Her smile widened. “I’d say you’re smart all of the time.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” I hedged. “I did something kinda stupid this weekend.”
“What’s that?”
I shook my head. “We talk about my stuff all the time. We should continue talking about you.”
Grier groaned. “No, I want to think about something else for a while. I’ve been brooding too much lately as it is.” Her eyes twinkled. “Besides, you usually make me laugh when you tell me your stories about how you’ve been stupid.”
“Oh, really?” I asked. When she nodded, I sighed. “Well, in this case, I don’t know if you’re going to laugh or smack me upside the head.”
“I would never smack you, even if you deserved it. Now, tell me what happened.”
She took several steps and I followed her lead. We settled back into the brisk pace we usually held when we walked together.
“Well, I made a bet with Landen. A…sexy bet.” Her brows raised but she didn’t say anything, so I continued. “He wants to take things slow when it comes to the, uh, physical aspect of our relationship. Of course he decided this after we made out in a partially naked state.Andhe wants to be in control of all this.” Grier snorted and I nodded at her. “Exactly. By that time, my brain was offline and my libido was in charge, so I told him that I bet I could make him lose that control he so desperately wants.”
I glanced at Grier out of the corner of my eye and saw her smirking and shaking her head, but she still remained silent.
“The terms of the bet are that we wait two weeks before we…uh…” I stopped talking, unsure of how to word what I wanted to say. I was already sharing way too much information, but I also wanted to make that sad look in Grier’s eyes vanish.
“Had sex?” she supplied.
“Well, yeah. He wants to wait a couple of weeks and I’m planning to make sure we don’t.” When I said the words out loud, I realized how crazy that sounded. Before Landen, two weeks would have seemed like I was rushing things. “And I’m freaking crazy because I would never sleep with a man I just met two weeks ago if I was dating him!”
Grier laughed out loud. “Maybe, but you didn’t meet Landen two weeks ago. You’ve known him over a year. He’s not exactly a stranger.”
“This is true,” I murmured.
“Chelsea, only you and Landen can decide what course your relationship should take and what timing is right for you. Any of us can give you advice, but if you think you’re ready for the next step, that’s great. But make sure Landen is on the same page. Bet or no bet.”
Crap. She had an extremely valid point. Was I pushing Landen for something he wasn’t ready for? Was I jumping in before I was ready? Now, the entire situation seemed more complicated than it had before she and I talked.
“Talk to him,” she encouraged.
My eyes slid sideways so I could look at her. “You say that a lot, you know.”
She grinned. “I’ve had enough therapy over the years to know that communication is the key to success in any relationship, whether it’s romantic, familial, or friendship. It’s something that’s easy to forget when you’re caught up in the moment or that initial period of excitement and nervousness, but it’s still necessary.”
“You sound like a therapist right now, you know,” I grumbled. “And you’re also right, which makes it even more annoying. Aren’t you supposed to be young and dumb?”
Her smile faded away but she didn’t look at me. “I haven’t felt young in a long, long time. Though there are plenty of days I feel stupid.”
“I think we both know you’re anything but stupid, especially when it comes to interpersonal relationships.”
The corner of her mouth quirked up as if she was about to smile. “Just because I know doesn’t mean that I’m the best at following my own advice.”
“Well, you should because you give awesome advice.”
“Thank you,” she replied. “I hope you take it.”
“I will,” I sighed. “Now, we should keep walking. I may be naked in front of a man someday soon and I want to look hot.”
Grier laughed. “You always look hot.”
“Thank you. I try.”
We both giggled and quickened our pace. Grier looked lighter and less distracted but my mind kept veering back toward Landen Weber and what was happening between us.
