Free Friday (Timeless Series #5) by E. L. Todd Page B

before but—”
    “You don’t need to explain.” I opened the door. “Really, it’s fine.” I felt the tears start deep in my chest. He hurt me once and I hated myself for letting it happen. But now I let him hurt me again.
    “Marie…”
    I hopped out of his truck and held the door open. “Go home, Axel.” I gripped the handle before I shut it. “I don’t want to see your truck out here anymore.”
    He bowed his head in shame, like I just took something precious away from him.
    “Good night.” I shut the door and walked back to the house, feeling my bottom lip quiver. Never in my life had I wanted something so much—but I couldn’t have it. I already cried over him once and I refused to do it again. If a man hurt me so many times, he wasn’t worth my pain. Somehow, I turned the pain off.
    And my heart.

Solution
    Axel             
    For twelve hours one night I was happy.
    Happy.
    But then the next day it disappeared. Reality set in and I realized what was really going on. I was alone and miserable.
    Marie caught me red-handed outside her house. Instead of making up a lie that wouldn’t make any sense anyway I told her the truth. I could only sleep when I was close to her. Sitting at her curb was the closest I could reach her, and it was enough.
    I knew I sounded like a crazy person.
    It seemed like she understood what I meant because she felt the same way. But then she rejected my offer to be friends—special friends. And then she reminded me of the reason why we could never be together.
    She still loved me.
    Instead of bringing me joy those words only brought me pain. I couldn’t return those feelings, and those feelings were the reason we weren’t together. If she just saw me as a guy she was dating, someone she was fond of, we would be okay. But that wasn’t how it was.
    I couldn’t drag her along and watch her get hurt in the end. I had to break it off before things got worse. But somehow, breaking things off seemed to hurt us both even more.
    Why couldn’t things be simpler?
    ***
    I hit the court with a few friends, playing a few games of basketball. Sports was my favorite hobby. It distracted me from everything else going on in my life. Right now, it stopped me from thinking about one beautiful blonde.
    “Good game.” Tom gave me a high-five. His t-shirt was covered in sweat as well as his forehead.
    “Good game.” I grabbed my shirt and wiped my face with it.
    “You alright, man? You’re awfully quiet.” He tucked the ball under his arm.
    “I’m fine.” Not really. I started thinking about Marie again. “How’s Stacy?” Stacy was his fiancé. She lived in New York City but he was moving there after they got married.
    “She’s good. But works too much.”
    “What does she do again?” I could hardly remember names let alone occupations.
    “She works for Prada. She’s a marketing executive.”
    Whoa, what ? “She works for Prada?”
    “Yeah. Why?”
    “That’s a fashion company, right?” I only knew that because I’d dated girls with the purses, shoes, and glasses.
    “Yeah.” He raised both eyebrows. “I didn’t realize you were into fashion.”
    “I’m not, asshole. My girlfriend—” Acid burned in my mouth. “My friend applied for an internship at Vogue but didn’t get it. Do you think Stacy could get me a hook up?”
    “I don’t know,” he said. “But I can ask.”
    “Dude, I would owe you big time.”
    “You already owe me big time,” he said with a laugh. “You still owe me two-hundred bucks from that game.”
    “It’s yours if you get me a meeting with her.”
    The corner of his mouth rose into a smile. “I’m guessing this friend of yours is cute.”
    “She is. But that’s not the point.”
    “Sure. Whatever.”
    “Can you get me the meeting or not?”
    “She’s coming down on Friday to spend the weekend with me. How about then?”
    “I’m free whenever she is.” If I could get Marie something at the company it would make