Page 84 of Life’s Too Short

Something flashed on his face.

“Please,” I said. “Just have Becky bring Grace home. Thank you for today and let’s just forget about this.”

“Vanessa—”

“Adrian, go!”

He waited a moment, just looking at me before he set his jaw, walked past me, and left. I closed the door behind him and slid down to the floor, instantly sober—and wishing I weren’t.

CHAPTER 19

10 THINGS GUARANTEED TO

MAKE YOU SAY WTF

ADRIAN

My phone had been deafeningly silent since last night. Nothing from Vanessa. Becky and I had some work stuff to go over so we did that until midnight while I gave Vanessa some time to sober up. Then I had her drop off Grace since Vanessa clearly didn’t want to see me.

It wouldn’t have been right for me to kiss her. I suspected she wasn’t sober enough to know what she was doing. She was too drunk to walk, for God’s sake.

It didn’t mean anything. I wish I didn’t do it.

Was she just upset? Or did she really feel that way?

Maybe both.

Maybe she was upset with me for rejecting her and she meant it. Maybe she was just drunk and did something spontaneous and the whole thing never meant anything at all.

The thought that kissing me was just some foggy-headed, alcohol-induced mistake made me feel physically ill. And now I worried more than anything that instead of me fucking things up and changing our friendship by telling her how I felt, she’d accidentally done it by kissing me for no other reason than she’d had too much to drink.

My stomach was in knots. I couldn’t sleep last night. I wanted to talk to her, but I didn’t even know what to say after what she’d said to me. In the morning before I left for the office, I texted her.

Me: Can we talk later?

She didn’t reply for almost ten minutes. This was eight years in Vanessa time. She always replied immediately. This wasn’t a good sign.

Vanessa: I guess.

Me: Do you still want me to watch Grace tonight?

Another four-minute wait.

Vanessa: You don’t have to.

Me: I want to.

Vanessa: K. Do you want me to get Harry?

I thought this one over. She always watched him for me, but it would be weird if I saw her and we didn’t talk, and I didn’t have time to do it before work. I didn’t want to be rushed, especially considering what we needed to discuss.

Me: I’ll take him to work.

Vanessa: K

That was it. She didn’t say anything else.

Harry was crabbier than usual, like we were sharing our mood. He bit Becky three times by noon. Oddly enough he didn’t bite me, which made me feel like maybe we were on the same team for once. He slept in my lap while I worked at my desk and didn’t even growl at me when I moved him to get up to use the bathroom.