Tuesday (Timeless Series #2) (18 page)

Round Two

Francesca

After a long day at work, I lounged around in my apartment. I lay on the couch and hardly moved, and even when my stomach rumbled, I didn’t get up. When I was depressed, I hardly ate anything.

My stomach growled just when someone knocked on the door.

Please be a pizza guy.

I wore my flannel pajamas with the hole in the crotch, and I had my bunny slippers on my feet as I headed to the door. It was probably Marie with a bottle of wine and a stack of wedding magazines.

I opened the door and blurted, “I’m sick of picking out flowers.”

Hawke stood on the other side, carrying two grocery bags. “Good thing I don’t have any flowers then.”

My jaw dropped, and I tried to mask my surprise. “Uh…hi.” Why did I have to look like shit right now? My hair was in a messy bun, and I wasn’t wearing any make up. My tank top had a chocolate stain on it from the liquid chocolate I sucked right out of the bottle.

Why is this happening to me?

“Hey.” Hawke was suave, like always. He acted like he didn’t notice how terrible I looked. “Can I come in?”

“Why?” The words sounded rude, even to me. “I mean…what’s going on?” Last time I saw Hawke, he left me on that park bench. The conversation was more painful than the break up itself. And now he was on my doorstep like nothing happened.

“I wanted to make you dinner. You liked my salmon so much.”

“Uh…” Why couldn’t I say something that sounded remotely intelligent?

He eyed the door then me. “I’ll let myself in…” He walked past me and headed to the kitchen.

***

I pumped dry shampoo into my greasy hair then plastered on make up as quickly as possible. I exchanged the old and stained pajamas for yoga pants and a pink camisole.

When I came back into the kitchen, Hawke was almost done with dinner. “I’m making cilantro lime tacos.”

“Sounds good.” I wasn’t even sure what that was.

He turned off the stove without looking at me. “You didn’t have to change. You looked great before.”

Goddamn liar.

He set the table then poured two glasses of wine. Then he sat down and waited for me to join him.

I took the seat then eyed him across from me.

“Do you need anything else?”

Why was he waiting on me when it was my kitchen? “I’m fine. Thanks.”

Hawke ate his food quietly, not staring at me like he usually did.

I thought I would lose my appetite with his presence but I was still starving. I ate my food quickly and silently. It really was good. Everything Hawke made seemed to be delicious.

Hawke sipped his wine when he was finished with his meal. He looked out the window to the city beyond.

“That was really good.”

“Thanks,” he said. “And thank you, Google.”

I was still processing the fact he was there, sitting across from me at my kitchen table. “Hawke, what are you doing here?”

He gathered the dirty plates and carried them to the sink. His back was turned to me and it was pretty clear he wasn’t going to answer my question. After he was done with the dishes, he sat on my couch.

Now I was even more confused.

I joined him in the living room and immediately crossed my arms over my chest. “Hawke, what’s going on?”

“What do you mean?” He eyed me from his side of the couch. “I just wanted to have dinner with you. Is that okay?”

“Of course. I just…I guess I’m confused.”

“What’s there to be confused about? Even if we aren’t together, we can’t stay away from each other. So, we may as well just give in.” He turned to the TV and kept his distance from me. He grabbed the remote and changed the channel. “South Park is on. You like that show, right?”

I nodded.

“Then South Park it is.” He settled into the chair and didn’t make a move toward me.

Whenever I was close to him, I felt that natural pull. But tonight, I didn’t feel anything at all. The confusion of the situation was throwing me off balance, and being so close to him made it difficult for me to think. So I just sat there and watched TV.

And so did he.

***

I grabbed my dumbbells and stood over my mat.

A loud whistle sounded behind me. “Spandex is God’s gift to man.”

Without turning around, I knew who it was. A smile upturned my lips. “And briefs are God’s gift to women.”

Kyle came to my side wearing a sleeveless shirt that he cut up himself. His defined arms and shoulders were on display. And that happy grin was on his face, like always. “Five pounds?” He laughed at the sight of my weights. “Come on, we both know you can upgrade.”

“I’m doing abdominal exercises.”

“Use a fifteen pound plate. I know you can handle it.”

“I’m not as strong as you think.”

He pulled his ear buds out of his ear and stuffed them into his pocket. “I haven’t seen you here in a while.”

“Yeah, I’ve been working a lot.”

“And planning that wedding.”

“Yep. I love Marie, but I’m excited for the wedding to be over. It constantly weighs over my head.”

“Imagine how she must feel.”

Hawke bought her a twenty thousand dollar wedding dress. She was in heaven right now. “What’s new with you?”

“I have a date tonight.”

“Oh.” I didn’t expect to feel hurt by that, but I somehow was. “That’s nice.”

“Yeah, she came on to me when I was at the bar a few days ago. She’s nice and pretty but…” He shrugged. “Honestly, I’m not really into it. But since she had the courage to make the move and execute it so well, I couldn’t say no.”

“She sounds like my kind of girl.”

“You’d like her. But I’m not feeling it.”

“Keep an open mind.” I wanted Kyle to be happy, especially after the way I hurt him.

“That’s what I’m doing. Maybe getting laid will make me feel better.”

Even that made me a little jealous, but I hid my reaction. I had no right to feel anything toward him, especially jealousy. And if I showed any sign of that, it might confuse Kyle. “If she has that kind of confidence, I’m sure she’s amazing in bed.”

“Yeah, probably.” But he still sounded indifferent to the idea.

A man approached us from our left but I didn’t turn his way. He was probably heading to the free weights against the wall.

Kyle glanced at him then turned back to me.

Once we realized the guy was standing right beside us and had no intention of leaving, we both turned to him.

It was Hawke, wearing a gray t-shirt that fit his body perfectly. It highlighted his powerful chest, and the curve of his pectoral muscles. Even his shoulders were defined in the fabric. His shorts were loose on his legs, but his calf muscles were ripped. He had the physique you would see in a Calvin Klein magazine.

Why was he here? We didn’t go to the same gym.

“Hi…” Every time I saw him, I sounded like an idiot. He always put me on alert when he was near, and that made me stutter like I lacked any ounce of confidence. He made me nervous, but some would say in a good way.

“Hi.” His eyes were glued to my face, and he didn’t blink while he examined me. The looks he always gave me were intense, strong enough to make anyone blink. While his eyes were blue, they took on a darker hue depending on his mood.

Kyle glanced back and forth between us, unsure what was going on.

I was frozen to the spot, unsure what to say. Hawke and I couldn’t work out our relationship, but he showed up on my doorstep the other night and cooked me dinner. The sudden change in behavior threw me off, and when I asked him about it, he didn’t give me a sufficient answer.

And now he was here—at my gym.

Kyle turned to Hawke and extended his hand. “Uh, hi. I’m Kyle. You are?”

I forgot my manners in light of my surprise.

Hawke eyed Kyle’s hand but didn’t take it. The recognition in his eyes said he recognized Kyle’s name. He knew exactly who he was. “Hawke.”

Kyle slowly lowered his hand when he put two and two together.

Damn, this was awkward.

I remembered how terrible I felt when I saw that girl standing outside his apartment. Her hair was messy like she’d been rolling around in his bed all night. My stomach fell and the vomit rose.

I’m sure both of them felt that way now.

I crossed my arms over my chest and continued to let the tension rise. One of them needed to walk away, but neither one of them was willing to make the first move. Hawke stared at Kyle without blinking, and Kyle returned that look with his own stoic expression.

This was a nightmare.

Kyle finally stepped up. “I’ll see you around, Frankie.” He walked away and didn’t continue his workout. He left the gym, his bag over his shoulder.

Hawke didn’t watch him walk away. The second Kyle left our presence, Hawke’s eyes turned to me, burning me with their gaze.

The sound of weights dropping, and the hum of the workout machines played in our ear. Music from the aerobics room upstairs was distantly heard.

I refused to speak first because I didn’t know why Hawke was there.

Hawke made the first move. “You and Kyle are still close?” He asked a different question without actually asking it. His eyes drilled into mine, the fear evident if you looked hard enough.

“No. We just go to the same gym.” I wasn’t obligated to answer his question, and frankly, it was none of his business. But I wanted Hawke to know I wasn’t sleeping with Kyle anymore…for some reason.

“You don’t see him outside of it?”

I shouldn’t answer him. My personal life was none of his business. “He came into the bakery one time. We chitchatted then he left. He has a date tonight, actually.”

Hawke didn’t nod in approval or look relieved. His intense gaze still burned the skin of my cheeks. “I haven’t been with anyone since before I told you how I felt. And I won’t be with anyone else again.”

His words came out of left field and I didn’t know what to make of them. Of course, I loved hearing that. Even though I couldn’t work it out with him, I liked knowing he kept his hands to himself—even though I shouldn’t.

“Have you been seeing anyone else?”

I should stand my ground and not answer the question. But I caved. “No.”

“Are you going to see anyone else?”

Why did I melt right before his eyes? Why did I crumble every time? “No.”

“Including Kyle?”

The smartass inside me rose. “Why would I leave him if that were the case?”

Hawke’s expression didn’t change—at all.

“I don’t see why it matters, Hawke. I told you how I felt, and nothing has changed.”

“Everything has changed.”

Why were we having this conversation inside a gym? “Why are you making me hurt you again? I don’t enjoy it.”

“I deserve to be hurt.” The sincerity in his voice shocked me. It was so raw. “And I don’t deserve you. But I want you anyway.”

I tightened my arms around my chest. “Why are you making this so hard for me?”

“I’m not trying to,” he said quietly. “I was going to walk away and leave you in peace. But then I realized I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t give up—not on you.” The sound of barbells crashing against the ground echoed in the room, but Hawke didn’t seem to notice. “We’re forever. And we’re still forever.”

***

We rented a party bus and hit up Chippendale’s for Marie’s bachelorette party. While I wanted to get wasted and have a good time, I was a good maid of honor and only allowed myself to get buzzed. Axel made it very clear that Marie needed to be looked after.

Like I didn’t know that.

Marie was a fun drunk, but when she had one too many, it wasn’t cute anymore. She stumbled with every step and slurred every word. She was a pain in the ass, actually.

“Oh my god.” She covered her mouth and gasped. “Look at that bulge. Axel is big but not that big.”

I tried not to throw up. “These dancers stuff it down there.”

“I don’t know…” Marie took another shot. “I’d like to see for myself.” She stood up from her seat then cupped her hands around her mouth. “I want to see your junk!”

I covered my face. “Oh my god…”

The dancer, a tall blond, came to the end of the stage. “Hey, sweetheart.”

The other girls held up their drinks and cheered Marie on. “Take off his G-string with your teeth.”

I hated to be the party pooper but I had to be. “No touching, Marie.” If I were getting married, I wouldn’t want my man to touch anybody. He could look all he wanted, but that was it.

“Come on,” she whined. “Don’t be lame.”

“I’m saving your ass.”

Marie climbed on stage then started dancing with the stripper. She backed her ass into him then turned around and spanked him right on the ass.

“Pull up your camera,” Veronica said to Janice.