Not fair.
Laxmi grabbed her keys and pocketbook. She took a pass on offering her hand for a shake or tiptoeing to meet his lips for a kiss. Instead she said, “Hope everything works out for you. If you’re ever in the city, you have my card.”
She hurriedly opened the door and stepped into the hallway, praying it would quickly swing shut. She sounded like a handyman hoping for a call back after tackling a problem.
“Wait. I’ll walk with you.”
“Not necessary.” She sped up her retreat to the elevator. “I’m in a rush.”
His unhurried footsteps followed her quick strides. She turned the corner to the bank of elevators, ready to summon one. The longer she stayed in this building, the more trapped she felt. Fresh air would help a lot. She waited with a small huddle of hotel guests, hoping that the elevator arrived before Dresden.
But he appeared around the corner, still unhurried, not breathing as if he had to catch up to the finish line, unlike her heaving chest. Maybe he recognized the lack of privacy, because he said nothing, his face a stoic mask. Instead he stood next to her, joining everyone’s stance to stare at the numbers above the elevator as it moved up or down.
Finally a chime behind them indicated a door would open. Laxmi waited for the family of four to board the space before she stepped in and faced front, while Dresden followed suit.
The other guests continued with their conversation, which helped to make the ride down slightly bearable.
“You really didn’t have to come with me,” she whispered.
“You’ve made that clear.”
He sounded annoyed.
The door opened and Laxmi almost tumbled out, glad to be free from the confining space. Now that the exit wasn’t far from where she stood, her equilibrium righted to stiffen her spine.
“Why are you running?” His attention stayed with the flow of foot traffic coming and going through the entrance.
“I’m not. It’s just time for me to go.” She didn’t slow down as she headed through the doors and requested her car.
“And I thought that I was the one to run.” He barely smiled at his joke.
“If I stay, we’d be breaking our pact to remain uninvolved. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I came to a birthday party to hang out with my friend and catch up on our years apart while eating birthday cake. And you were going to be introduced to Grace’s circle.” She stepped off the curb to head for her car that had pulled up. “We were the anomaly of the evening.”
“I have no complaints.” He remained on the curb.
She looked over the top of the car at him. “Neither do I.”
“Well, break the rule. Let’s do this.” His suggestion touched her like the gentleness of his hand cupping her face.
She looked up at the dark night, unable to see any stars. Bright city lights illuminated the steep heights of the buildings. Once upon a time, she had broken lots of rules, done things her way, and had a lot to be sorry for in the process.
Dresden hadn’t moved or changed his expression. Still the handsome guy who’d caught her eye. Did he understand the consequences of tossing out that temptation as a finale for the night?
“Let’s end on a high note.” She got into her car before he responded and before she changed her mind.
Her passenger door opened. Dresden leaned in. “Maybe we’re more alike than you think. And—”
“No.” She shook her head for added emphasis. “You’re in Canada. I’m in New York.”
“There’s such a thing called planes.”
“I’m in entertainment—it’s a hustle. There’s no time for dating or thinking about you. I go where the business takes me. I can barely look after me. I don’t want—”
“I don’t need to be looked after. And life is a hustle that we don’t always get right.”
Laxmi stared straight ahead. She had to erase his words of hope, his expectant look, the memory of what that mouth had delivered on her body. She bit her lip to add a stinging reminder to get it together.
“I don’t have what you’re looking for. I’m not the girlfriend who could be counted on to be reliable or dependable.” Laxmi revved the engine. “But one day you will find that special someone because you’re a nice guy and you’ll see that this wasn’t it.”
“I’ll let you go...for now.” He stepped back and closed the car door.
Laxmi snapped on her seat belt, glanced into the side mirror for oncoming traffic and pushed down on the gas. She needed the city’s frenetic driving scene to harness her attention.
For now.
For now?
Monday promised to feel like the worst hangover Laxmi had ever had without alcohol involved. Insomnia hit two nights in a row, marching in like a tuba player blowing his way into a library. Wide-awake and consumed with Dresden aptly described those sleepless hours. Dreams of him lingered, infusing her thoughts with sexy images of him and playing X-rated loops of him satisfying her. Even now her cheeks warmed under the memory of his actions and her reactions.
Despite her half-hearted plan-A attempt to push the memories off-road, she’d come up with plan B: a late-night, full-blast treadmill run to make her crash from exhaustion into bed. That didn’t help.
Binge-watching TV show marathons of Empire and Power failed, too. Like it was a bad cold, she’d have to let whatever had overcome her run its course until she could get through at least one hour without sighing like a young girl with a crush.
Added to her anxiety was her packed calendar, guaranteed to keep her hopping around New York with a few extended trips. Managing an up-and-coming music artist required patience for the long phase of planting seeds. Mostly the effort drained resources and energy with unbelievable time-suck for promotions. But the breakthrough, just one sliver of light in the seemingly thick darkness, would materialize from one of those wildly tossed seeds on a bleak landscape.
Today, at this very moment, would not be the day for career breakthroughs. After talking to Fiona briefly on the phone, her friend popped up at the recording studio, where Laxmi waited for Tonea’s arrival. The curt conversation clued Laxmi in that Fiona wasn’t happy. She didn’t have to guess what troubled Fiona since it was only the second day since the birthday party and Dresden’s epic departure.
“Laxmi, stop pretending to tune me out. I know you’ve heard every word.”
“Huh?” Laxmi looked up from the control board and over at Fiona, who marched back and forth in the tight space.
Her friend stopped and put her hands on her hips. “No one leaves Grace’s events. First Dresden left. Then you were gone. At least he called to apologize.”
“I called your grandmother and promised my firstborn,” Laxmi clarified half-jokingly.
“But you didn’t call me. And I called you several times.” Fiona pushed Laxmi’s chair with her foot until it swiveled and they faced each other. “Well...?”
“You wouldn’t have let me apologize over the phone. And all my emails about meeting for coffee and a quick chat went unanswered.” Laxmi diverted her attention by scrolling through the calendar on her phone. Better to keep Fiona’s keen investigative powers from detecting any part she’d played in Dresden’s disappearance.