"Hmm." He examined me in that unapologetic way of his. Except this time I felt like he was peering at me from behind a wall.
Lifting my chin, several seconds passed while we swapped stares. The moment grew increasingly uncomfortable. I decided it was time for me to go.
"I have to-"
"So, on-"
And both of us stopped at the same time, laughing lightly, but with very little humor. I gestured for him to continue, picking up my tea.
"So, on Friday, you were babysitting Grace and Jack?"
Now I stiffened, my eyes dropping to the table, unable to hold his probing stare. "That's right."
He hesitated, leaning forward by placing both of his elbows on the table. "Sorry I didn't introduce you to Keira."
I shrugged, glancing to a spot over his shoulder, and pasting a small smile on my face. "It's fine. I had pizza in the oven, so it's not like I had a lot of time anyway."
What? What did that even mean? What does pizza have to do with anything?
"I should have introduced you." He deepened his voice, sounding solemn and sincere, which drew my eyes back to his.
His features were still mostly clear of expression, but his eyes were focused on mine with blunt intensity.
"Why? Is she your girlfriend?"
Wow. Go me.
Let the record show, my voice was steady and impressively nonchalant, so the opposite of how I was feeling.
"No." He gave his head a subtle shake, his tone shaded with frustration. "I should have introduced you because you're my friend. I should always introduce you. To everyone."
Aaaaaaand, I've just been friend-zoned. Hilarious.
I would've laughed at the irony if my heart hadn't chosen that moment to shatter.
One week later, Matt showed up at my office.
I'd told him where I worked a few weeks ago, but when I glanced up from my laptop, finding him hovering just outside my door watching me, my first thought was that I was surprised he'd remembered the address.
"Hey." I sat back in my chair, wanting to put more distance between us. "How long have you been standing there?"
He shrugged, strolling through the door and closing it behind him. "Not long. I didn't want to disturb you in the middle of a thought."
"Thanks." My gaze moved over him, taking note of his gray suit pants and jacket, and white button-down shirt. No tie. The top two buttons were undone, revealing a bright white undershirt. It was a gorgeous suit, beautifully tailored, and he looked damn sexy in it.
Damn, damn sexy.
Fortunately for me, I was deeply entrenched behind my figurative wall of aloofness. My heart demanded it.
"What's with the outfit?"
He glanced down at himself. "Why? What's wrong with it?"
"Nothing. It's just not what I typically see you wearing."
"Do you like it?" He grinned, sitting in one of the chairs opposite my desk. "If you do, I can play dress up more often."
I ignored the question and his teasing, not in the mood for silly Matt. Actually, I wasn't much in the mood for Matt at all. In some respects, I was really sad about that. For a while there, I had always been in the mood for Matt. Serious, silly, curious, thoughtful. I had wanted them all. But now? Now that I knew who I really was in his life?
No. Not in the mood.
I liked my fortress of indifference, because looking at him through this lens saved my heart from more bruises.
"Why are you here?"
His smile waned, the light in his eyes dimming by degrees as he openly inspected me. "We didn't get to finish our conversation the other day, about my proposition."
"Oh." I closed my laptop and reached for my glass of water. "Go for it."
Matt scrutinized me for a long moment, as though searching for . . . something.
Eventually, he cleared his throat and asked, "How have you been?"
I stared at him, confused by his question. "Fine. And how are you?"
"Did anything happen? Are you-is anything-is there something I should know?"
Shaking my head, I made a show of moving my eyes to the left and then up. "No."
"You haven't been responding to my texts."
"Oh, yeah. I've been really busy. With work. You know how that is." That was actually true. I'd been focusing on finishing several articles, none of which related to his research or my story on replacing relationships with paid services. I needed some distance from subjects that made me think of Matt.
"Are you angry with me about something?" The muscle at his temple jumped and his eyes turned hard, frustrated. "Did I do something wrong? If so, I wish you would tell me."