He sits beside me and ducks his head close to mine, his arm brushing the bare skin of my shoulder. My breath catches, and I hope he doesn’t notice. He shifts closer and is it my imagination, or does he release a soft sigh?
“A comedy?”
“A comedy it is.” I select a movie with a couple of goofy guys in police uniforms and prop the laptop on a stool opposite us, then connect it wirelessly to the TV.
The film begins, but I’m more aware of the man beside me than what’s happening on the screen. He stretches and slings his arm across the top of the sofa, his fingers dangling down and brushing my shoulder. I shiver.
“Are you cold?” he asks. “Want me to get a blanket?”
“I’m fine.” I’m just not sure what to do with this uneasy truce between us. Usually I’d snuggle into his side, but I’m feeling a bit fragile.
“I’ll keep you warm.” His arm drops down around me and he yanks me into his side. I can feel the bulge of his bicep through my top. “Better?”
“Yeah.” I rest my head on his shoulder. It seems like we’re doing the cuddling after all.
He chuckles, but I have no idea what’s funny. We stay there for a while longer, the smell of grilled vegetables slowly permeating the room from the open plan kitchen. Eventually, he gets up to check them and I pause the movie and join him, then I dish the vegetables while he serves the chimichurri and puts on the finishing touches.
“Honestly, this is going to be the best meal I’ve had all week,” I tell him.
“It doesn’t beat Moretti’s,” he replies hesitantly, eyeing me as if he wants to broach the topic of our spat but doesn’t know how to do it.
I shrug. “The company improves the food, and your mama’s chimichurri is divine.”
A smile curves lips that are far too sensual for a man who fights for a living. “So you… like… the company?”
I return his smile more confidently. “Yes, the company is exactly what I need today.”
A full-fledged grin breaks over his face. “Same here. Now, let’s eat.”
The rest of the night passes in the fashion I’m used to. The tension has broken and we’re more comfortable with each other. We eat, watch the movie, and talk. Nothing deep, but the kind of surface stuff that leaves me feeling good about where we can go from here. The only moment that gives me pause is when he asks how my date went last night. I admit it was a bust and he grunts while he tries to figure out what to say. I brush it off with some half-ass comment and five minutes later, we’re back in the rhythm of being us. Hopefully it lasts.
Gabe
I’m going to see her again tonight. Although everything ended well after our movie session a few days ago, I feel like Sydney and I really need one more night to cement our friendship. Right now, I’m not completely secure in it, and I don’t like feeling uncertain where she’s concerned. She’s supposed to be my constant. Friends come and go, fights come and go, but Sydney is always there. Isn’t she?
A horn honks outside, and I check my phone. Sure enough, there’s a text from Jase. I lock up and head outside. His Camaro is idling on the curb. Lena is in the front seat, and she waves as I approach. The back seat is clear so I squeeze in, my knees coming up to my chest. It’s a reasonably sized car, but my legs don’t fit many places well. Airplanes are especially bad, which is why I usually fly first class. Well, that, and who wouldn’t, given the option?
“Is it just the five of us tonight?” I ask as Jase pulls back onto the road.
“Yeah. I invited a few guys from the gym to make it an even eight, but they already had plans.”
I nod, although I doubt he can see. Bowling is something we like to do together a few times a year. We had four players—Jase, Devon, Sydney, and I—but Lena throws our numbers off. Not that I’m not pleased to have her here. She’s a cool girl, and she got Jase out of hot water, which means she has my approval. We stop at Devon’s apartment building first, and he sits on the other side, which forces Sydney to squish into the middle when we pick her up. She scoots over my thighs, giving me just enough time to appreciate the soft curves of her ass before she lands in the center and belts up.
“Hey, beautiful,” Devon says, wrapping one arm around her.
My eyes narrow, and I shoot a glare over her head. The guys know better than to touch Sydney around me. She’s off-limits. But that doesn’t stop Devon from trying to rile me up.
“Hi, Dev.” She smiles up at him but doesn’t relax into his body the way she does mine, and satisfaction fists in my gut. Maybe it’s masochistic to notice these things, but I can’t help it. She’s my addiction. And if I can’t touch her the way I want, then the second best thing is to hold onto that special place she carved out for me in her heart when we were kids. I’ve never come close to losing it before, and I don’t intend to now.
“I hear you’ve been looking for a man,” Devon says, his attention fully on Sydney.
I want to wring his neck, but it’s not exactly his fault he’s goading me so much. As far as he and Jase know, I’m protective of Sydney because she’s myfriend. Like asister.They don’t realize I freak the fuck out when anyone lays their hand on her or flirts with her because she’smine. At least, in my head she is. In reality, she’d probably laugh her ass off if I said as much.
Okay, she wouldn’t. She’s too nice for that. But she knows I can’t give her what she wants, and based on how she reacted the other day, she wouldn’t hesitate to remind me of that.
“Just starting the search,” she replies, her tone tense. She doesn’t know how I feel about her, but she senses that her love life makes me a little crazy and probably doesn’t want to antagonize me when we’re smoothing things over. “I’ve been on a couple of dates but haven’t met anyone I want to go on a second one with yet.”
Covering my mouth, I try to hide my relief. Based on her expression, I fail.
