"Thanks for this," she mumbles into me.
I smirk, knowing damn well this is just as much for me as it is for her. "I once read that people need eight hugs a day for survival."
She reels back and looks up at me. "No fucking way."
I bob my head. "Yep."
"No wonder I feel like shit, I'm hug deprived."
I tug her back into me. "There, there, little one."
She chuckles and goes along with it. "This is nice though."
"Anything for you," I whisper and wonder if she knows how serious I am with those three innocent words.
"You give really great hugs." Cora wraps her arms around me a bit tighter, and I breathe in her vanilla and lavender scented shampoo.
"Maybe that will be my next gig. Professional hugger." I rub a small circle on her back.
"I'd go broke." She chuckles and pulls away all too soon, holding me at arm's length. "You're a great friend, Alec, thank you."
And there it is. Thef-word no guy wants to hear.Friend.
I force a smile through the agony of the nothing that is between us. "Hey, what are friends for?" It pains me even more to say it myself. If a friend is all she needs, or wants, that's what I'll give her, because there isn't anything I can't imagine I wouldn't do for her.
Call me foolish but I'm hung the fuck up on her, and there's no sign of me coming down from this love high anytime soon.
"How's work going for you?" I ask her in a sad attempt to keep her here a little longer and learn more about what's going on in that pretty head of hers.
"Honestly, it sucks." Cora's chest rises as she draws in a breath and releases it. "Don't get me wrong, it's great. The opportunity alone is fucking incredible. My boss, though? He's a fucking creep."
I catch my hand before it completely balls into a fist, and my whole body goes tense. "Did he do something to you? Do I need to?—?"
She cuts me off, her cool hand pressed against my chest. "Simmer down, boy."
Her skin touching me has the exact opposite effect, though.
"He didn't do anything wrong, not yet. It's just his presence, ya know? He's a dick about everything, and there's always this undertone of disgusting male bravado that gives me the ick."
"The ick?"
"Yeah, Alec, the ick." This brings a smile onto her face, this time more genuine than the last. She shakes her head. "Those boys are keeping you under a rock or what?"
"Nah," I tell her, but if I'm being completely honest, between driving them around and school, I really don't get out much. I have a little bit of a social life, just not as much as most people my age. "But seriously, if you need me to do something about this boss of yours, I will."
The thought of anyone making Cora's skin crawl makes me want to rip theirs from every inch of their body.
Is it wrong to be this protective of someone who isn't even mine?
"It's fine, really. But thanks, I appreciate it." She reaches out and puts that tiny hand of hers on my biceps, patting gently. "Plus," her tone shifts. "I'm the lead on this new project. You know the giant high-rise going up downtown?" She doesn't wait for my nod before continuing. "It's a make or break for my career as an interior designer."
"Wait?" I say. "That's the job you got? That's fucking incredible. We've gone over the building design in one of my architecture classes. I hear that place is for like A-list celebs and shit."
Her cheeks redden slightly. "Yep. That's why I'm dealing with Mister Creepo, because if I can make a splash and start getting celebrity clients..." Cora's eyes lose focus like she's lost in a daydream of the future.
And boy would I do anything to make sure she gets exactly what she wants.
"Speaking of classes," Cora says. "How's that going? You almost done yet?"
