𝐁𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐒

SIXTEEN | THE CONFESSION

Mateo tensed up in his chair as Christine's hands gripped onto his shoulders. She started to massage them, but he quickly shook her off.

"Christine, stop," he said with irritation, "What are you doing?"

The woman leaned forward, and seductively whispered into his ear, "I'm reminding you of everything you're missing."

"Alright, that's enough," he said firmly before standing up and turning around to face Christine, "Christine, we cannot go on like this any longer. I am not interested, so you've got to stop forcing yourself onto me. Things need to remain 100% professional from here on out."

"I know you loved me at one time, Mateo. Stop lying to yourself, and stop lying to me. We were happy together," she snapped.

"Dammit, Christine," he said with growing frustration, "What aren't you getting? I have been crystal clear with you. Are you really going to make me say it?"

Christine simply raised a brow at him before crossing her arms stubbornly.

"Christine," he sighed, "I never loved you. Not like that."

The woman's face dropped instantly, and she backed up against the wall, away from Mateo.

"Why don't you love me?" she asked sadly, "What is it about me that turns you away?"

"Christine," he started as he took a few steps towards her, reaching out for her hands.

"No. Don't," she said with tears in her eyes, pulling her hands away from him, "Stop doing that. Stop grabbing my hands, and touching my face, and kissing my forehead if you don't love me. You know how I feel about you, so stop doing things that make me believe that some part of you maybe feels the same."

Mateo took a few steps back, and sighed, "I'm sorry, Christine. You'd be a perfect person to love. I can't give you a real reason why I don't reciprocate your feelings. They're just not there."

Christine's eyes were watering, but she tried her best to blink the tears away. It was true. Christine would be the perfect person for him to be in love with, and an ideal person for him to date. A relationship with her would be easy, comfortable, and stable. He could say with confidence that everything would always remain simple, convenient, and without complications. She was the safe option.

But Mateo didn't want easy; he didn't want simple; and he certainly didn't want perfect.

He wanted a crazy, passionate, intoxicating kind of love—one that consumed him fully.

None of which he had ever felt around Christine.

Christine would never challenge or push him in any sense. He knew he could always count on her undying love and unwavering loyalty—which is essential in a long term relationship, but being around her grew boring fast. She catered to his every whim, and lacked individuality. There was no spunk, no fire.

At least not like there was whenever he was around Felicity.

He was excited by the way Felicity pushed him outside of his comfort zone. He liked the way she talked back. He liked her independence, her strength, and the way she was always evolving. In the short amount of time that he had known her, he had seen so many different sides to her, and he was continuing to see more come out. He liked who he was when he was around her.

And that settled it.

Mateo knew just what he had to do. He was suddenly realizing that Felicity single-handedly possessed every quality he had ever hoped to find in somebody. While there were still some obvious complications that existed between the two of them, he knew that he would likely never meet another her.