“I’m doing my best.” Ugh, get your act together, girl. Wipe that goofy smile off your face. It’s not that serious. “It’s not that big a deal.”
“What do you mean? It’s a very big deal! It takes a lot of work to do what you do. And didn’t you say you’d be in school for five years?”
“Six, actually.” Six long, difficult years. “Seven if you count the residency.”
“See? That is a big deal. I should know. Four years of university was enough for me. I can’t imagine doing six. But that just goes to show how damn good you really are, Kay.”
“You’ve got to stop with all these compliments; they’ll go straight to my head!” The truth is, I didn’t want to offend him by deflecting all his kind words. Especially since I can’t accept them. “So, what have you been up to?”
“I work for the government.” We exchange wide-eyed looks. He works for the government? I didn’t know what to expect, but that wasn’t it. “I know, right? I can’t believe it either. But I do! I’m an adjudicator with the Department of Driver Licensing. Which means I get to deal with high-risk driving cases and all that stuff.”
“Driver licensing, huh?” It’s already bad enough renewing your license at the DMV. I don’t want to think about how bad it must be trying to get it reinstated because you were an idiot on the road. “Sounds intense.”
“The job has its moments, but nothing I can’t handle.”
We share a nervous laugh before falling into an awkward silence. It’s the moment I’ve dreaded since George invited me to this thing. We’ve talked about work and now experience dictates that we talk about relationships—particularly whether or not we’re in one. I already know my answer but I don’t want to know his.
“So... ” We chuckle, surprised that we spoke at the same time. Adrian gestures toward me. “You first.”
“No, you go on ahead.” The rooftop breezes do nothing to cool off the heat surging inside me.
“What kind of guy would I be if I didn’t let the lady go first?”
“A smart one.” He laughs but I’m serious. I’m not about to initiate my undoing. I’m not that curious. “And you are a smart guy, you know.”
“Glad one of us thinks so.” Another awkward silence. But I can’t help but keep this silly smile on my face. Nice to know that the guy who’s usually cool, calm, and lighthearted is anxious right now. “It’s so good to see you, Kay”
“I bet you’ll say that to all the girls here,” I tease, secretly hoping that it isn’t true.
“No.” His voice dips low into a raspy purr. Does he realize how magnetic he is? I can’t help but be drawn in. “Just you.”
He’s smiling that wide, bright smile. The one that lets you know how much he simply enjoys living life, the one that’s filled with so much positive energy that it’s impossible to be even a little sad in its presence. It makes me feel bashful. I shift from side to side, looking down so he can’t see how dopey I look. It warms my heart to hear that he’s been looking forward to seeing me after all this time. I guess in my own strange way, underneath the layers of fears and nervousness, I’ve been looking forward to seeing him, too.
My heart sinks. That pact. That damned pact. I can’t shake the feeling that this is the part where he lets me down gently. My heart hardens, protecting me from the evitable blow. There’s no reason to prolong my suffering anymore. Time to rip off the band-aid and get this over with.
“As fun as this reunion is, I probably shouldn’t keep you from your date any longer,” I say after a while.
Confusion marks his face. “Date?”
“Yeah, date.” Please don’t do that—feign ignorance. Give it to me straight. No chaser. “You couldn’t have come here alone.”
“Funny story about that.” Funny story? I don’t like funny stories. Give me the truth, plain and simple. Funny stories mean things aren’t about to go according to plan. “I—”
“Yo, Big D!” Adrian spins around to see a group of suited up, hulking figures rushing toward him. The same guys who failed to hide with their hulking forms. Standing in the center is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed dude, buttons popped and a gold chain shining in the moonlight. I think I remember that guy. He hung out at Adrian’s locker just as much as the girls did. “There you are, man! We’ve been looking all over for you! Let’s get this party started already!”
“I guess that’s my cue.” As I begin to back away, I realize that I get to live another day. “I should probably check in with George, er, Georgia. She’s probably wondering where I am.”
“Kay, wait!” Adrian says it so loud that his friends stop in their tracks. I’m stunned to the spot. “I want to keep in touch. Let me get a piece of paper or something really quick.”
I shake my head, reaching for my clutch. Guess I’m not completely off the hook. “That’s not necessary.”
“Seriously, it’ll only take a minute!”
“Or you can let me take a second to get a business card.” He watches and waits patiently as I take out a card, scribbling my email address on the back. “Here. If you want to keep in touch, this is the best way.”
His smile is so wide I wonder if his jaws will be sore later. “Thank you. I promise, I’ll email you soon.”
“I’m sure you will.” But I won’t hold my breath. I ignore the sadness filling up in my stomach. I’ve been dreading this meeting all night and now that it’s happened, it’s a shame that it’s ending so soon. “It was nice to see you again, Adrian. Try not to get into too much trouble.”
“I won’t.” He throws me an impish wink. He totally will. “I promise.”
I giggle as I return to the festivities inside, the sound of several burly men tackling their beloved “Big D” slamming against my ears. That pesky marriage pact continues to loom over my head. I’m happy that he is with his friends again but I’m leaving this reunion without the closure I’ve longed for. For now, I can smile that secret smile. I’m okay with leaving things as they are.
“Well, hello there!” I’m also not ready for the prying eyes of Georgia, who’s standing by the entrance back into the hotel. She looks like the cat who ate that damn canary. The way her eyes sparkle in mischievous glee is unsettling. “Want to tell me how you know Adrian Campos and why you’ve been chatting with him for half an hour?”
“Oh...” Then again, maybe Adrian wasn’t the person I needed to worry about. “That.”
Chapter Three
A pharmacist’s work is never done. I’m not being dramatic. From the moment I arrived at work, people were already waiting for us to open up so they could get their prescriptions and move on with their day. Odd, considering it is a Monday, but I guess anything goes when you work in a retail pharmacy. University West is Glencoe City’s youngest neighborhood, filled with young professionals living their best lives in their small condos and college students attending Rowland University nearby. Contrary to popular belief, the young still get sick and this place can get pretty busy. With two pharmacists and three techs holding down the fort, we do the best we can even though we want to tear our hair out sometimes.