Ali laughed, shaking her head. “Glutton for punishment, that one.”
Jasper and Abby had been sort of okay just before we’d left, so I guessed it was good that he was making an effort to catch up with her. I’d spent a lot of time hating Abby on Jasper’s behalf, but the past four years had taught me not to hold a grudge. Life had thrown too much crap at us as it was, so why hold on to something negative if we didn’t have to?
“So, how are you doing?” Jasper asked, coming back from thebathroom. Mum and Ali took a bottle of red wine and two glasses into the living room.
“I’m okay,” I replied, trying not to get irritated by the question.
They cared.
“Have you heard anything from Linda yet?” he asked.
“No.”
Jasper’s mouth cracked open, probably to ask me why, but Cole shook his head, effectively shutting Jasper up.
“You want to come out to a bar tomorrow night?” Cole asked us both.
I had no clue how he was so casual. I felt ready to snap after the almost kiss.
“Erm, I have plans.”
Of course. Plans with Abby.
“You can bring Abby, too,” Cole said.
“Mum is such a gossip,” Jasper muttered. “We might meet you after. I’ll see how things go.”
That meant if Abby wasn’t putting out, he’d bring her to the bar.
“What are you guys doing before the bar?” Jasper asked.
Cole shrugged. “Working. Some of us do that, you know.”
I stifled a laugh. “Do you do much work? You text me loads while you’re there.”
“Have you ever thought that maybe I’m just so good at what I do that I can work and still have time to text you?”
Tapping my jaw, I pretended to think. “Nope.”
“Right,” Jasper said. “I’ve had enough of the flirting already. I’m going to bed. Night.”
“Night,” Cole and I replied at the same time.
Alone in the kitchen again, Cole turned to me.
“I’m going to ask if you’re okay, but this is specific to what happened before they came home.”
“Yes, I’m fine about that. Are you? I mean, you were ready to strangle me right before.”
He ran his palms down his face. “I still half am. I should go.”
“You could stay,” I said, taking a step his way to stop him leaving. Things weren’t right with us. I could feel the distance and the tension.
“Why?”
Wow, he wasn’t making this easy.
“Because everything feels wrong right now.”
