I re at her.


    Game on, mole.


    I turn and storm to the staircase. That fucking bitch is going down when I get back.


    I take the stairs two at a time with star hot on my heels. I stop at thending and turn to face him.


    “Okay, what do you want?”


    He frowns. “I want ten minutes.” My eyes widen. “I’m at work. You get five.”


    “Your boss said you could take fifteen minutes. I want to grab a quick coffee.” “Are you deaf? I am at


    work. I can’t go for coffee. What is so damn desperate that it can’t wait until tonight?”


    He looks at me. “I just


    want  to  exin  myself  and  after  our  ten  minutes  at  coffee  you  will  never  have  to  see  me  again.  I


    promise. Okay?”


    My heart detes at the thought of never seeing him again. I do want to hear what he has to say. Damn


    it. “Fine.” I turn and start walking down the stairs and he follows me silently. We get to the bottom and he


    gestures to the door. We walk out onto the street.


    “Which way?” I ask.


    He points to the café down the road, and two minutester we have ordered coffee and are sitting at a


    table for two in the back of a trendy little space.


    I sit still, unsure what to say.


    He appears nervous, although I know he can’t be.


    He grabs my hand across the table and my face drops. Please don’t touch me.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    “The things that you said to me on the weekend are ying on my mind and I can’t stop thinking about


    them.”


    I raise an eyebrow. “That was five days ago, star.”


    “I know.”


    “What’s changed?”


    He shrugs. “I was just going to leave it but I can’t until you know that I’m not the person you think I


    am.”


    “And what kind of person is that?”


    “Married and in love with someone else. Or that I used you for sex.”


    I frown.


    “You lied to me, straight up. You got a text and I asked you who sent it and you said nobody. I heard


    the texte through, star. I’m not stupid.”


    His eyes hold mine. “I had a photo shoot six hours north on the Saturday morning. Thomas wasing


    with me and we were going to spend the weekend away.”


    He squeezes my hand in his and I find myself watching his face.


    “Thomas was staying at my house because we were leaving early. When he went to bed, I was meant


    to be going to an auction for just two hours. He had no idea where I was when the rm went off in the


    morning, telling him it was time for us to leave. That’s when he text me.”


    I frown, hmm, is this true? “Then why lie?”


    He shrugs and his eyes meet mine. He fiddles with my hand as he tries to articte his thoughts.


    The waitress puts our coffee on the table. “Thank you,” we both reply in unison.


    He swallows as if contemting asking the next question. “I have to know something.”


    “Yes.”


    “You said it had been a long time before me.” Our eyes meet. “How long is a long time?”


    “Fourteen months.”


    A frown crosses his face. “How many?”


    “One.”


    His eyes drop back to the table.


    “Is that it?” I fake a smile. “I get it. You’re not married and you just banged a virtual virgin. Thanks


    for rifying.” I pull my hand from his and try to leave.


    “Sit down, please.” He scrunches his face up as if I hurt his feelings.


    I sit still. “I have to ask you something, star.”


    His eyese back to mine.


    “Why act jealous? If you didn’t care, why act so jealous?” I really do want to know this. It’s been


    weighing heavily on my mind.


    He frowns. “The jealousy isn’t an act. I can’t stand the thought of you with someone else.”


    I look at him nkly.


    “Em, I just have a lot of things going on right now and I can’t-”


    I cut him off.