Breaking Point (Drew Ashley 1) (28 page)

I didn't bother taking a lunch break. I put Harvey's statistics aside in the afternoon and focused on the foreign policy piece I'd been working on. I heard my phone vibrating in my bag from time to time but didn't bother checking, knowing it would probably be Kale.

At five o' clock, my mum emailed to see if I wanted to get the Tube with her. I told her I was working late. Over the next hour and a half, people called goodbye and the floor gradually emptied. Soon it was just me and Rosie. At six forty-five, she stretched and swivelled around in her chair. "When are you leaving?"

"Soon." I didn't want to leave until I'd finished the foreign policy piece. I should have completed it before starting my journalist role.

"Don't overdo it," Rosie said.

"I won't."

Rosie picked up her bag. "I'm off. See you in the morning."

"See ya," I said.

I shuddered when the doors of the lift closed behind her. Was it really wise of me to be alone at work when the police thought that someone at work might be after me? I muttered a silent prayer and pushed the thought out of my mind.

An email popped up from Harvey. I clicked on it. It was just a thank you to me, Jon and Derrick for accepting to go to Rwibya. It had a read receipt. I clicked that I'd read it.

A few minutes later, the lift pinged and then opened, and Harvey stepped out. "What are you still doing here?"

"Working," I replied. "I could ask you the same."

"I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me when I got that read receipt." Harvey dropped into Rosie's seat. "I'm leaving now, if you want a ride. My printer just jammed so I take it as a sign that it's time I went home."

"Okay," I said reluctantly, looking at my work. I closed all the programmes I had open and shut down my computer.

"Heard you broke up with Kale," Harvey said.

I frowned. I wasn't going to discuss that with Harvey. It was none of his business. "Is there anything Jazz doesn't tell you?"

"Yes. She won't tell me the reason she broke off her engagement to Kale."

I started tidying my desk, considering turning down Harvey's offer of a ride.

"I know the breakup of any relationship is usually pretty sad," Harvey said. "But is Kale really what you want?"

"I don't know," I answered truthfully, shoving papers into my in-tray. I was confused about it all. But the heaviness in my heart still hadn't lifted so I must be more into Kale than I realised. "I'm ready."

The lift opened immediately we pushed the button and we rode down to the ground floor. I tried not to watch Harvey as he walked ahead of me to the entrance. I couldn't be drawn to him while grieving my breakup with Kale. Harvey turned when he got to the doors and waited for me to walk through first.

"Thanks," I mumbled. The sun was blazing, and the smell of freshly mowed grass tinged the air outside. I took in a lungful of air, my mood improving instantly.

Harvey took my hand as we walked toward the car park. I tried to pull it away. "What?" he asked, not letting go. "No one's here."

True. Why was I fighting him? Kale and I were over, so it didn't matter. In fact, if I'd chosen Harvey in the first place I wouldn't be in the situation I was in right now, caught between a guy and my best friend. A tear dropped, and I wiped it away quickly. I'd been close to tears all day.

Harvey stopped walking. "Why are you crying?"

I tried to continue walking but he didn't budge, still holding my hand. His grip tightened.

"You've been through a lot these past few days," Harvey said. "I guess Jazz couldn't have chosen a worse time to drop her bombshell."

I just nodded.

"I like you Drew, but I'm sorry about you and Kale breaking up, since you really like Kale."

I looked up into Harvey's dark eyes. The sun washed his face with gold and the shadow of his eyelashes lengthened on his chiselled cheeks. I swallowed. Kale who? I should have chosen Harvey.

Harvey brushed his thumb under my eyes, wiping the tears away. His fingers seemed to singe my skin. "Don't look at me like that, Drew," he whispered.

The husky cadence of his voice sent my heart into a quiver. I didn't suppress it. I stepped forward.

Harvey's eyes narrowed. "Honey, you don't know what you're doing. Stress can be like alcohol. It makes you do things you'll regret later."

There was no way in this world I would regret anything. I regretted Kale. But Harvey? He was an absolute sizzler and was just as gorgeous on the inside. There was nothing at all to regret.

"Drew," Harvey said, tugging my hand. "Let's go."

I didn't move. I could see the battle in Harvey's eyes. Should I? Shouldn't I? I guess he was just as weak as I was because in the next moment his lips covered mine. Harvey's kiss was every bit as intoxicating as I had expected it to be. It was gentle and fiery at the same time, completely enthralling. If a car horn had not beeped, who knows how long we might have stood there in the car park, kissing like silly adolescents?

We jumped apart and heat crept into my cheeks. The car horn was like a bucket of icy water chucked over my head. The spell was broken and I regretted it already. I tried to pull my hand away from Harvey's grip, but he didn't let go.

"Drew, we kissed," he growled. "That's not going to just go away. We need to talk."

A car horn beeped again and we spun around. I almost passed out. Kale's car was parked a few feet away. Had it been there all along? Why had we not noticed it?

I felt like running when the car door opened and Kale got out. It took all the strength within me to look into his wounded eyes. Harvey released my hand.

"Drew," Kale said. "Didn't you get my texts?"

I raked a hand through my hair, feeling guilty. "No."

Kale glared at Harvey.

"What?" Harvey asked, digging his hands into his pockets. "Didn't she break up with you last night?"

Kale looked like he was going to explode. I wasn't going to stick around and watch this. I walked away and entered the News24 building again. I went to a ladies toilet and called a taxi. By the time it arrived the car park was empty of both Kale's and Harvey's cars.

I went to a hotel. I couldn't stay at Jazz's house. Right now, I just wanted to be alone and work out what in the world had possessed me to kiss Harvey.

***

I managed to avoid Harvey for the rest of the week. Thankfully, he left me to myself. On Friday evening, I left work feeling weary. Kale had stopped calling since the incident on Wednesday. I wasn't sure whether I was happy about that or not.

My taxi was waiting when I emerged from the building. I asked the driver to take me to the Savoy, where I'd been staying since Wednesday. Jazz had been trying to get me to come back to her place, but I didn't feel ready.

I walked through the doors of the Savoy when the taxi dropped me off and was startled to see Kale in the reception area. He rose from his seat and made a beeline for me. I continued to the lift.

"Drew, can we talk?" Kale asked, catching up and joining me in the lift as I was punching the button to close the doors. "Can we go out somewhere? I came straight from work and I'm starving."

"I don't want to go out." I was not having dinner with him. It was over, so it was best if we both remembered that.

"Okay. Well, can we talk, then?"

"What do you want to talk about?"

"There's something that I need to tell you. And if you still decide you don't want to be with me after I tell you, that's okay."

I couldn't meet Kale's eyes. I felt terrible for kissing Harvey. I felt even worse that Kale had seen it. He didn't deserve that at all.

We got out of the lift at the fourth floor and I led the way to my room.

"How was work?" Kale asked as I swiped the access card to unlock the door.

I pushed into the room. "Fine."

I gestured at a chair, but Kale didn't sit. He just stood there staring at me. I moved around, stuffing clothes that I'd left strewn on the bed and floor into my suitcase. I'd been in a rush this morning so everything was all over the place.

Kale removed a skirt from my hand as I was about to pack it away. "Sit down and talk to me."

"I don't need to sit to talk."

Kale took me by the shoulders and sat me down on the bed. He sat beside me, taking my hands. "I spoke to Jazz yesterday."

"Why? You shouldn't have."

"She gives us her blessing."

"Kale—"

"Jazz and I were over long before you came into the picture. It's not like you caused our break up. It's okay for us to be together."

I removed my hands from Kale's and stood up. I crossed the room and looked out the window. I'd thought about it over and over, trying to decide whether Kale's and Jazz's history meant I had to give Kale up. I'd decided that it didn't. But I'd also decided that it wasn't worth the trouble it would cause.

"Drew, if what I felt for you was just one of those 'I like you' things, then I'd let you go," Kale said. "But it's more than that."

I focused on a high-rise building in the distance. I couldn't let Kale come between me and Jazz. It wasn't worth it.

"If I viewed our relationship as just 'casual dating', I'd let you go," Kale continued. "But it's more than that."

I turned from the window and crossed my arms over my chest, ready to tell him to just forget about it. But the look in Kale's eyes made the words die on my tongue.

"If I was thinking of just a few months, I'd let you go," he said, his voice cracking. "But I'm thinking about a lifetime."

I willed myself to turn away, to look out the window and ignore him. I couldn't do it.

"I want to marry you, Drew."

The words hung between us. Kale waited for a response. I didn't know what to say. I was completely stunned.

"I wouldn't ruin your friendship with Jazz if our relationship meant nothing," Kale continued as my head spun. "But I'm prepared to remove any barriers between us, because I love you, and I want to marry you."

"Kale, I'm not sure."

Kale closed the distance between us and knelt before me. "What is there not to be sure about? If you're still thinking about Jazz, I've told her I'm going to ask you to marry me. I've told your mum. I've even spoken to your dad on the phone. I've told everyone who needs to know. Now I'm telling you." He paused to remove a ring from his pocket. "Please, Drew? Nothing would make me happier than for you to be my wife."

By now my eyes were stinging. There was no win-win answer to this situation. If I said yes, Jazz would be hurt. If I said no, Kale would be hurt. Right now, I couldn't think about Jazz or Kale. I had to think about myself. What did I want?

"What do you say, Drew?"

I looked down at Kale. All I could manage was a whisper. "Yes."

Kale rose to his feet and wrapped me in a tight hug. "Thank you," he whispered in my ear. "Thank you for saying yes."

I pulled away and looked into his eyes. I was shocked to see that they were watery. "I'm sorry about Harvey."

"It's fine. I've forgiven you."

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

I didn't have the guts to face Jazz, so I decided to go to Kale's church on Sunday morning. My heart filled up with warmth for the umpteenth time that weekend when Kale arrived to pick me up. Kale was my fiancé!

Kale looked at my ring and grinned. "I didn't dream it. You really did say yes."

"I did," I sang. I hopped into his car and admired my ring once again. It was yellow gold, which I'd never envisioned liking for an engagement ring as I much preferred white gold. But this ring was beautiful with a glittering princess cut diamond and a row of tiny diamonds on the shoulders of the gold band.

"Excited about going home tomorrow?" Kale asked me as he drove.

"Not really."

"I've fitted your door and windows with some hefty locks. And the room has been redecorated, so you should be fine."

"Thanks Kale." I grinned at him. He'd been at my house all day yesterday, getting my room ready for me. He was so sweet. "So, what's your church like?" I asked.

"It's pretty much like any other church."

"Have you ever been to my church?"

"Yeah. Jazz tried to get me to join back when we were together."

"Did she?"

"Yeah."

It was weird talking about Jazz.

"Your church is more fun than mine," Kale said. "And a lot bigger. You might not like my church."

"Well, a church is a church, isn't it? So long as they're worshipping Jesus."

"That's right."

Kale's church's building was one of those traditional types, with a steeple. Not a modern looking building that was warm and inviting, like my church. Inside the place was freezing cold and it echoed. I looked around, when we were seated, for evidence of central heating. There was not a radiator in sight. I rubbed my bare arms. I should have worn a jacket.