His Hidden Lover, I Choose a New Life

Chapter 3

California blazed with light long after the sun went down, the whole city glowing like a string of lit fairy lights.

The clock ticked past nine p.m., and almost everyone in the office building had headed home for the night.

I still hadn't gotten a single message from Harold. I finally caved and called him first.

When he picked up, I asked carefully, my voice soft, like I was treading on thin ice, "Harold, are you still busy?"

Harold froze for a beat on the other end of the line.

Then he immediately started tripping over himself to apologize, "I'm so sorry, Nat! I completely forgot you were coming to California today. I'm out having dinner with my usual crew."

My heart dropped straight through my chest, ice-cold, sinking like a rock.

I stared out the window at the flashing neon signs. For everyone else in the city, the night was just getting started.

But I'd traveled all this way alone, armed with nothing but reckless courage, just to end up with this?

Half an hour later, Harold burst through the door with a loud creak, huffing and puffing like he'd run the whole way here. He rushed over to me, then carefully crouched down to look up at my face, all wide, guilty eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Nat, I really did forget. I'm so sorry. You can hit me, yell at me, do whatever you want, I deserve it."

Three hours on a plane, plus a whole afternoon of work before that. I was drained to my bones, body and soul both screaming for rest.

Before I could even get a word out, I caught a flash of someone moving outside the door.

A flicker of awkwardness crossed Harold's face.

"I had some drinks, so Linda drove me here."

All the energy I had left drained right out of me. I just grabbed my suitcase and said flatly, "Let's go."

I sat in the backseat, watching Harold in the passenger seat, eyes glued to the driver like he was bracing for a crash.

"Check the side mirror before you change lanes! How many times do I have to tell you?"

Linda waved him off like he was an annoying gnat. "Ugh, you're such a pain in the ass, Harold. I got it, I got it."

Watching them banter like I wasn't even sitting right behind them, it finally hit me square in the face. Two years of long distance hadn't just put miles between us, it had changed him.

The Harold in front of me wasn't the same guy I'd fallen for back home.

When the car pulled to a stop, Linda volunteered to grab my luggage without even being asked. Then she walked right up to Harold's front door and unlocked it with a fingerprint like she lived there, waggled the car keys at Harold, and shot him a pointed look.

Harold handed me a pair of plain gray guest slippers. But I'd already spotted the pair of bright pink slippers tucked in the shoe rack, like they belonged there.

He herded me over to the couch to rest, then fussed over getting my luggage sorted like he was trying to make up for the mess earlier.

When he was done, he hesitated for a second, then glanced over at me, looking all nervous and shifty.

"Nat... I bailed on the group dinner so suddenly earlier, it was pretty rude. You're exhausted today, right? Why don't you get some sleep first? I just need to pop back in to say hi, and I'll be right back, okay?"

All of a sudden, I figured out exactly what Linda's little look had meant earlier.

I just stared at him, quiet and calm, no anger, no tears, just empty.

I let out a sudden, bitter laugh. "Harold, what exactly am I to you?"

Harold looked flustered, his voice tight with urgency. "Nat, you're my girlfriend, the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. That's never changed, not for a second.

"I know I messed up today, but these past two years haven't been easy for me. You stayed in the capital with all your family and friends around, but Cali's been brutal for me. These are the only buddies I've got to grab drinks and chat with. I don't want to lose them."

He drew in a deep, shaky breath. "We really are just buddies, nothing more."

I felt every last bit of energy drain right out of my body.

"Fine. Go. Just come back early."

A huge, relieved grin spread across Harold's face. He pressed a quick kiss to my forehead and hurried out the door.

I walked over to the window and watched him practically sprint down the stairs. Tears spilled down my cheeks completely unbidden.

Deep in the middle of the night, Harold tiptoed into the room, barely making a sound. He first tucked the edge of the comforter around me, then pressed a boozy kiss to the side of my head.

I stared up at the ceiling, my voice soft and steady. "You've been in Cali for two years now. If you transfer back to the headquarters, you'll definitely get a promotion. Do you want to apply for—"

I felt his breath catch for a split second, but he didn't roll over, didn't say a single thing.