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Back First Comes Love Save as PDF
Chapters (92)
  1. First
  2. Love Connection
  3. Zero
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Three
  7. Four
  8. Five
  9. Six
  10. Seven
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. One Month Later
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Six Months Later
  21. Sixteen
  22. Seventeen
  23. Eighteen
  24. Nineteen
  25. Twenty
  26. Twenty-one
  27. Twenty-two
  28. Twenty-three
  29. Twenty-four
  30. Six Months Later
  31. Twenty-five
  32. Twenty-six
  33. Twenty-seven
  34. Twenty-eight
  35. Twenty-nine
  36. Thirty
  37. Thirty-one
  38. Thirty-two
  39. Thirty-three
  40. I Have Never
  41. One
  42. Two
  43. Three
  44. Four
  45. Five
  46. Six
  47. Seven
  48. Eight
  49. Nine
  50. Ten
  51. Eleven
  52. Twelve
  53. Thirteen
  54. Fourteen
  55. Fifteen
  56. Sixteen
  57. Seventeen
  58. Eighteen
  59. Nineteen
  60. Twenty
  61. Twenty-one
  62. Twenty-two
  63. A Christmas Date
  64. One
  65. Two
  66. Three
  67. Four
  68. Five
  69. Six
  70. Seven
  71. Eight
  72. Nine
  73. Ten
  74. Eleven
  75. Twelve
  76. Thirteen
  77. Fourteen
  78. Fifteen
  79. Sixteen
  80. Seventeen
  81. Eighteen
  82. Nineteen
  83. Twenty
  84. Twenty-one
  85. Twenty-two
  86. Note from the Author
  87. Sneak Peek – To the Stars and Back
  88. Two
  89. Three
  90. Four
  91. Also by Camilla Isley
  92. About the Author

“And you want a guy like that… why, exactly?”

“Look at it this way: Gerard ticked off all the right boyfriend boxes, and he was a disaster. A perfect match on paper, a cheating scum in real life. Richard may seem like the wrong guy for so many reasons, but he’s not for the most important one.”

“Which is?”

“The way my pulse quickens whenever I’m next to him, or the drop in my stomach I get just thinking about him.”

“So you have a crush, it won’t last forever. The beating heart, the stomach dives… they all disappear, eventually. You’ll get used to him and get over it.”

I look away, afraid to meet Nikki’s eye.

“What is it?” she asks.

“This is more than a silly crush.”

“What? You’re in love with him now?”

I shake my head. “In love is too much. But it’s something more than a crush.”

“But you’ve never even kissed him.”

I stare my roommate down. “Have you ever kissed Paul?”

Nikki blushes. “Fair enough. So, what are you going to do?”

“If Richard wants to play games, I’ll play right along with him.”

Fourteen

Never Play Games

On Monday morning, I kick off a new game called the shoe game. Richard likes heels, so I’m going to give him a run for his money. Even if buying new shoes is financially verboten, I’ve hoarded for years, and Carrie Bradshaw’s closet has nothing on mine.

First, I shed the athleisure once and for all. If I can’t walk to Brooklyn in stiletto heels and a pencil skirt, I can surely change before getting to the office. As for grooming, I do my makeup with the same chirurgical care I used to adopt at Évoque and pin my hair in a bun with a stick. The bun is only temporary; at the right moment, the stick will come out and the hair will cascade over my shoulders in voluminous waves.

Shoes. I go with nude patent leather pumps with a cute bow to accentuate the peep toe.

Clothes. A military green halter-top over a taupe satin maxi skirt with a vertiginous slit.

I carefully fold the top and skirt, place them in a garment bag, and fit them in my ever-present duffel bag that now has been compartmentalized. One side for me and one for Chevron. I pull on an old pair of black sweatpants, a matching sweatshirt, and my running shoes.

“Are you experiencing multiple personalities?” Nikki asks as I join her in the kitchenette.

I catch a glimpse of myself in the hall mirror and smirk. From the neck up, I’m Upper East Side, from the neck down, I’m sick-day-at-home.

“I’ll change at the office. Did you make coffee?”

She nods.

I pour some into a thermos, kiss Nikki goodbye, and leave for my morning walking commute with Chevron.