“Is he back with Natasha?” he asks.
“No, but hopefully they will work it out.”
“You have an affection for Natasha?”
I smile. “I adore her. Joshua’s life is crazy, super rich, and yet Natasha is this beautiful pure soul who has loved him since they were kids. They are first cousins and have fought this attraction since they were teenagers. I don’t know two people more in love.”
He raises his eyebrows. “Wow.” He smiles as our meal arrives. “Have you ever been in love Adrian?”
I swallow nervously. “I thought I was once.”
He smiles wistfully and takes a mouthful of food. “Do tell.”
I shrug my shoulders. “It’s quite pathetic when I say it out loud really. I entered my first relationship when I was fifteen and we were together six years. We were madly in love and I wanted to come out, but he didn’t. I couldn’t live my life pretending I was someone that I wasn’t, that he was just my flatmate. My parents knew about us so I thought it would be ok but, in the end, it wasn’t, he freaked out and ran. He even hooked up with a girl to prove to the world he was straight. I will never forget the night he came to me crying, to tell me that she was pregnant and that he was going to marry her.” My gut twists at the memory and I take a large gulp of my drink. “And now I have the honour of every time he gets drunk, him calling me and telling me how much he loves me and misses me and that he made the biggest mistake of his life and yet he can do nothing about it because he is now a father of three.” I look around the room in annoyance that he got me to say that out loud. “So when you ask me have I ever been in love, I tell you if that’s love I want nothing to do with it ever again.”
He looks at me affectionately and grabs my hand over the table again and I squeeze it in a thankful gesture. I can’t believe I just told him that, I have never told anyone other than Josh and Cam.
“I see.” He nods.
“You?” I ask. Trying to take the spotlight off myself.
He nods and takes a sip of his drink. “I was married,” he says quietly.
Oh shit, that’s right. My stomach drops. “What happened?” I ask quietly, already knowing the horrible answer.
“He died eight years ago in a snow-skiing accident,” he says sadly.
I squeeze his hand again. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “What does that feel like? To love somebody so intensely that you want to marry them?” I ask as I smile.
He shrugs. “Scary I suppose.” He smiles broadly as he puts his elbow on the table and leans on his
hand. “You will find out one day. I wouldn’t write yourself off just yet. How old are you anyway?” He frowns.
I smile. “How old are you?” I ask.
“Probably too old for you,” he answers.
I smile. “Without a question.”
He smirks. “I’m forty-two.”
“You are old,” I smile. “I’m twenty-seven.”
He smiles warmly at me. “Let’s forget about age and pasts and futures and just enjoy some time getting to know each other while we are both in Sydney. What do you say?”
“I don’t normally hang around with hot middle-aged men.” I smile.
“I don’t usually hang around with blond Americans either so we are even.” He smiles at me with a rather beautiful twinkle in his eye.
What the hell am I doing?
Natasha
I walk down the street toward the café near the hospital that I work out and my phone rings.
“What time is your lunch break? I’m coming to have lunch with you.”
I smile. It’s Jesten.
“Jes, I’m on lunch now.”
“See you in ten. I’m around the corner.” He hangs up. Shit, now I’ve done it.
I wait in the meeting spot near the café and he walks around the corner, smiling broadly. He laughs and pulls me into an embrace and picks me up and spins me around.
“Hey, hot Doc.” He holds me at arm’s length and looks me up and down. “You are especially smoking today.” He winks.
I laugh and he pulls me into an embrace and we walk down the street with his arm casually draped around me. Why do I feel so comfortable with him?
“Why have you been ditching me?” he asks.
“I haven’t. I’ve just been really busy that’s all,” I sigh.
We eat lunch in comfortable silence and I am painfully aware of the security trailing us. I have had lunch with Jes heaps of times over the last couple of months and yet now I’m freaking out that someone is going to tell Joshua.
“Have you been going out much?” I ask.
He nods as he shovels in his food. “Yeah. You?”
I shake my head. “Not really. I have just been hanging at the hospital every chance I get.”
“I’ve been training a bit. I’m fighting again next week.”
I roll my eyes. “Please don’t talk to me about your ridiculous sport. It’s embarrassing that you would think I would be remotely interested.”
He smiles broadly as he shovels in another mouthful of food. “My trainer rang me today to tell me that your ex-boyfriend is back in the country and that today he registered to fight.”
I stop with my fork midair. “What?” I stammer as my eyes widen.
“He is the only person who has beaten me so far and I have gotten a lot better since then.”