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He opened the door, his breath rushing out of his lungs when he saw Savina.
“Hello, Hal.” She smiled at him, but he could see the nerves in it.
“Hi, Savina.”
“Can I come in?”
“Uh, this isn’t a good time, but -”
“I think it’s a great time.” She shouldered past him and hung her coat in the closet before marching into his tiny kitchen.
“Savina, what are you doing here?”
She opened the fridge and took out two beers, twisting the tops off of both before handing him one. “Drink, Hal.”
“Why?”
“Because we need to talk.” She drank half her beer with a few large swallows.
His stomach churning, Hal finished off half of his as well.
Savina nodded in satisfaction before walking to the living room. She stopped in front of the glass cabinet that housed his Wade figurines collection, studying them silently as he took another swallow of beer before leaving his bottle beside hers on the counter and joining her in the living room.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” Savina said without looking up from the cabinet.
He thought about protesting before simply saying, “Yeah.”
“Why?” She turned to face him, her beautiful face tense with anxiety. “Warren said he spoke with you yesterday morning and apologized to you for what he said.”
“He did,” Hal said.
“So, why have you been blowing me off?” she asked.
“It’s been a busy couple of days and -”
“Don’t, Hal.” She cupped his face, staring up at him with frank earnestness. “Don’t lie to me, okay? I’m a big girl, and I can take the truth. I want the truth, no matter how painful it is.”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said.
“You’re hurting me now.”
She said it matter-of-factly, but he still flinched, and guilt hit him in a hard, hot rush. “Savina, I…”
“I’ll tell you my truth,” she said softly. “I love you, Hal. I don’t want just a friends with benefits. I want a relationship with you because I am in love with you. I want you in my bed every night. I want to wake up to you every morning. I want you just as you are.”
Pride washed over him at her bravery. He’d always admired her ability to say what she wanted or needed, and he wanted to shout his love for her to the fucking rooftops. But the guilt and regret were too heavy.
“Do you love me?” she asked.
He swallowed hard. He couldn’t lie to her about this. “Yes.”
Relief crossed her face, and she slid her arms around his waist. He pulled away, putting some distance between them as she stared at him in confusion. “What’s wrong?”
“We can’t be together, Savina.”
“I’m not your best friend’s wife anymore, Hal. I’m a widow and have been for three years. Alan is gone. I love him and will always love him, but he’s dead and isn’t coming back.”
“I know,” he said.
