And it was a joke. I was a joke to him, just like I’d always been.
“Whoa.” Nick ran a hand over his beard and said, “I am really sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you, I was just saying that I think Colin was jealous.”
Always with the impeccable timing, Colin walked through the door. He hadn’t seen us yet, and I was physically pained by how handsome he was as he walked inside like a movie star. Those expressive eyes, that mouth that I knew for a fact tasted like blue Altoids 99 percent of the time; it was all for nothing.
A waste of beauty.
The moment he saw me, everything else fell away. His eyes on mine—that was all that existed in the world for a long and extended second. His mouth started to slide into a smile, but then he saw Nick.
He walked over and said, “Nick. Didn’t expect to see you here.”
Nick glanced at me, then at Colin. “Talk about your small worlds.”
I shut my laptop and stuck it in my bag. “Listen, Beck, we’re going to have to do this some other time.”
That got me his full attention. “What?”
I shrugged. “Nick asked me out, and I think I’m going to do that this morning instead. Maybe we’ll connect next week or something.”
“I think Nick means later.” Colin glared at his friend. “Nick is going to take you out later.”
“Whenever you want,” Nick stammered.
“I don’t care what you think Nick means, Colin.” I shimmied out of the booth and lifted my chin. “I want to go out with him now.”
“What is this?” He gestured to both of us and looked irritated. “You guys are talking now?”
“No, no,” Nick said, kissing Colin’s ass so much that I wanted to slug him, too. “I just ran into her.”
I said to Colin, “Our relationship is none of your business.”
“We don’t have a relationship,” Nick laughed, looking at Colin like I was batshit crazy. “Seriously.”
“Oh, my God, can you take your lips off his ass for five seconds?” I rolled my eyes at Nick and said to Colin, “I actually don’t want to go out with him, but I definitely don’t want to talk to you. See you guys later.”
I took two steps before Colin grabbed the strap of my bag and yanked me back. “What happened to talking?”
“I’ve spent a few minutes talking to your buddy Nick here and I’ve learned everything I need to know.”
Colin turned his face to his friend. “What the hell did you say to her?”
Nick’s face went red and he full-on dissolved, lowering his voice and saying to Colin, “I have no idea what’s happening, man. You were right about her because I just stopped by her table to say hi and she lost her shit.”
“I can hear you, you jackass,” I said through gritted teeth.
Colin swallowed and his eyes darted to my face, then back to Nick. “Why don’t you take off and let us talk.”
Nick very nearly sprinted for the door while Colin and I stared each other down.
“Can we sit?” He was still holding on to my strap. “Please?”
I bit my bottom lip before saying, “I don’t think I want to talk.”
His jaw clenched and he raised a hand and touched my chin. “Please?”
I shook my head but wanted to push my face into his warm palm. “I just don’t—”
“I love you.”
Everything went quiet in the world as his words crashed into me. “What?”
He swallowed again, his throat moving hard before he said, “I love you. I know I screwed everything up and I know we were going to keep it casual, but I somehow fell in love with you. I can’t believe it myself, but in spite of our lifetime of hatred for each other, I am completely lost without you in my life.”
Colin
I watched her process it.
Her dark eyebrows crinkled together the way they always did when she was working through something she didn’t quite understand, and she blinked fast. Her green eyes stared into my soul, seeing all of me, and I swear to God I started sweating.
Because—holy shit—what the hell had I just said?
It was one hundred percent true, but I hadn’t even known it myself until the words fell out of my mouth. Dammit if I didn’t feel like someone who’d just been given shocking news. It seemed like time had slowed as she looked at me, and I felt like I was going to lose my shit if she didn’t say something.
Anything.
“You love me.” Her voice was almost a whisper as her eyes darted all over my face.