“No, really.Nothing happened there, and if you knew Lily her reaction wouldn’t be that surprising to you.”
“I could never put myself out there like that,” I said.The temperature in the room dropped a few degrees.Of course we were thinking of the same thing.
There was one time I’d put myself out there.A single moment where my pride came second to my love for him.
A door closed in my face, leaving me out in the rain and wind.
He opened his mouth to speak, and panic cut hot and sharp through my nervous system—I didn’t know what he planned to say but I wasn’t ready for it.Instead, I asked, “What the hell was up with your scrubs that week?”
He barked a laugh.Just like that we fell back into the easy place we’d been a moment before.
Too excited for whatever story he was about to tell, I shifted to lean toward him.
“Nora.”Shaking his head, he went on, “A couple of weeks ago, she challenged me to a push-up competition—”
“And she won?!”
“She did.She didn’t wipe the floor with me or anything.I would like to say that I’ve dealt with my toxic masculinity, that I’m enough of a feminist for my pride to not take a hit.But it did.I was drunk, obviously.”
“Obviously.”
“Anyway, she’s a beast and incredibly competitive.So, I got on my hands on the sticky dance floor of Benji’s Place—”
“That’sthebar in town, right?”
“Oh, yeah, there was a decent crowd of onlookers.”
“What you’re saying is if I needed protecting, I’d really want Nora to break through my door.”
He splayed his hands out in front of himself.“Hold on, now.”
“So, because she beat you, she got to pick your scrubs for a week?”
His nodding transformed into the shake of his head.“Yes.”
“That’s rough.But Lily still wanted you after that.”
“Who’d a thunk it?”
I snorted.The smile on his face pressed creases into the corners of his twinkling eyes.A dusting of stubble made him appear both ruggedly handsome and a little vulnerable.Navy sweatpants draped across his long thighs.
I ignored the little voice in my head whispering,I’d’ve thunk it.
If it weren’t for our history, I’d have a hard time not falling in love with him.
For a moment, the only sound was Furgie’s gentle snores and the crackle of fire.Something passed in the air between us.A crackle.A sizzle.A spark.And suddenly, I couldn’t look directly at him anymore.
Maybe I was more tired than I’d thought, it was the only explanation, because I would never ...I’d learned my lesson; he’d taught it to me.I didn’t yearn for a man the way I used to for him, and there was no way I’d ever go back there.
He cleared his throat.“Wanna watch something?”
“Yeahforsurethat’dbeawesome.”My words jumbled together in their haste to get out of my mouth, anything to appear unaffected.
“What are you into these days?”
“Are you watching Sovereign?”
He scoffed.“Am I watching Sovereign?”
