If I Could Be With You Read Online Free PDF Page B

found the right one, but the right one also happened to be wearing a wedding band. She decided to probe a little further.
    "Why is she so insecure? I thought you said you were best friends."
    "We are, but Nadia is used to being my only best friend. I've never really dated anyone seriously so she's never had to handle me having feelings for someone. The thought that someone might take her place in my life or that I might actually fall in love scares her a little. And," he looked Hannah straight in the eyes, "I get that and respect it."
    Hannah took a deep breath, "So, what you're really saying is that while you consider your marriage to Nadia helping a best friend out, she has unreciprocated feelings for you?"
    He stopped walking and pulled her down to sit next to him on a bench in the shade.
    "I don't want to confuse things between us, Hannah. Her feelings at this point aren't important. Do you even know how you feel about me? Have you considered if you want me in your life beyond a summer fling? I have a life here and Nadia's a part of that.  I'm not going to make her needlessly insecure or bring up painful conversations only for you to decide you don't want a younger man or New York, and head back to Ohio."
    She leaned forward and put her hand to her forehead. How did she get herself into these situations? Why hadn't she brought all of these things up before she'd gone to bed with him? He had a point. Was he just a summer fling? Could she really see a future with hi, and if she couldn't, was it fair of her to mess up what he had going on with Nadia - even if it was only friendship on his side?
    She stood and held out her hand to him.
    "Too much to take in today, Charlie. I don’t have any answers for you.”
    “I’m not the one asking for answers...unless maybe it’s to the question, ‘Are you hungry?’”
    “Starving,” she said, and this time she was truly thinking about food.
     
    ****
     
    As they boarded the train back to Queens, Hannah leaned on Charlie’s shoulder and let the cool air engulf her. For a June evening, the city was particularly warm and the subway car offered a welcome respite. Charlie placed his chin on the top of her head as she played with the ring on his finger.
    “What would you say about taking this off? At least until I leave in a few weeks?”  When he didn’t answer right away she continued. “I think I’d like to be able to consider how I feel about you and if this could be more than just a summer consummation of a teenage fantasy. It would help me to be in the same position as Nadia. I’d like to pretend she didn’t exist, just so I can deal with whether I have feelings for you apart from your marital status.”
    Charlie lifted his hand and slowly slipped the ring from his finger placing it in the pocket of his jeans. When he put his hand back down it was placed strategically high on her thigh.
    The train lurched to a stop and a few passengers exited. Except for a sleeping young woman in the back corner with a book covering her face, they were alone. Charlie lifted her chin with his free hand and gazed into her eyes before brushing his lips against hers. She angled her body so she could wrap her arms around his neck to draw him in closer. A quick glance behind her let her know the young woman was still dead to the world, so when his hand slipped up the leg of her shorts she thought, “What the hell?”
    It wasn’t like she could control the response of her body to his touch. His warm fingers swept feathery touches over her goosebumps from chilled subway car air. 
    “Is this OK, Charlie?” She breathed in the clean scent of his aftershave and ran her fingers over the stubble already present again on his hard jawline. “I mean, aren’t there cameras or something?”
    He laughed,  “I’d love to fuck you right here, Hannah, but the subway’s kind of dirty and I don’t mean that in a good way.” He wiggled an eyebrow at her. “I like your adventurous spirit,