“Anyway,” she sighs. “When I got weird about it, she started asking a bunch of questions, and instead of answering I threw her questions back in her face.”
“You didn’t,” I groan, dropping my forehead into my hands.
“I just pushed for details to verify what I was sure I already knew.”
“Jesus, Liz.”
“What? She was getting all up in my business. Plus, Iwanted to see her reaction.” Completely unapologetic, she shrugs. “And boy, did she give me one.”
I can’t help myself. “What else did she say?”
“Not much.” She takes another bite of her salad, chewing slowly, savoring the fact she’s making me wait. Figures.
“Come on,” I say, frustrated. “Don’t hold out on me.”
“Just that it was a one-time thing,” she answers with a shrug. “But between you and me? I think she’s full of shit. The way she got all twitchy when I mentioned your name...” Lizzy wiggles her eyebrows, making me shake my head and huff out a laugh. “I’d say there’s definitely something there.”
Ryder chuckles. “Noia says the same thing.”
My heart does a stupid flip-flop when my mind flashes back to our make-out sesh this morning—how she melted against me before freaking out and pushing me away. Yeah, there’s something there. Whether it’s just residual or ongoing, I’m not sure. But I’m going to make it my mission to find out.
“So what are you gonna do?” Ryder asks, wadding up his sandwich wrapper and tossing it in the trash.
“Not sure yet.” I start stabbing at my food again. “She made it pretty clear she’s not interested.”
Lizzy snorts out a laugh. “Since when has that ever stopped you?”
“This is different.”
“Different how?” Ryder challenges.
Suddenly not hungry anymore, I toss my fork into my half-empty bowl. “Because I actually give a shit about her, okay? She’s not…”
Damn it. There goes my promise to keep shit to myself.
Shoving my face into my hands, the rest of my answer comes out muffled. “She’s not just some random hookup. Okay?”
The room goes quiet. I can feel both of them staring at me, but I refuse to look up.
“Holy shit,” Lizzy finally says. “You’re serious.”
“Yeah, well.” I shrug. Uncomfortable with how vulnerable I feel all of a sudden, I sit back in my chair. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter. She said she’s not interested in hooking up again.”
“Did she actually say that?” Ryder asks.
I think for a second. “Not in so many words. She said being neighbors with benefits would be a disaster waiting to happen.”
“Technically, that’s not a no,” Lizzy points out.
I look up to find her grinning at me. “You think?”
“Trust me,” she says. “She’s into you.”
“Then why push me away?”
“Probably because she’s scared?” She says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “You do have a reputation, you know. And I have a feeling she’s been hurt in the past.”
I frown. “What reputation?”
