“Well, you should know,” Kellie began. “Leslie said I have her permission to see you. You know, since she used to have that huge crush on you back in the day. But I guess she’s over it now.”
I looked up at her, knowing full well that rage was in my eyes. I couldn’t believe she would blurt something like that out right here.
I looked at Brett who had one eyebrow raised. “Is that true?” he asked.
I looked from him to Kellie and then back again. I knew I needed to say something, anything, but I couldn’t. I wasn’t sure what would come out of my mouth if I spoke so instead I stayed silent and grabbed my purse. Without looking back, I bolted for the door. I couldn’t take being around those two anymore.
As I pushed outside into the open air, I felt my tears threatening to fall. I didn’t want them to. I didn’t want to feel as weak as I did in that moment. It shouldn’t matter that Kellie was flirting with Brett. It shouldn’t matter that she said what she did. But it did matter. I was embarrassed and frustrated beyond words and just wanted to put it all behind me. I wondered if I’d be able to hop on a plane and head home tonight. This whole night had been a mistake and I just wanted to forget it. Hell, this whole trip probably was too.
“Leslie,” I heard as I began to search for the number of a cab company. I tried to ignore him and keep searching but I could feel tears starting to prick at my eyes. “Leslie, listen to me.”
“Please, don’t,” I said to Brett as he pushed through the people at the door. I was standing by the curb but started walking in the direction I guessed our hotel was. “You don’t have to say anything to me.”
“Leslie, please just let me talk. Please,” he begged. My brain told my feet to keep walking but the traitorous things stopped dead in their tracks.
“What do you want?” I asked as I turned to face him. “Can’t you just go back to Kellie and forget about me?” I felt my tears fall to my cheeks and stream down to my chin. I swiped at them angrily, hating that I was crying in front of him.
“I don’t understand what’s going on,” he said quickly. “I don’t want Kellie. I’m just trying to put together where we stand with each other. I thought we were getting closer and now you’re telling her to make a move on me?” He looked up and down the road as if he were searching for answers. “I just feel really confused right now.”
“Look, I don’t know,” I said almost whining. “I don’t know what’s going on. All I know, is after all these years I still like you. I’ve tried so hard to push it all away and forget about it but I can’t. No matter what I do, I still care about you. I’ve been doing my best to bury these feelings but they won’t stay buried. It seems like the harder I try to push them down, the more they bubble to the surface. No matter what I do, they are still there.”
“Why would you try to hide it?” he asked, his forehead bunched in concern.
“Because I didn’t want to just be another girl to you. You’ve been with so many beautiful and rich women. I’m neither of those things. I’m just Leslie,” I sobbed. “I’m not good enough.”
Brett pulled me to him and pressed his lips to mine right there on the sidewalk for everyone to see. Our lips parted and my tears subsided as I heard people behind us cheering and clapping at our public display of affection. Kellie came out and laughed when she saw us. When he finally pulled away, I could see he was smiling.
“Leslie, you are more beautiful than anyone I have ever seen. As for the money, you don’t need to be rich because I have more than enough for us both. Don’t worry so much about what other people think. You are an amazing person and anyone that tells you any different will have to deal with me.”
I started to smile and leaned into him. “Thank you. But I still don’t want to go back in there.”
“That’s fine. Let me get you a ride back to the hotel. I’ll tell Kellie you needed to get some rest and then I’ll be out of here too,” he said as he caressed my cheek.
“You don’t have to do that on my account,” I sighed. “If you want to stay and have a drink, it’s your prerogative. I don’t have a say.”
“Leslie, relax,” he said as he brushed my tears away. “It’s all going to be okay. Just go get some rest, okay? I’ll talk to you in the morning.”
I nodded. It didn’t take long before a car was pulling up and Brett was tucking me into the backseat of a cab. I watched as he handed the driver some money and soon we were pulling away. I turned around to see Brett watching the car pull away with a melancholy look on his face.
The entire ride, I was left wondering what this all meant for the two of us. I still didn’t want to give in to my feelings for him. I felt like if I gave in, I would lose myself. I would get wrapped up in these feelings and get lost in them. I didn’t want to give my power over to him and I certainly didn’t feel as though we were ready for a relationship. If anything, I still felt like everything was just as rocky and uncertain as before. Nothing had truly changed.
Eventually, the taxi pulled up outside the hotel and I climbed out. I wasn’t overly intoxicated, but I’d drank enough that I could tell I wasn’t thinking clearly and all I wanted to do was curl up in bed. Entering the building, I started to wonder what I was doing here. The longer I stayed around Brett, the less I was going to be able to resist him. I knew that from our time together already. As I climbed into the elevator, I began to think that maybe it was better if I left as soon as possible. Perhaps I needed a bit of distance so that I could get clear on what I needed for myself. It seemed like the best option at the moment and as I stepped out of the elevator I decided I would let him know my decision in the morning.
Slowly making my way to my room, I resolved to lose Kellie’s number. I didn’t need snobby people like her in my life. Besides, it wasn’t like she and her family had nearly as much as Brett’s and they weren’t nearly as snobby as her. Of course, I didn’t know what his dad was like. I couldn’t remember much of him. But I did remember his mom and brother Ronnie. They had always been kind and polite toward me. As I shut the door to my room, I decided that it just showed what kind of person Kellie was deep down. I decided then and there to not worry about her anymore and leave her where she belonged. In my past.
Chapter 13
Brett
I couldn’t believe how I felt the next morning. It was like I was on top of the world or something. Knowing that Leslie still held feelings for me was like a breath of fresh air when I didn’t know I had been suffocating. All the intense pressure I had been feeling lifted its weight and now I could relax, just because I knew that she had feelings for me too. After all, it wasn’t like I had exactly hidden how I felt about her. If anything, I thought I had made it fairly obvious.
I finished getting dressed for the day and reached for my phone. I quickly sent a message to Leslie to see if she was up yet.
Hey, if you’re awake, let’s go get breakfast downstairs, I sent. I carried my phone with me to the bathroom where I began to brush my hair and then add product to get it to stay back. When I heard the tone I’d set for her, I grinned at my reflection.
Sure, she sent back. I’m almost ready. Be down in a few.
As I pulled on my shoes and headed out of my room, I started to think back to the night before. It had been clear by the look on her face that Leslie hadn’t been happy about her friend’s actions. My guess was that Kellie wasn’t how she had remembered her and she was somewhat disappointed. Yet why tell Kellie that she could make a move on me if she didn’t really want her to? Of course, Kellie could have simply been naive to Leslie’s mood. I’d already seen firsthand how she could say one thing but actually mean another. She often said what she thought needed to be heard rather than what she was feeling. Kellie could have taken her passiveness as ambivalence and thought that it was her move. Nothing could have been further from the truth.
When I had gone back in to tell her that Leslie had left, the woman had been shameless. She’d even offered to sleep with me and keep it a secret from Le
slie. Her complete disregard for her friend had instantly irritated me and I left without saying goodbye. People like that were twisted. It didn’t help that it made me feel like my father. As soon as Kellie made me feel like him, I had to get away from her. She wasn’t worth my or Leslie’s time and she certainly didn’t deserve her friendship. All she was, was a trashy woman trying to sleep her way to happiness. The only thing was, she’d never find it that way.
After exiting the elevator, I took a seat on a couch nearby. I had considered getting us a table but instead opted for waiting outside for Leslie instead. I didn’t want her to feel as though she had to search for me. She should see that I would wait for her, literally and figuratively. I didn’t want to go anywhere without her. I wished I could express that to her, but with the way things were going I thought it was probably best that I keep those thoughts to myself. At least for now.
Once I was seated, I started to debate just how I wanted to tell her about my idea for her to design the hotels. I wanted her to put a new look on them. Originally I had considered just the employee part of the hotel but now I had been thinking about giving the entire thing an overhaul. After all, the whole thing seemed a bit dated anyway. Why not start to make the whole thing a little more me? Something more modern and young. After all, I was fairly sure the place hadn’t had an overhaul since it was built.
The elevator dinged and I looked up to see Leslie exiting. She looked just as stunning as ever, her hair pulled back into a high ponytail and she was dressed in black slacks and a red top that made her look almost regal. Dainty gold hoops hung from her ears and I smiled just from the sight of her.
“Good morning,” I said as I stood. I felt as if the queen herself had entered and it would be rude to remain seated.
“Good morning,” she said with a small smile. “I kind of expected you to be in the restaurant,” she admitted.
“I thought I would wait out here and we could go in together,” I said softly.
She nodded and we walked side by side to the restaurant entrance.
“Good morning,” the hostess said. “Just the two of you?”
We both nodded and she smiled. “Great, right this way.” She led us to a comfortable booth away from everyone else. I was grateful. I didn’t want any distractions while we spoke. It was as if there was a lot hanging between us at this point and I wanted to be able to get through it all. “The waitress will be with you soon,” the hostess said as she laid down our menus and strolled back to her spot.
“I’m so glad you were able to join me this morning,” I said. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Oh?” she said as she looked over the menu. “I needed to talk with you about something too. But go ahead.”
“After I went and visited my hotel yesterday, I got to thinking. It seems as though it really needs to be updated. It’s one of our older ones, and while it still looks nice, I think it could use a few touches here and there to make it stand out from the crowd. That’s where you come in. I want you to be the interior decorator for the hotel.”
Leslie looked up at me, shocked. “You have to be joking,” she said in disbelief.
“Not at all. I think you’d be perfect for the job. I need your eye for detail. I know you would do a great job and you’d see the things I do if you paid a visit. You would probably see even more, actually. I thought this would also give you such a big and high-profile job that with this and my place in your portfolio, you could quit your job.”
“I don’t know, Brett,” she said. “I was planning on leaving once I was done.”
“But why?” I asked. “I thought we had something going?”
“We do, and that’s what terrifies me,” she said as she dropped her menu. “I feel as though I’m being pulled into something I don’t want.”
“Are you two ready to order?” the waitress said as she approached. We both nodded and gave the woman our orders and politely waited for her to leave before continuing the conversation.
“But you told me last night that you had feelings for me,” I said. “Did that all just disappear overnight?”
“Of course not,” she said as she shook her head. “But I don’t think a relationship is wise at this point. We’re both just at different places and I’m not so sure it’s smart.”
“Let me remind you of the moment we had on the sidewalk. When we kissed, that wasn’t just nothing. I know you felt it too,” I pointed out. There was no way she hadn’t. For me, it felt like returning home. Going to that place where you were always meant to be and finding safety in it. Leslie stayed quiet and I was afraid I might have pushed her just a little too far. “You know what, take some time to think about it. It’s not like I have to have an answer right now anyway.”
She nodded and began to fidget with her napkin. I was afraid I’d made her uncomfortable and so I needed to save this breakfast date of ours. It wouldn’t do me any good if I pushed too hard and she ran away. I’d already lost her once, I didn’t want to do that again.
“So we never got to talk about the shopping yesterday,” I began.
She looked up and smiled. “That’s right. We didn’t. I picked out quite a bit yesterday. Most of the furniture, actually.”
“Wow, that’s amazing,” I said with a nod. “I’m excited to see it all.”
“I told each place to hold the items for me. I wanted to make sure you liked them before you actually bought them. I didn’t want you to end up secretly hating any of it and not wanting to hurt my feelings.” She looked a little worried about it. While I didn’t like to think she was afraid of my reaction, the look on her face was adorable.
“I highly doubt I would,” I reassured her. “I always like what you pick out.”
“Still,” she said, giving me a look that said she wasn’t amused. “I would feel better if you looked at them first.”
“Well then, let’s do that after breakfast,” I suggested. “That way they can get the stuff delivered and I can stop living in a hotel.”
Leslie laughed. “That’s kind of a strange thing for a hotel owner to say.”
“What can I say?” I asked, shrugging. “I’m not your typical hotel owner.” I was glad to see she was relaxing a bit. I was afraid she was going to bolt right out of the restaurant earlier. Slowly, we lapsed into a safer conversation about what she’d picked out. I just nodded my head, happy to see the fire back in her eyes.
Later, we pulled up at the store where she had picked out most of the furniture. It was a well-known high-end furniture store and I was sure she probably found some great things there, but my heart just wasn’t in it. All I could think about was the fact that she wanted to leave. It was a struggle to stay calm when all I wanted to do was beg her to stay. I wanted to get down on my knees and tell her I would do whatever it took to keep her in my life. There was nothing more important to me in that moment. But instead, we walked inside the furniture store and she introduced us to the woman behind the counter.
We were led to a building out back where everything she had picked out was being held. They pulled back covers and showed me each individual item. I went through the motions but my heart wasn’t in it. Besides, I trusted Leslie. If she thought it would look good, I was certain it would. I had never been very good at seeing in my head what it would all look like anyway.
After two more stops to approve of a few more things, we head to the new place. I felt a little better after a while and started to pull myself out of the funk I had been in. Leslie hadn’t flat out told me no. She still could change her mind and accept my offer, but I knew there was less of a chance if I didn’t put my heart into things. I had to show her that a relationship with me would be a good thing.
“Here we are,” I said as we pulled into the garage.
“Are you excited?” she asked. “I had the chance to mentally prepare how I want the furniture to sit yesterday so it’s all taken care of. Now we just need to get this furniture in and see if there’s anything el
se we should pick out.”
“A little,” I admitted. “I’ll be glad to see it all come together. I know you have this amazing ability to see it all in your head. I’m ready to see it in real life.” We climbed out of the SUV and made our way up to the door.
“I just hope you aren’t disappointed,” she confessed. “I could tell you weren’t really paying attention at the stores.”
“That’s just because I trust you,” I said as I unlocked the door and pushed it open. “I didn’t feel the need to see it all when I know it’s going to be amazing.”
“Oh, stop,” she said as she playfully smacked me. “I am sure there are some things I could pick out that you wouldn’t like.”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Besides, just because something looks strange by itself doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t look much better in the room.”
“I guess,” she sighed.
We hadn’t been there long when we heard the truck pull up. An hour later, all the furniture was in place and Leslie was walking around with her finger on her chin. I couldn’t believe how incredibly cute she looked as she went from room to room making sure everything she’d bought was there. I wasn’t nearly as concerned as she was.
“Come on, let’s sit and enjoy this new couch,” I said as I flopped down and kicked my feet up on the coffee table.
“I have to make sure it’s all here,” she said as she came closer.
I grabbed her hand and pulled her to me. “Come on, it can wait.” I guided her to stand in front of me and she looked down, unamused. “You look beautiful today, did I tell you that?” I asked as I started rubbing the backs of her legs. I saw the hint of a smile before she squashed it. “Oh, I saw that,” I said with a grin.
“You’re impossible, you know that?” she asked.
“So I’ve been told,” I shrugged. “But I just want you to relax. You did a great job showing them where to put everything. It’s all starting to come together. Just take a breath,” I said as I lifted the bottom of her shirt and began to kiss her stomach. For a brief moment I thought she might push me away but in the end she didn’t. Instead, her fingers went to my hair and began to run through it.
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