quiet.
"Obviously, you have a choice to make. And I'd be lying if I said I'm not hoping for much, much more time with you here. Even in the very short amount of time we've spent together, I've fallen for you, Brette. And incredibly hard. I'm quite sure my heart will be broken if you return to your own parallel. However, it would be extremely selfish of me to try to influence your decision, considering what a monumental, life-altering one it is. And also considering what a permanent, absolutely irreversible one it is. And so, I can only ask that you take some time to think things through, and make the decision that you feel is best for you, whatever that may be. I want you to do what you think will make you happiest in the long-term."
He suddenly sighed and kissed each of my hands in turn. "I'll leave you alone now to think. Though you by no means have to decide anything today. You still have a couple of weeks." He kissed my hands again before kissing me on the mouth, letting his lips linger. "I've deactivated the keypad lock on the door, and I'll have someone come by soon to install a regular lock on the inside so you can come and go as you please. I'll be back later. And maybe we can have that dinner I've been hoping for."
And with that, after one final kiss, again on my mouth, he released my hands, got up from the couch, and strode out of the apartment.
With my mind reeling, I continued sitting on the couch. As far as life-altering, important decisions went, I knew the one I'd have to make would just about be the mother of them all. But my talk with Truman had left my brain so jumbled I felt like I could barely even organize my thoughts and do any clear thinking.
I was still sitting on the couch several minutes later when a knock sounded on the door. I got up and looked through the peephole, seeing that it was Brianna. I opened the door and ushered her inside, still feeling in a bit of a daze.
She was carrying two foam cups with lids and held them up to me, smiling. "Vanilla lattes from the coffee shop on the tenth floor. Believe me, they are the best; you've gotta try one. Though, if I'm being completely honest, getting you to try one isn't the only reason I came up here. See, somehow Owen became aware that Truman wasn't at his penthouse last night, and he told me that, and so I put two and two together, and then I saw Truman going down in the elevator earlier this morning, so...I thought I'd come up here to try to get the scoop about what may or may not have happened between you two last night." She began giggling, but then stopped suddenly, peering at my face. "Hey, you look a little pale. Are you all right?"
I sighed, shaking my head. "No. I'm really not. I have a very important decision to make. And not a lot of time to decide."
CHAPTER SIX
The side of my head hit the wall with a thunk, and I sank to the floor, dazed.
Brianna, who'd been just a few paces ahead of me, carrying our vanilla lattes into the kitchen, turned, saw me on the floor, and gasped, eyes wide. "Oh my God! Brette, are you okay?”
I nodded, rubbing the side of my head. "Yeah. Just knocked my head on the wall. Just a little bump."
She knelt beside me, her expression a mask of concern. "Well, what happened?"
I sighed. "Sometimes when I get really anxious about something, I get really dizzy. I've always been this way, even as a little kid. And I hardly ever full-out faint, I just get super, super dizzy. It's like a mini panic attack or something. And after what Truman told me just a few minutes before you got here...well, I guess my brain decided to hit me with a real good one. I got so dizzy for a second I just kind of staggered and bumped my head on the wall. I'm fine now, though. Probably just need to go have a seat in the kitchen and enjoy one of those lattes you brought."
Brianna scoffed, setting the lattes on the marble floor. "Oh, no way. No