Read Tuesday (Timeless Series #2) for Free Online Page A

squeezed my coffee cup involuntarily.
    “What did you expect to happen, Hawke? That we would just go back to being friends?”
    “No.” I wasn’t sure what I expected.
    “We weren’t friends before, so why do we need to be friends now? Just say hi and bye and that’s more than enough. We won’t have any more problems if we keep it that way.”
    “But I don’t want it to be that way.”
    She set her cup down. “What does that mean?”
    I looked out the window before I turned back to her. “I just…” I didn’t know what I wanted. “Axel and Marie are going to be in our lives forever. Instead of getting through the wedding, maybe we should learn to accept each other.”
    She raised an eyebrow. “Sounds a lot like being friends…”
    “Well, why can’t we be?”
    She shook her head then bit her lip. “You’re unbelievable.”
    “What?”
    “You left me without looking back. You just walked out like you weren’t leaving anything behind, and now you want to be friends? Am I the only one who thinks that’s weird?”
    “It’s better than this, isn’t it?”
    “I…” She looked out the window then shut her mouth. Whatever she was going to say died in her throat. “Fine. Whatever.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “Hawke, I couldn’t care less about you. You’re someone from the past, and I’m over what happened between us. I’m happy and have everything I’ve ever wanted. You mean so little to me that I can do this. If you really want to go out together and have a good time, fine. Let’s do it.”
    I squeezed my coffee cup again as her words broke me. I knew I deserved them after the way I left her. How could I expect anything else? But that didn’t minimize the pain.
    She extended her hand across the table. “Friends?”
    I eyed it but didn’t take it. I thought about all the times those small hands were on me. They rested on my heart as she felt it beat. But now it was just a hand—a meaningless touch. My hand found hers and we shook. I thought I felt the distant spark, but I knew it was just on my end. She didn’t feel anything. “Friends.”
    ***
    “Dude, can you believe that shot?” Axel asked as we entered his apartment building and walked up the stairs.
    “It was just luck.”
    “No. It was all skill.” He had the basketball tucked under his arm. He was sweaty from playing on the courts. I was too.
    “How can it be skill if you were facing the opposite way of the hoop and throwing the ball over the back of your head?”
    He shook his head. “Jealousy isn’t a good color on you.”
    “And bragging isn’t a good color on you.”
    Axel approached his door and unlocked it. “Keep it up, and Marie isn’t going to let you eat her delicious cooking.”
    “Are you kidding me?” I asked. “She likes me more than you.”
    “No way. I give it to her good every night.” Axel opened the door. “You couldn’t handle my woman. She’s crazy in the sack.”
    I walked in behind him. “I’ll take your word for it.”
    Axel set the ball on the table near the door. “Baby, I’m home.” He turned to me and winked. “I love saying that.”
    Marie came to the entryway wearing jeans and a t-shirt. “Axel, don’t put the ball on the table. How many times do I have to tell you?”
    He rolled his eyes. “I don’t want it to get dirty.”
    She gave him an incredulous look. “You just played basketball with it. It’s filthy.”
    “Fine, fine.” Axel set the ball on the ground near his shoes. “No harm done.”
    “I’ll have to scrub that table with Lysol…”
    Axel approached her then gave her a quick kiss. “Missed you.”
    She melted right in front of my eyes. “Missed you too.” She walked back into the living room.
    Axel turned to me and winked. “That’s the skill I was just talking about.”
    I tried not to laugh.
    Axel and I walked into the living room and I stilled when I spotted Francesca sitting beside Marie on the couch. She wore jean shorts with a pink top.