Chapter 2: The unexpected package

“Hey, Lydia, how are you?”

Isabelle's voice illuminated the phone, and the moment I heard it, an unexpected tension ran through me. I shifted against the pillows, trying to push the feeling aside before it became obvious even to myself.

“Hey, bitch! I'm doing okay. How are you?” I answered, forcing my voice into something lighter and more composed than I had been only a few minutes ago.

“You haven't forgotten our window shopping for tomorrow night's dinner, right?” Isabelle asked.

Of course I remembered the dinner party.

Sebastian had practically hung it around my neck since the invitation arrived, reminding me about it every chance he got and stressing over every little detail as though our lives depended on how we looked at dinner. Even now, the thought of sitting across from Isabelle while pretending everything between us was normal made something uncomfortable settle in my stomach.

“Yes, yes... I remember,” I said, deliberately adding a hint of sluggishness to my voice, hoping she would believe I had only recalled the plans because she had mentioned them.

“So we'll meet at Monty's by two?”

“Yeah. I'll be there.”

“Good. Don't be late this time.”

I laughed softly.

“No promises.”

The call ended.

I lowered the phone slowly and settled deeper into the bed, my thoughts immediately returning to the moment I had just shared with her husband.

Sebastian.

Even thinking his name had become dangerous.

There was something about him that made every sensible thought in my head disappear, something I couldn't explain without admitting how deeply I had already allowed myself to become involved.

The worst part was Isabelle.

My best friend.

The woman who trusted me enough to tell me things she wouldn't tell anyone else.

Her husband was the last person I should have been thinking about.

Yet I was.

I stared at the ceiling and let out a quiet breath.

After a while, you get accustomed to saying it with numbness.

Isabelle's husband.

I repeated the words silently until they stopped sounding like a warning.

By two, I was sitting outside Monty's.

We had called it Monty's since college, an inside joke that had somehow survived years of friendship, even though neither of us could remember exactly where the name had come from anymore.

Isabelle was already waiting outside the coffee shop when I arrived.

“Heyyy, Lydia!”

She flashed me a huge grin before pulling me into a hug.

I hugged her back, forcing myself not to think about how easily she had trusted me with her husband.

We peeled into Monty's together, laughing and talking like we had no problems in the world.

“Black coffee, no ice,” I told the waiter when he approached.

Isabelle stared at me.

“Coffee this early? You must have had a long day.”

“Like you wouldn't believe,” I countered.

She raised an eyebrow but didn't press.

That was Isabelle.

Taciturn, modest, and almost painfully uncomplicated.

Even the way she dressed reflected it. She rarely wore flashy jewelry, never seemed interested in making herself the center of attention, and usually chose simple clothes that looked comfortable rather than expensive.

I suppose we had simply been raised differently.

Our friendship worked because of it.

She was the quiet one.

I was the one who talked enough for both of us.

The waiter placed our drinks on the table, and I took a slow sip, grateful for something to occupy my hands.

“I had a weird conversation with Sebastian earlier today.”

The cup nearly stopped halfway to my mouth.

A twitch ran across my face before I could control it.

I already knew what the conversation might be about.

“Oh, really?” I asked, forcing myself to sound casual. “About what?”

Isabelle wrapped both hands around her coffee.

“He said he was at a meeting, but I didn't hear anything meeting like in the background.”

I lowered my gaze toward my cup.

“Maybe he was in a boardroom. There's nothing to stress about.”

She frowned.

“Maybe.”

I smiled.

“Exactly. Maybe.”

She studied me for a few seconds longer than I liked.

I took another sip.

“So, what are you wearing tomorrow?”

Her expression changed almost immediately.

That was the advantage of shopping.

It could rescue a conversation from almost anything.

The rest of the coffee date passed in a blur of ordinary conversation, bags, shoes, cute dresses, jewelry, dinner plans, and the endless debate over whether a particular dress was worth the price attached to it.

For a while, I almost forgot.

Almost.

By the time I returned to my apartment, the sun had begun disappearing behind the buildings, leaving the hallway outside my door dim and quiet.

I reached for my keys.

Then I stopped.

A box sat on my doorstep.

Pink.

Decorated with little teddy bears and a ribbon wrapped neatly around the center.

My heart immediately jumped.

Sebastian.

I was almost certain.

A smile spread across my face before I could stop it.

Of course it was him.

It had to be.

Maybe this was his way of apologizing for what happened earlier, or perhaps he had finally decided to make up for it by sending something that would remind me he hadn't forgotten about me.

My thoughts immediately became less innocent.

Maybe he was already planning our next private meeting.

The possibility alone made my mouth water.

I picked up the box and carried it inside, closing the door behind me.

I placed it carefully on the table and stared at it for a moment before slowly pulling at the ribbon.

Whatever was inside, I already knew I would probably forgive him.

That was the problem with Sebastian.

He could make me forget every reason I should have stayed away from him.

I opened the box.

My smile faded.

There was something inside wrapped in white tissue paper.

I reached toward it.

Before I could pull it out, the sound of the door opening made me freeze.

My head snapped toward the entrance.

The door swung wider.

A figure stepped inside.

I recognized it.

At least barely.