“Was that the girl you’ve been seeing?”
I stare at him, grinding my back teeth. This has to be the single most awkward moment of my life.
He laughs again. “If I ever meet her, I’m never gonna be able to look her in the eye. Damn, the way she was moaning for that swift ass of yours. You dirty fucker.”
“Don’t worry, you won’t ever meet her. I don’t plan on staying with her. You know me.” I snatch the remote from his hand and place it on the shelf under the TV.
A heaviness weighs on my chest. The first girl I actually want to have a real relationship with and she’s off-limits. You couldn’t make this shit up. It’s like I’m in some real life movie, only this one’s a tragedy. You know it’s going to rip your heart out and shatter it into a million pieces, but you can’t look away. You crave the emotional rollercoaster because at least it makes you feel something. I’d sooner have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
I run my hand over my face and drop on the sofa, feeling as if I’ve just aged ten years. “You speak a word of this to anyone and I’ll tell Cam about that time you jacked off in her sunscreen bottle.”
The shit-eating grin he was wearing vanishes in an instant. “You wouldn’t. We said we’d never speak of it again.”
A smile unfurls from my lips as I enjoy having something to hold over him. “No, I wouldn’t. Just like we’re never gonna speak of this again. Right?”
His face screws up as if he’s sucking on a lemon. “Right, man. The last thing I want to talk about is your ass. But there are just things that can’t be unseen. I’m fucking scarred for life. You owe me big time.”
“Stop your whining, be thankful it was just my ass you saw.” I flick my eyes to the heavens again, knowing I’m so fucking thankful that’s all he saw.
GLORY
Noel walks into the tea shop, looking like he just stepped off of Sunset Boulevard with dark shades hiding his ocean-blue eyes. His smile widens when he lifts the shades. He strides over to the counter, running a hand over his forehead, pulling back the sun-kissed hair that hangs loose.
“Hey, sprout.”
My cheeks blush and I glance around the room to check Gray’s not in earshot. “Hey, hotshot.”
“I’ve been calling you. I can’t believe you’re working again.” He leans over the counter to whisper, “We need to talk.”
Crap on a cracker. Not the dreaded talk. My stomach rolls. I shouldn’t have polished off that Christmas cookie. “Is this about my brother? He’s been acting weird lately.“
“He's been acting weird with me, too. He’s going through some midlife crisis.” Noel scans the shop, making sure he’s not in earshot. “I thought he was on to us.”
“I don’t think so. Even if he was, it’s nothing to do with him who I hang out with. I like hanging out with you.”
“I enjoy hanging out with you too. We could have been spending the day together. I’m going back to LA once this movie wraps. We don’t have a lot of time left.”
“Why do you think I’m working? I’m trying to save up some money so I can move out there, too.” I bite my lip, rolling it between my teeth. Now he’s going to think I’m moving because of him.You are.Yes, but that’s not the main reason, and I don’t want to scare him off. “Er… That is, if you’ll still help me find work out there. I’m not moving to be with you or anything. I just want to work on a movie set.”
He puts his shades back on, but I didn’t miss the disappointment in his eyes.
“Of course, I’d love to carry on seeing you out there. If that’s what you want. I just don’t want you to think that I assume—”
Gray strolls back the tearoom holding a tray of empty pots, whistling jingle bells. My cheeks burn with embarrassment after fessing up that I’d like to see more of him. Dread sticks in the back of my throat, knowing he’s not the settling down kind of guy and I should accept that. I’m not sure how I’d feel seeing him flirt, or worse, date someone else in LA, but I can’t let that stop me from following my dreams.
Gray sets the tray down, then gives Noel a fist bump. “Good to see you with your clothes on, man.”
My head tilts to the side. With pinched eyebrows, I look between the two of them. Noel straightens his spine and Gray chuckles to himself.
“When did you see him without his clothes?” I cock my hip and rest my fist there.
“Private joke,” Gray says, still chuckling to himself.
Cam shimmies past me with her curvy frame, reaching for the speciality teas.
Noel smirks. “Hey Cam, remember when we were about sixteen and we would go spend all day at the beach? You had that little bottle of coconut sunscreen.”
“That was a great summer.” Cam pours a peppermint infusion, filling the air with the aroma of Christmas.
