18
FREYA
My skin is tingling, my blood is heated, and my head is spinning as I close the front door behind me.
I hang my head, mourning the loss of connection with Cole as the lock engages.
I take a moment to try and gather myself, but it does very little.
I spin around, ready to grab a drink and head up to bed, but I’m stopped in my tracks when I find my parents standing in the doorway to the kitchen, curious expressions on their faces.
“Jesus, you scared the hell out of me.”
“I thought you went out on a date with a guy called Levi,” Mom states.
“So why is Cole Hansley dropping you off and looking at you like he wants to kiss you good night?” Dad finishes.
“What? No, that’s not what that was,” I say in a rush. “He just gave me a ride home.”
“Again?” Mom asks.
“He’s just being a friend.”
“He’s your boss,” Dad counters.
“Right. But we’re friends too. He didn’t want me getting an Uber.” Not entirely true, but I’m sure Dad will appreciate the sentiment.
“Right,” he muses.
“So you did go on a date with Levi?” Mom asks.
“What’s with the twenty questions?” I mutter as I kick my heels off and walk toward them. “Excuse me.”
They part like the Red Sea, allowing me to slip into the kitchen and grab a bottle of water from the fridge.
Their attention follows me, and their unspoken questions sit heavy in the air.
“Go on, just ask,” I breathe, resting my ass back against the counter and opening my bottle.
Dad’s lips part, but before any words come out, Mom smacks him lightly in the stomach while shooting him a glare that says a thousand words.
“How was the date?” Mom finally asks.
“It was nice.”
She winces and sucks in a breath through her teeth.
“What?” Dad asks. “Nice is good.”
“No, nice is not good. Nice is…adequate.”
“Oh. Freya deserves much more than adequate.”
“Exactly. She deserves extraordinary.”
Jeez, what girl can disagree with that?
“So that’s the end of Levi, then,” Dad mutters.
