“I watch too many rom-comsnotto have seen it coming,” Sloane said. “Enemies to lovers? Obsessed with each other since childhood? The writing was on the wall.”
“We weren’t obsessed,” I protested. “I didn’t evenlikehim until recently.”
“Mmhmm. Is that why you guys kept seeking each other out?” Ayana asked knowingly. “If you really didn’t like him, you would’ve gone out of your way to avoid him.”
“I did, but our families are friends and—”
“You were forced to work together. Yada, yada, yada,” Isabella said. “No one forced you to meet once a week in person. Or to take a road trip to Vermont together.”
Shit. They were right. I slumped against my seat as my friends burst into giggles at my stunned expression.
In hindsight, itwasobvious. I hadn’t consciously been attracted to Sebastian, but I’d always gravitated toward him. He was often the first person I thought of when I won something and the last person I thought of before I went to sleep. Granted, that had beenin the context of me 1) wanting to rub my victories in his face, and 2) devising new ways of beating him, but… I’d still thought about him. A lot.
“Fine,” I said over my friends’ laughter. “I was a little oblivious, but it wasn’t my fault! It’s hard to admit your feelings have changed when you’ve hated someone your whole life.”
“Oh, sweetie.” Isabella patted my shoulder. “You never hated him, but it’s okay. I’m glad you guys have finally seen the light.”
I made a face, but my mouth tugged up in a reluctant smile. It was hard to argue with the truth.
Sloane, Ayana, Vivian, Isabella, Alessandra, and I were catching up at a trendy new bowling alley downtown. We were taking a food break in between games, but we’d done more talking than eating over the past half hour—not that I was complaining. It was nice to sit back and gossip after the insane few weeks I’d had at work.
“So where is this going?” Alessandra asked. “Have you told your parents yet?”
They all knew about my engagement deadline, so it was a fair question.
“Not yet,” I admitted. “We’re waiting until after the launch event. If you could keep this a secret until then, I’d appreciate it.”
“Of course.” Her face was soft with sympathy. Vivian was the only one who might understand the familial pressure I was under because she’d been raised with similar expectations. That was how she’d ended up in an arranged marriage with Dante.
Our conversation shifted to Sloane’s latest client, but my mind lingered on the impending launch. It was in two months, which seemed both too close and too far away.
A pinch of anxiety flared in my gut. Was two months enough time to figure out what my endgame with Sebastian looked like? What was I going to say when my mother inevitably assumed our relationship announcement was the equivalent of an engagementannouncement? Would she let us take it slow, or would she insist we get married as soon as possible?
If the launch bombed, and we went public as a couple, would people blame my failure on my love life? They’d probably say I got distracted by my boyfriend and wasn’t focused enough to operate at the same level I used to. Sebastian was the co-event lead, but that wouldn’t matter. Guys never faced the same type of judgment from the public. They could workanddate, no problem, but when women did it, we suddenly had to choose.
Worse… what if they were right? Not about my capabilities or having to choose, but about the distraction. Old me would’venevertaken an afternoon off for sex the way we’d done last week.
I didn’t regret it, but I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t felt a little worried afterward. There were dozens of people lined up to take my spot at the head of the corporate marketing world. There were more who were eager to see me fail. If I took my foot off the gas for even a second…
Stop it.I shook off the familiar doubts attempting to wrap themselves around me. It was girls’ night; it wasn’t the time for another existential crisis.
When I tuned back into the conversation, my friends were talking about next year’s Legacy Ball. The ball was an ultra-exclusive event that took place in a different city every year. It hadn’t been held in New York since Vivian chaired the planning committee years ago.
“No way,” she said when Alessandra asked if she was in charge of the event again. “I think I still have a few gray hairs from the first time I planned it. God bless whoever’s in charge of next year’s ball, but I’ll be attending as a guest andonlya guest this time around.”
“I can’t wait.” Ayana’s eyes sparkled. “It’ll be my first time attending. Vuk’s too. He never wanted to go before, but I convincedhim it’d be fun. He says hi, by the way.”
We all stared at her.
“Okay, no, he didn’t,” she admitted sheepishly. “I said hi for him. But he does like you guys. He just… doesn’t express it.”
“Forget liking us. Are you really texting your boyfriend during girls’ night?” Isabella clucked her tongue. “Shame on—hey!” She squawked in protest when Vivian swiped her phone off the table.
“I miss you too, love,” she read aloud. “Poker with the guys is fun, but I’d rather—okay, I’m not reading the rest of this.” She put the phone back down, blushing, but she arched an eyebrow at Isabella. “What were you saying about texting boyfriends and husbands during girls’ night?”
“I had to ask him a question about bowling, and one thing led to another,” Isabella said over our renewed laughter. Her face was red. “It’s not like I’m the only one. Who herehasn’ttexted their partner tonight? Raise your hand. And don’t lie because I will check.”
The rest of us exchanged guilty looks. In my defense, I’d only texted Sebastian between turns. I hadn’t messaged him since we took our food break.