Calling Me Back Read Online Free

chance of getting over him. But really, I had no desire to hate him. I wanted him in my life, even if it was as friends. I’d managed this far, and I’d just have to readjust and make sure our relationship worked, even when I was dating. “You saw me yesterday.”
    “Yeah, but you and I didn’t get a chance to talk much. And I wanted to speak to you about something.”
    I led the way into the sandwich shop. Because we had known each other for as long as we had, we had shortcuts where he knew what I was thinking without any exchange of words. Did Richard and I need time to get to that point, or was it something more than just the number of years Luke and I had spent together that made us that way?
    “Ham salad?” I asked him as he arrived at our table with a tray full of drinks and sandwiches wrapped in wax paper.
    “Nope, try again.” He grinned. It was a usual routine. I had to guess what he’d ordered me before I was allowed to see it.
    “Roast beef and rocket?” I scrunched my face up exaggeratedly, waiting for the verdict.
    “You hate beef,” he said, his brows pulled together, looking at me as if I were nuts.
    I laughed. “I know. I thought you might have forgotten. Ham and egg?”
    “Nope,” he said, unwrapping his sandwich then taking a bite. He was grinning at me as if he’d just won the lottery.
    “Are you kidding? Coronation chicken?” It was my favorite and they only had it on special here every now and then. Our ritual distracted me from thinking about how I shouldn’t be here with him and reminded me that when it came down to it, we were just Luke and Ash. Childhood friends.
    He slid my sandwich across the table at me. I unwrapped it—I was right. “Thank you.” I was glad to see him. Pleased to have him to myself, it had been a long time.
    “So, what’s going on? You’ve not woken up with a hangover in my spare room with my sister for ages now. Are you on the wagon?”
    He’d not said anything before about the fact I’d not been around as much. I half wondered if Haven had mentioned something to him, even though she’d promised me she wouldn’t. “Ha. Ha,” I said. “Just busy, I guess. I’ve taken a few extra shifts, and Richard and I have been hanging out.” That was all true but it wouldn’t normally keep me away from him.
    He watched me as if I were going to keep speaking. I had to look away. Those blue eyes of his could see right through me, and pull me under. I needed to keep my distance. “So it’s serious with this guy?”
    I shrugged and stared out the window, afraid of what my eyes would reveal. “It’s too soon to tell. But he cares about me. And I want something serious.” I wanted to be in love with someone who didn’t see me as a sister, someone who loved me back; I just wasn’t sure if I wanted Richard.
    “So that’s how it goes? You decide you want something serious, and you try and find the guy who fills the gap?”
    My stomach lurched. I wasn’t sure if he was judging me or interested, but I felt uncomfortable talking about it. Perhaps because I couldn’t tell him the truth, which was that I couldn’t have what I really wanted, so I was looking to see if there was something else out there. I continued to chew so I wouldn’t have to answer him.
    “It’s just that I think Emma wants to get serious.”
    My chest contracted and I was sure I could feel my ribs against my heart. I swallowed. “Do you?” It was all I could manage.
    He exhaled and his shoulders sagged. “I don’t know. Emma says that I’m afraid of change, and I just want everything to stay the same.” His voice was faint and I could barely hear him over the thudding in my ears. Fuck. This is what this felt like. I’d wondered for a while how I’d feel if and when Luke and Emma got married or had kids.
    “Well that’s true.”
    “I guess. But it’s not just that . . . I don’t think I’m that kind of guy.”
    “What kind of guy?” I was intrigued. How did he see