“Well, that explains it,” Shawn said. “Telling you not to do something is the fastest way to make you want to do it. Kai should have seen that one coming.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I agree. It’s totally Kai’s fault.”
Shawn rolled his eyes. “That’s not really what I said.”
“Well, a relationship moratorium doesn’t seem like the worst thing, considering you’re only ever interested in people for a single night,” Cass pointed out.
“Or afternoon, or morning,” Shawn added.
I sighed. “Yeah, I’m sure it will blow over. It’s not like I’m dying to take him to the prom or buy him flowers.” I held my cold glass up and pressed it against my temple. “He’s just really, really hot, and that makes it really, really awkward to live and work together.”
“I get it,” Cass said. “It’s hot when something’s forbidden. I remember, before you knew about us, when Shawn and I hooked up—”
“La la,” I interrupted him. “La la la.”
Having my best friend and brother touching each other’s butts made for some unique challenges, but one of the things I’d figured out early was that I was happy to talk about pretty much any aspect of their relationship except for what they did in bed.
There was just no way I needed those kinds of details.
“I’m just saying.” Cass laughed and drummed his fingers on the table. “Of course it’s hot.”
“I’ll work it out,” I said to change the subject, then turned my eyes across the bar. “He’s a good guy, he’s helpful at the office, and I want to make him welcome for Kai’s sake.”
“Then just get to know him,” Shawn offered. “If you can push through feeling awkward and learn who he is as a person, then you’ll be able to stop obsessing about him like he’s the hottie of the week. He won’t be like one of your anonymous men anymore.”
I knew that was good advice, and I intended to get to know River better anyway. But somewhere in the back of my brain, a warning blared out, like spending more time with him could only possibly lead to more obsessive thoughts about his ass.
“I just need to find an actual hottie of the week to distract myself until I get over this weird fixation,” I said, still glancing across the bar while we talked.
“I am so glad I’m done with the dating game,” Cass sighed. “It’s exhausting.”
“I’m not dating,” I pointed out. “I’m looking for a hookup. Totally different thing.”
“Still exhausting, though,” Shawn countered.
I slumped back down into the seat. “Yeah, it is.” There wasn’t anyone who caught my eye in the bar, just like I hadn’t spotted anyone hot on my apps in at least a week. I figured it was just a fluke, but still, the lack of exciting potentials wasn’t making things easier.
“Enough of that. Tell me about the article you’re researching,” I said to Shawn. “I could use a distraction.”
Chapter Six
River
The Squirrel Hillneighborhood really was pretty charming, with gorgeous old houses, scenic vistas, and a street full of cute shops. Like when I was first in London, I loved to take long walks when I had an afternoon free. Stretching my legs helped clear my mind, and if I sat around Kai’s place, I’d just start moping again.
I always assumed I would eventually marry someone in London and get citizenship that way. It was as much of a plan as I ever put together. Instead, I’d strung together ten years of work visas with good luck and charm, always hoping for something that would last.
Running off to Italy put an end to that employment streak. And even though I had decided that I needed to spend this time with Kai to sort myself out, having no way of moving back made me long for my old friends and favorite places.
Yikes. I shook my head. I really needed to not long after things I couldn’t have. It was much more my style to embrace whatever the day brought me. Still, I paused long enough to send a text to Marie. I had spent a happy year dating her when I was in my early twenties, and after, we’d easily switched to being close friends.
Call me? Miss you.
I sighed, then rounded a corner and came face to face with the solution to all my problems—a theater running cheap matinees of old movies.
A temporary fix to my problems, maybe, but a fix anyway. The big brick building sat across from a tiny park and a bus stop. On the white marque, the Ringhouse Theater announced a couple of new releases and the afternoon’s matinee, the 1996Romeo and Juliet.
I gasped. It was the Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes version, the one I’d watched obsessively in middle school as I formed crushes on literally everyone in the cast. It was exactly what I needed to clear my head, and I practically skipped as I walked in and treated myself to a popcorn.
