An Unexpected Love (Complicated Love Series #2) (19 page)

“Are you sure you’re okay? About what I said—”

“Of course, I’m fine. Nothing to worry about…we will talk later, okay?”

“Sure, shall I pick you up after work?” I look at him and plaster a smile on my face.

“No, that’s okay, I’ll just meet you here. Come around about 5:00 p.m.?” He smiles a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.

“Okay, see you then.” He walks over to me and places a kiss on my cheek before walking out the door. I sigh. I hope to God that I figure something out at work today. I don’t know what I’m going to say to him when I see him later.

I’m scared I’ll admit it, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not right.

Is this moving too fast?
I groan with frustration at all the thoughts in my head and walk out the door to start my afternoon at work.

Well, that didn’t go well, I really thought we were getting somewhere last night, but I’m not so sure anymore. I think I may have come on a bit strong with talking about moving here and moving in, but I know what I want now. I absolutely don’t wish to waste any more time now I finally know that I want her. It’s taken me so long to get to this place where I want to settle down with someone. I didn’t think it would happen and I was so scared when it did, but I don’t want to be afraid anymore.

I want Tracy.

That’s all I know right now, and I can’t imagine being thousands of miles away from her especially considering I don’t have anything to go back to now. I’m sure I can sort out selling the company from here. After expressing our love for one another, I never thought she’d react like that to my suggestion. Maybe I went a little overboard with the idea of me moving in. If that’s the problem, then I’ll get my own apartment. We didn’t even sit down and discuss it, she just up and left for work.

I was supposed to be meeting her after work, but I got a text message on my phone to say that she had to work late. I said I’d come round after she finished if she wanted me to, and to text me when she was done, but she blew me off and told me that she would probably be tired and it would be better if I didn’t come around. She never even mentioned anything about meeting up before I leave. I spent the night getting wasted at the nearest bar, and I woke up today with a bitching hangover. My flight isn’t until this afternoon, so I get out of bed and take a scorching shower. I’m hoping it will make me feel semi-normal. Brandon is in the kitchen and he has a whole fry up waiting for me with a strong, black coffee set on the table.

“Ah, cheers bro, definitely what I need today.” I take a seat on a chair and drink a mouthful of my coffee.

“Tough night was it?” Brandon sits down with his own fry up and cup of coffee.

“Like you wouldn’t believe.” I start eating my breakfast and boy does Brandon know how to cook, it’s delicious. We sit and eat in silence, I always find it awkward to talk about Tracy with Brandon. Finishing up my breakfast, I take another sip my coffee.

“You can talk about what’s bothering you, you know? I know it has something to do with Tracy.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” I stand up and take my plate and cup to the sink. I brace my hands on the counter. I don’t know whether I can talk to him about it. Just as that thought passes through my mind, I spin around and start speaking anyway.

“I just don’t get it! She loves me, but she’s so scared that she won’t commit to me. I was the one who didn’t want a commitment, but she changed me and now I want that from her. Why can’t I change how she feels? She loves me, bro…she told me, and now I have to leave today and I just…don’t know where I stand.” Slumping back into my chair, I look across to Brandon. He has a smirk plastered on his face.

“I never thought you’d be so hung up on a woman. I’ve heard what you were like with women and I can’t believe this is the same person sitting before me. What are you going to do?”

“I have no idea at all. What can I do?” Brandon finishes his breakfast and leans back.

“Go and talk to her, that’s the only thing you can do. Tracy is stubborn, but you just need to try and get through to her.” I don’t think there’s anything more to be said because I need to speak to her before my flight out.

“Okay, I’m going to do just that. Thanks, bro.”

“Hey, don’t thank me, I’ve barely done anything.” Heading out of the apartment, I go straight to Tracy’s. Even though Brandon didn’t say much, I feel like we’re on a better footing since I’ve been here. At least that’s one good thing to come from this trip. I just hope that I can convince Tracy now that we belong together.

Arriving at Tracy’s apartment a short time later, I knock continually for fifteen minutes, but she doesn’t seem to be home. The only other place I know where she might be is work, so I head straight over to QD Fashion. The receptionist is very helpful and directs me up to the eighth floor. She’s quite amusing really, she hasn’t stopped flirting with me since I asked her where Tracy worked. I thought Tracy said Gregory worked here? Must be a new receptionist. I need to get rid of her quickly because she’s starting to get a bit touchy-feely with me. Spotting Lily sitting at a desk, I ditch the receptionist and make my way to her side.

“Lily?” She turns toward me and her eyes widen at seeing me standing there.

“Karl? What are you doing here?”

“I need to speak to Tracy. I’m leaving for London today, and I have to see her before I need to leave for the airport.”

“Whoa, calm down there, Casanova. She’s at her desk. Do you want me—”

I don’t wait for her to finish, I follow her line of sight to the desks in the far corner. I can just see Tracy’s head above the cubicle.

“Your welcome!” Lily shouts behind me, but I’m on a mission to get to Tracy. Standing outside near her cubicle while she’s on the phone, I wait patiently. My God, she is so gorgeous. I need to make her see that we have to be together. She hangs up and jots down a few notes so I wait for her to finish. Then she looks up to see me standing there. Her eyes widen and she abruptly stands up.

“Karl…I…uh, was going to call you.”

“Like hell you were, Tracy. What the hell is going on?”

“Nothing’s going on,” she mumbles, but I still hear her. I need to calm down because she’s at work.

“Look, I think we need to talk, so is there any possibility you can you take a break?”

“I…have a fifteen-minute break due.”

“Take it now because this can’t wait.”

I haven’t got time to mess around. She nods her head and heads over to the office up the hall, she knocks quietly on the door and heads inside. She’s not in there long before she comes out and makes her way back to me. She grabs her bag.

“There’s a cafe on the ground floor if you want to go there?” I nod my head and she leads the way down. We grab a couple of sandwiches and take a seat at a table. She gets out a bottle of water from her bag and takes a sip. I open my sandwich and devour half of one before I decide to start talking.

“What’s happening, Tracy? What happened last night?” She nibbles on her sandwich and I’m not sure if she’s going to answer me. She puts her sandwich down and seems to take a deep breath.

“I don’t know what you mean, Karl. We’ve had fun and it’s been amazing getting to know you again. It’s been great hanging out.”

“Don’t!” I’m getting angry now with her blasé attitude. “You told me you love me. You can’t fob me off with it’s been fun…it’s great seeing you. We have something here, Tracy, and I want to know why you won’t embrace it. I want you and only you. I came on a bit too strong last night, but we could arrange something else. We don’t have to move in together if you don’t want to, it was just a suggestion.”

“Karl, please just leave it. I can’t do a relationship…I’m sorry. Maybe we could be friends?”

“Friends? Are you shitting me? I love you, damn it! Why are you so scared? I’ll tell you…you’re scared because you know we will be good together.”

“No!”
She stands up with her fists clenched. The café is relatively empty, but a couple of people are watching us. “I don’t want to end up in a loveless marriage. Yeah, you love me now but it will end, and there will be heartbreak and I can’t go through that.”

“We aren’t going to be going through heartbreak because we are going to be together forever. This is it for me, Tracy…You are it.” She huffs and crosses her arms. “Will you just sit down and talk, please?”

“No, I won’t sit down and you won’t be the one going through heartbreak…I will be, because you will just move on to one of your slutty bitches and forget all about me or you will end up marrying me just to prove our love is still strong even though it isn’t. And then, I’m right where I don’t want to be….in a loveless marriage like my parents!” She’s so angry now and I’m so shocked with everything she’s saying.

“Calm down…How can you predict what’s going to happening?”

“How can you say that I’m it for you?”

“Because it’s what I feel, okay? No one knows what’s going to happen in the future, but don’t we deserve to try?” I wait for her answer and by her frown I know it’s not going to be what I want to hear.

“I’m sorry, Karl, but I can’t.” She grabs her bag and quickly walks out of the café. I can’t let her leave so I race after her and grab her elbow swinging her around to see her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“Please, Tracy, don’t do this.” She sniffles and my heart literally breaks.

“Go home, Karl. I’m sorry for leading you on…just go.” She shrugs my hand off and rushes away. I stand there feeling lost, utterly lost and completely heartbroken. I’ve never felt so crushed by one person and I can’t leave it. Rushing toward the stairs I see Tracy standing there wiping her eyes.

“Tracy!” She jerks her head toward me and I see how upset she really is. Her eyes are swollen and red and she’s trying to control the tears dripping down her cheeks. “I’m not giving up! Do you hear me? I won’t give up on us! I love you, and you
will
be mine!” Her face goes beetroot red and I look around and notice everyone staring. I don’t give a shit that I’m making a scene, I just want her to know that I’m not backing down. I do feel deflated, though, so I leave QD Fashion and head back to Brandon’s apartment where I get ready to go to the airport, feeling sick to my stomach that I’m going. I’m leaving this place and I’m leaving the one person I don’t want to, but I meant what I said, I’m not giving up on her…on us.

When I get back, Brandon’s already left for work, but he has left a note wishing me luck and a safe journey. I feel guilty that I never spent much time with him. When I helped him out at the magazine we hardly saw each other, and I never really realized how busy he works. I do hope we can become close friends at some point. I call a taxi then gather all my things and make sure I have everything before making my way out of the apartment to wait for the taxi and depart for the airport.

Waiting in the boarding lounge for my flight is so boring and a big part of my brain thought that Tracy would turn up and tell me that she’d made a mistake but no such luck. A woman across from me in a red strapless dress and gorgeous high heels keeps giving me the eye from across the room. I’m not feeling it, but she keeps persisting with her looks and smiles. I roll my eyes at the way she’s crossing and uncrossing her legs. I don’t know if she’s trying to be sexy or something, but it’s not working at all. I keep checking my phone hoping that there will be a text or something, but nope…nothing.

I think this is really it.

I can’t believe how stubborn she’s being. My flight is called and I make my way to the gate with my boarding pass in hand.

“Hey handsome.” I roll my eyes and look behind me to see the woman in the red dress smiling and batting her eyelashes.

“Not interested.” I walk ahead, but not before I see her smile turn into a frown. I’m not interested and I never will be interested in another woman ever again. I know who I want and I’m going to get her.