.” Laughter bubbled in her chest. She bit her lip to keep it inside.

  He grinned. “When you picked all those pink bowling items, my mind zoomed in on this place. I thought it would be perfect for our second date.”

  He’d already been planning their second date.

  She took another look around as he led them to a free table. In the center of the shop was a counter filled with confections. Along three walls were small tables with white linen tablecloths, pink napkins, spotlighted by pink glass hanging lanterns. The chairs were pink tufted leather, and the large window in the front was framed with white lace curtains. Even the floor was part of the color scheme, with large black and white marble squares studded with smaller pink diamonds.

  “Not to sound sexist, but I’m surprised you’d want to be here.”

  “You haven’t tried their desserts.”

  A waitress stopped by carrying large white menus with pink writing. Aviva spent the next few minutes deciding among numerous sugar-laden concoctions. Once Jacob chose the lemon meringue pie and Aviva ordered the chocolate decadence cake, he cleared his throat.

  “So, call me crazy, but I thought you were avoiding me.”

  Aviva had taken a sip of water. At his unexpected, and correct, insight, she choked. Jacob rushed to her side and patted her back. When she’d recovered, she wiped her eyes on her napkin, took another sip to soothe her throat, and placed her glass on the table. She wiped the condensation with her fingers, and dried her fingers on her napkin.

  “From your reaction, I think I might have been right.” His brown eyes were serious, his jaw clenched. He leaned forward, arms folded on the table. His knuckles were white.

  “You were.”

  “Did I do something wrong?”

  “It’s nothing you did.”

  “Well, if I didn’t do anything, what is it?”

  Aviva swallowed. “You’re a law student. You’re planning on working for a big law firm, which means lots of hours working, studying, and focusing on your career. I admire your ambition, but I don’t see a lot of room for me in there.”

  His expression softened. He reached for her hand. His thumb made circles against her wrist. She shivered. “I actually wondered the same thing. In fact, between the time I texted and called you, I’d resolved not to see you again because I didn’t think I had time for both you and my studies. Before I met you, my priorities were to do whatever I had to do to pay off my school loans so I can take care of my mother. She made a lot of sacrifices for me. I want to pay her back. I’m studying and making good grades so I can get that job to do that. But I really like you. I’d like you to be one of my priorities too.”

  Listening to his words, watching the care and concern showing on his face, made Aviva’s insides warm. Was this where they got the term, “my heart melted”? Because if so, hers definitely did. As a child, she never remembered regret or sadness on her dad’s face. She remembered an empty space where he was supposed to be. Remnants of arguments between her parents filtered through her brain—her mother asking him to stay home, her dad saying no. He’d never made them a priority. Yet here, across the table, was a man who knew her a little more than a week and already wanted to make her one.

  “I’d like to be one of your priorities.”

  His face lightened. The crease between his eyebrows disappeared. “Good.”

  Could it really be this easy? She squeezed his hand.

  The waitress showed up with their desserts.

  Pulling away, Aviva made room on the table for the most heavenly looking chocolate dessert she’d ever seen. A three-tiered tower of chocolate, the bottom tier was dark chocolate piped with white chocolate flowerets, the middle tier was milk chocolate with a dark chocolate crumb topping, and the top layer was white chocolate with milk chocolate ganache. She spun the plate around and raised and lowered her fork several times.

  “I’m not sure where to even begin! It’s like a work of art. It might be a crime to eat it.”

  Jacob paused, one eyebrow raised, his fork in the air. “I have no such difficulties.”

  His lemon meringue pie was the tallest piece she’d ever seen. The meringue was peaked to rival the Taj Mahal and faintly browned to perfection. Its shiny cast glowed. The lemon filling was a perfect pale yellow, creamy and soft.

  His fork speared the first piece and approached his mouth, the mouth that had recently kissed her.

  Her lips became wet.

  Lips that had met hers softly, insistently, molded around the piece of pie on the fork.

  She licked hers.

  Eyes that had darkened from cognac to chocolate brown, as he leaned toward her, closed with bliss.

  She trembled.

  His throat worked as he swallowed, his adam’s apple bobbing, the cords in his neck tightening.

  She watched, transfixed.

  “My friends and I come here to celebrate birthdays occasionally. My apartment isn’t far away, but I haven’t been here for a few months. Every time I come, I swear I’m going to order something else. Every time I’m unable to get past this pie.”

  She grabbed her fork, squeezed it, and focused on her dessert.

  Jacob reached across the table for her hand. She willed herself to feel nothing, but her nervous system was a traitor because the second his fingers made contact with hers, goose bumps ran up her arm, across her neck. Her body flooded with warmth. Her mouth dried. She raised her water glass with a shaky hand.

  When he removed his hand, the sudden emptiness overwhelmed her. To distract herself, she took a forkful of the dark chocolate layer cake, the molten chocolate inside oozing onto the plate. She dipped the cake into the chocolate and put it in her mouth. Chocolate flooded her senses. If it were possible to have an orgasm from eating chocolate, she would have pulled a When Harry Met Sally moment. Right in the middle of the restaurant. In front of everyone. Her stomach trembled with aftershocks. Her eyes widened. “Oh. My. God. How do you not come here daily?”

  Jacob leaned back and laughed. He lowered his chair to the floor, returned his focus to his pie. “It’s difficult, but there’s a little thing called studying that keeps me busy.”

  “You should have blindfolded me on the way, because now I know where this place is, I’ll always want to come back.”

  “Yeah, because that wouldn’t have been creepy at all.”

  Laughter burst from her lips. “You said you aren’t an axe murderer. Technically, you never said anything about not being creepy.”

  “True.” He tipped his head toward her in acknowledgment.

  When she’d scraped her plate clean enough she’d have to lick it in order to get anything else off of it, she groaned. “I think I may have to join my roommate at the gym tomorrow morning after this. Which kills me, but it was worth it.”

  “Do you dislike your roommate, or the gym? Or both?”

  Aviva rested against her chair. “I have two roommates, Erica and Maddy. I’ve known Erica since I was a kid. She’s the gym nut. She works out every day before I even get up, and I get up at five thirty. I like her, don’t get me wrong, but we used to be a lot closer than we are now. Since our parents are friends, I need to be careful. Maddy is the flighty one. She wanders around from one thing to another, never really finishing anything. She’s sweet and harmless and drives me crazy. Technically, they both do when they try to set me up. But the gym? No, I hate the gym.”

  “Why do you hate the gym?”

  “Aside from not wanting to give up chocolate? I’m not sure. Everyone there seems to be able to lift more and run longer than I can. I feel like they judge me. I’d much rather take a long walk in the park, anyway.”

  “So…your roommates set you up?”

  Was he uncertain? “Constantly. Whi
ch, I suppose I appreciate, but they set me up with the same guys, or the same types of guys, no matter how many times I try to tell them I’m not interested.”

  “Well, see, I’ve helped you out.” His eyes twinkled.

  She blushed. “You’ve done me a mitzvah. Thank you.”

  “Actually, you’ve done me one as well.”

  “I have?”

  “Yeah, because my mother—her name is Karen—was just about to set me up with someone, God knows who. Then I met you. So I could legitimately tell her to not bother.”

  “Nice!”

  “She’s great, you know, my mother, but pushy. She speaks her mind. I remember she told my English teacher he was an idiot because he had us watch Romeo & Juliet instead of reading it. When she wants something, she goes after it.”

  “That’s not necessarily a bad thing. At least she’s up front about it.”

  “True.” Jacob rested his arms on the table. “What about your mom?”

  Aviva smiled. “My mom is my biggest cheerleader. I think she alone is responsible for whatever self-confidence I have. I tell her everything. Well, almost everything. It used to get me in trouble with my friends back in high school—you’re never very popular if you tell your mom what your friends are doing—but it’s made us close. I wouldn’t change it. She commiserates with me whenever I tell her about my roommates’ set-ups.”

  “My dad was the same way. He died ten years ago.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” Aviva placed her hand on his arm.

  He covered hers and squeezed. “Thanks.” He cleared his throat. “Are you ready to go?”

  “I’m not sure I can move, but yeah.”

  The cool air was a welcome relief after the rich dessert. Aviva took several deep breaths.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah, just appreciating the air after all the food.”

  “Why don’t we walk a little before we find a cab?”

  Jacob took her hand and walked with her toward Broad Street. Despite the number of people around, Aviva was in a bubble. Her heightened senses focused on the two of them. Cabs breezed by, car doors opened and closed, passersby spoke a multitude of languages, but all Aviva heard was the brushing of fabric as her sleeve rubbed against Jacob’s. Their fingers entwined. She shivered. He gripped her hand tighter, looked toward her and smiled. Was it the street lamp that lit the sidewalk, or was it his smile? She didn’t know, but she’d bet it was his smile. On the corner, a vendor selling candied nuts and pretzels hawked his wares, but the only scent Aviva smelled was Jacob’s aftershave, a light, spicy fragrance she was learning to recognize as unique to him. She inhaled.