"you think?" melissa teased, wrapping an arm around rob, who was still eyeing me.

"that's fine with me," i answered, throwing rob a bone. i'm sure the hours he spent wondering what the inside of that elevator would look like when it opened was punishment enough.

"i was dying," rob said, holding his hand on his chest. "let's head out.

"you let him off easy," justin whispered out of the side of his mouth as he walked beside me.

"i distinctly remember hearing someone threaten to kick his ass as soon as we were free from our steel cage. i guess my eyes are playing tricks on me because he looks pretty unscathed at the moment."

"i'm biding my time," justin replied, flashing me his trademark grin.

"i'm parked over here, guys," rob called, standing beside a silver suv that screamed adult.

"i figured you'd want to sit up front," he told justin, slapping him on the back.

"sure, that's fine," justin said, shooting me a look before climbing into the front seat of the vehicle.

the ride to the restaurant was loud as rob and melissa peppered us with questions about our confined time together on the elevator. strangely, justin stayed as closemouthed about what had transpired as i did. after a few minutes of trying, they both graciously surrendered as melissa launched into a detailed description of the engagement party the next night.

"we wanted to keep it fun, so we decided to do a themed karaoke party," melissa gushed, ignoring the look justin and i exchanged as i tried not to snicker.

"um, karaoke?" i asked, wondering if melissa had missed the memo where karaoke was no longer cool.

"yes, ms. doubting thomas, karaoke. i know it's not the fad anymore, which is why i want to do it. i'm going to help it make a comeback. the kicker is that everyone has to pick a song that best describes rob and me. right, babe?" she said, looking at rob for approval.

"you got it," he said, shooting her the same indulgent smile over his shoulder that i remembered from two years ago. i didn't know whether to laugh or applaud the fact that melissa still had him hooked so completely.

"karaoke," i repeated, trying to wrap my brain around the idea as rob pulled into a crowded parking lot.

"don't worry, i called ahead," rob reassured us as we piled out of the car.

"good man," justin said, falling in step with me as we headed into the restaurant together.

i tried to sort through how i felt about justin no longer looking at or talking to me with animosity. for a brief moment, i could almost make myself believe we were all together back at school on a double date. in reality, though, nothing was the same, and i was setting myself up by trying to remember the old days. as we made our way to our table, i maneuvered myself so melissa and rob were on either side of me, hoping the buffer would help clear the rest of my mind. what i hadn't counted on was that justin would be sitting directly across from me. throughout the meal, i couldn't keep my eyes from finding his time and time again. each time i looked, he was watching me with the same hooded expression that was hard for me to decipher.

being thrown off by what his looks meant put me in constant catch-up mode on the conversation. after having to ask melissa to repeat herself three times, i finally lied and said that the trauma of being trapped all day had obviously frazzled my brain. i would rather bite out my tongue than confess what the real issue was, especially when i didn't know myself. i was having a hard time figuring out if justin was being cordial because rob and melissa were there or because he'd finally forgiven me and was ready to be friends. if it was the latter, i was unsure how that made me feel. did i want his friendship? that was the question. that and whether i had forgiven him for the part he'd played.

regardless, i was able to get through the meal without mishap. dinner stretched into drinks that helped mellow my frazzled nerves. by the time rob drove back to his office so melissa and justin could pick up their cars, i felt much more in control. i was able to relax as i climbed into the car with melissa after giving rob a hug and shooting justin a smile.

32.

present day

i woke the next morning in my hotel room, feeling better than i had in two years. lying in bed, i allowed myself the luxury of enjoying the moment. maybe now, once and for all, i could finally put the past behind me. i knew i'd never forget about the baby, but maybe i could let go of some of the grief.

my phone chimed, letting me know i had a text message. i smiled when i saw it was from tressa, yelling at me for not returning all her texts from the previous day. instead of trying to text all the drama from the day before, i dialed her number. it took more than an hour to fill her in on everything that had transpired. she huffed and cursed her way through how rob had tricked me but laughed hysterically when she heard about the elevator getting stuck. she grew quiet as i explained everything that had gone down with justin.

"how do you feel now?" she asked when i finally ran out of steam.

"relieved, but i still feel like a mack truck ran over my chest. you know how i hate to talk about everything that happened."

"he's still a total asshole for what he did to you. he's lucky i never flew there. otherwise, he'd be dickless now."

"he's different now. harder, i guess. i think the whole situation changed him."

"yeah, well, you're different too. he made you go through a tough-ass situation all alone," tressa snipped, not ready to give up her grudge against him.

"i know. believe me, i let that be known. now, tell me what's going on there. how did ashton's first date go with panty dropper?"

tressa laughed at my question. "just put it this way, luck has not been on their side. the first night they went out, mr. hot voice ended up in the hospital."

"what?" i laughed as tressa filled me in on all the details surrounding our friend ashton's disastrous attempts at a one-night stand. tears of mirth rolled down my face when she told me about ashton taking a nosedive on her bedroom floor right before her date. then he walked in on her with her panty-covered butt in the air.

"poor ashton," i said, wiping the tears from my cheeks from laughing so hard. "i wish i were there."

"whatever. you're too busy shacking up with your ex to miss us."

"i'm not shacking up with him," i denied.

"it's only a matter of time. the hard edge you used to have when you talked about him is missing from your voice. just don't let the asshole hurt you again, or i'll overcome my fear of flying and drown him in the pungent sound."

"puget sound," i corrected.

"whatever. you knew what i meant, and you catch my drift."

"i understand, but you have nothing to worry about. the only thing that happened yesterday is that justin and i finally have no secrets and now we can move on. who knows, maybe we can even be friends."

"translation of 'friends' for you: he's so dreamy. translation of 'friends' for him: i can't wait to stick it in her."

"don't be crude, and you're so wrong," i denied.

"just be careful."

"i will. trust me, nothing is going to happen.

tressa mumbled something i couldn't quite catch but loosely sounded like i needed a hard smack to the side of the head.

i ignored her mumblings and told her to text me updates on ashton and panty dropper before hanging up. checking the time on my phone, i cringed when i realized i had less than half an hour until melissa would be arriving to pick me up. i hastily plugged my cell into the charger, since talking to tressa had drained the battery. i was applying my makeup ten minutes later when a knock at my door told me melissa was early. "shit," i said, wrapping one of the minuscule towels from the bathroom around my torso before heading to the door.

"you're a little early," i griped as i pulled open the door. it wasn't melissa. justin's broad frame was standing in front of me. yelping with dismay, i clutched what little towel there was before glancing down to make sure it was covering all the appropriate areas. "what are you doing here?" i stuttered out.

"melissa got called in to work for some paperwork fiasco, so i volunteered to pick you up so we can meet her and rob for lunch," he answered, entering my room without waiting for an invitation. "is that okay?" he asked, sitting on the edge of my bed.

"uh, sure," i answered, trying not to sound flustered, even though he was sitting on my bed. for some reason, it felt oddly intimate. old memories, i'm sure. "i just have to get dressed," i answered, pawing through my suitcase in a mad attempt to find something that would cover me better than my towel.

"i figured. towels are so out in the fashion industry," he teased.

i didn't know how to respond. sure, during dinner last night i'd seen him open up more, showing me that some of the guy i once knew was still there, but i chalked it up to the fact that rob and melissa had been there as a buffer. he wasn't flirty like the old justin, but he was at least friendly.

"i'll be right back," i said, clutching my clothes in front of me and backing up to the bathroom.

"no hurry. we still have a while until we have to meet melissa and rob," he answered.

i sagged against the door once it was closed. having justin in my room was enough to send my blood pressure through the roof.

i pulled on my panties and jeans with jittery fingers, telling myself it was fine that he was here. once my pants were in place, i felt a little more comfortable now that i wasn't completely naked. that is, until i reached for my bra, only to realize i'd left it in my suitcase. biting back a groan of frustration, i weighed my alternatives. i could walk out there in my jeans with the towel wrapped around my chest or i could put on my shirt and walk out to get my bra. neither option seemed ideal. knowing justin as well as i used to, he would definitely think this was a "check me out" ploy. i was screwed either way.

after a full two minutes of weighing the pros and cons, i decided to go with option b. of course, it was only after i was pulling on my shirt that i realized i had grabbed a fitted t-shirt that hugged my curves. sighing at the look i was sporting, i left the bathroom with my arms crossed over my chest as i tried to keep the front of my body angled away from justin.

"sorry, i'm just about ready," i said, not wanting to make a further spectacle of myself by sprinting the last few feet to my open suitcase, where my bra was dangling halfway out. i maneuvered my body so the suitcase was no longer in justin's line of vision. reaching a hand out, i snatched the offending undergarment into my hand, which turned out to be a bad idea since it was snagged on something in my suitcase. my hard tug made it come free with a loud snapping sound as it whacked me in the face.

i silently mumbled a string of curses, trying to control my watering eyes.

"you okay there?" justin asked, sounding like he was trying to suppress laughter. it was at that moment i looked up from my suitcase and met justin's reflective stare in the mirror. his eyes were filled with merriment as i clutched the bra in my closed fist.

"i'm fine," i answered, ignoring the fact that i was now sporting a welt on my forehead. i tried to remain aloof as i kept my chin up and stalked to the bathroom with my lips twitching. closing the door behind me, i could hear justin's chuckles and i couldn't help laughing at myself. i finished getting ready and before i knew it, we were leaving the room together. my heart skipped when he led me past the elevators toward the flight of stairs. usually, i requested a ground-floor room, but the hotel had been almost completely booked at the time i checked in. last night i had gladly hoofed it up the four floors to my room. seeing justin bypass the elevators played with my emotions.

we took our time walking down the stairs, exchanging the typical pleasantries. it felt awkward considering our history, but it was better than fighting. we exhausted the topic of weather after the first flight of stairs and rob and melissa's engagement party the rest of the way down.

everything stood still for me as justin stopped in front of an achingly familiar vehicle.

"your jeep," my voice cracked.

"i figured since there was a break in the rain, i'd celebrate by taking off the roof and doors. i hope you don't mind?" he asked. based on the small smile on his face, he knew i would approve.

"sure," i said, climbing into the vehicle. i kept my face neutral, although emotionally i was soaring.

justin cranked the jeep, and it was as loud as i remembered. within minutes, we were able to leave the city behind. the wind whipped around, stinging my face with familiarity. i was enjoying the ride so much it took ten minutes before i thought to question our destination.

"i figured we'd take the scenic route," justin yelled over the wind.

it felt like taking a trip to the past. my mind became flooded with memories and images of the good times we had shared. we were half an hour out of the city when justin pulled onto an embankment and whipped a u-turn. the tires spun out on the gravel before gripping the road, taking us back in the direction we'd just come from. i didn't comment, figuring he was a bit turned around. thirty minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant less than a block from my hotel.

"scenic route, huh?" i smiled.

"well, it was scenic for me," he answered softly.

pulling down the visor, i inspected my reflection, startled by how happy i looked. it had been a long time. two years, to be exact. i remembered my conversation with tressa and wondered if i was setting myself up for heartache.

"you're late." melissa greeted us outside the restaurant.

"we took the long way," i said, nodding toward justin.

melissa returned a questioning look before speaking up. "oh, well, come on. rob's already inside."

we found rob sitting at a booth and before i could react, melissa slid in next to him. i stood for a moment, eyeing the empty side of the booth across from them.

"you want me to slide in first?" justin asked.

"huh, oh yeah," i giggled, trying to play off the awkwardness as a joke. i could handle this. we had just ridden next to each other in his jeep. of course, we had bucket seats with a gearstick separating us, but technically it was the same thing, right? i could almost picture tressa snorting at my reasoning.

"is everything ready for tonight?" justin asked, draping his arm along the back of our booth. i shifted in my seat, rubbing the goose bumps that had popped up along my arms.