Better Once Than Never: Contemporary Romance (By the Book Series 2) by Nuhaa Bardien

Author:Nuhaa Bardien [Bardien, Nuhaa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nuhaa Bardien
Published: 2024-12-28T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Act II, Scene IX: The Feast, Stradford

Kalina

Savi and I met for lunch after what’d felt like months when, in reality, it’d only been a week or two. Between juggling her professional life and the sickness she’d been experiencing with her pregnancy; our plans had been pushed and postponed long enough.

I didn’t want to be scrutinised too closely either.

‘How are you?’ I asked and leaned forward to offer her some of my hummus.

‘She’s more active but it’s become soothing in a way? Like I know when she’s awake.’ She broke a piece of flatbread from the basket between us, and scooped up some dip before popping it into her mouth. ‘I’ve been moving my meetings to one day in the week so I don’t have to come into the hotel every day. It’s quite exhausting.’

I figured if we kept stuffing our faces, I wouldn’t have to look at her, and she wouldn’t read my expressions.

‘But I want to hear about you.’ She steepled her fingers under her chin.

So much for my plan.

‘Me?’ I took a sip of my tea. A buffer if there ever was one.

‘Yes, you. You and Titan, more specifically.’

I choked on the liquid and grabbed one of the napkins. ‘Wrong pipe,’ I explained. My face heated, and I tried thinking of neutral things, but my brain replayed him kneeling down in front of me. Why, brain? Why now?

‘What about him?’ I replied coolly.

‘Oh, come off it,’ she scoffed. ‘You two are hiding something.’ She pointed an accusatory finger at me. ‘There has to be more? I’ve seen the way you look at each other. It’s all secret gazes and yearning.’

I laughed. ‘Nothing is happening between us.’

‘The two of you hang out to do wedding things? Come on, Lina, you could do this with your eyes closed.’

I wrapped the flatbread around some lamb and drizzled it with tzatziki. ‘We’re friends. Friends hang out.’

‘Mmm hmm.’

I could tell her part of the truth to curb some of her curiosity. It wouldn’t be a lie, not entirely at least, and she’d be less suspicious.

‘Titan’s been guiding me to find a date for the wedding.’

‘Okay,’ she said and set her food down. ‘Let me get this straight, he’s teaching you how to date?’

‘Kind of?’

‘The man who’s notorious for his non-dating persona?’

‘Precisely. He’s very patient and kind.’

She harrumphed. ‘I thought there was something more going on between you two. This baby must be messing with my senses.’

The little wrap in my hand got shoved straight into my mouth. I shook my head, chewed, and swallowed. ‘Nope. Nothing else is going on between us.’

‘How is the search for a date going?’

‘It’s a little slow. But I’m hopeful.’

‘You could go with him. He is going to be there.’ She gave me a sly smile before taking a sip of her sparkling water.

Were they secretly talking?

‘We have an understanding. That’s it.’

‘Okay.’

‘Okay?’ It wasn’t like Savi to back down.

‘Yeah. You said there’s nothing happening between the two of you, and while I don’t believe you, you know you can talk to me if you need to.

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