I hadn’t realized how much mytypewas Grown Up Iggy. I loved easy smiles and devil-may-care attitudes, laughter that filled a room, and I’d always been a sucker for blue eyes.
Not that I was about to mention any of that.
“I’m sorry for telling Liam we were engaged,” Iggy said, scratching at a chip in the table in front of him. “It… I… heleftme, and I…”
“I understand,” I said, fingers itching to reach out and touch him, soothe him however I could.
The thought of Iggy hurting like that was enough to make my stomach hurt in sympathy.
“I just wanted him to think someone else wanted me,” Iggy mumbled. “Just for a second.”
I do want you.
I couldn’t say that. I wasn’t even sure I meant it, and I was almost positive that if Idid, I didn’t mean it the way Iggy meant it.
“I’m the one who lied in the first place,” I said instead. “And I’d be lucky to be engaged to you.”
Iggy snorted. “Oh yeah. I’m a catch.”
“You’ve worked hard to open and run your own clearly-successful business, you’ve got a beautiful home, and you come with a cute puppy,” I said. “Youarea catch. Liam’s an asshole.”
“He’s not, you know,” Iggy said. “Like, he’s okay. Really.”
“Well, he’s at least an idiot,” I said. “He was lucky to have you.”
“One dirty caramel chai latte with coconut milk,” Dante said beside us before Iggy could deflect again. “And the most espresso I can legally give you in one cup with just enough steamed milk to make it opaque.”
I raised an eyebrow, but Iggy was already looking at the coffee like he’d just been handed Jason Momoa’s room key.
“I love you,” he said.
“Aww, I love you, too,” Dante said.
“I was talking to the coffee,” Iggy responded, picking the cup up and holding it close to his chest.
Dante chuckled as he walked away, bounding over to the counter to serve another small crowd that’d just walked in.
“He seems nice.”
“Dante? He’s… an acquired taste, but he’s been a good friend to me,” Iggy said. “I do love him.”
“Like… romantically, or…?” I asked, suddenly uncomfortable with the idea.
Okay, I’d screwed up my chance with Iggy already, but I was only now realizing that I maybe, possibly,very slightlyregretted it. Even if I’d been doing the right thing, even if I knew that he would’ve resented me in the morning for taking advantage of him.
Whatever Seth thought about people who hadn’t hit their heads wanting to kiss me.
It was just that it might’ve been nice. Just once.
“Oh dear god no,” Iggy said. “No, nope. Dante’s gonna make someone really happy one day, but he’s kind of… high risk, high reward, y’know? Whereas I’m looking for…”
“For?” I prompted.
“Doesn’t matter. It’s stupid,” Iggy said, touching his coffee cup to his lips but not taking a sip just yet. “Not Dante, anyway.”
“Shame, he is kinda cute,” I teased, wondering what it was that Iggy wasn’t saying, but afraid to pry. We were still finding our footing together after so long apart.
“He’s looking for an Aquarius or a Libra, with preference toward an Aquarius because he thinks the sex would be more fun,” Iggy said with the air of a sage who lived on a mountain and subsisted on dew, berries, and wisdom.
