“We’re in the ‘I love you’ stage now.” Half of me wants to swoon at the thought, but the other half of me is too scared to allow myself to.
“Damn girl. That was fast,” Audrey sputters. Hesitantly, she raises her hand. “Well done?”
I lower her hand again and shake my head. “Not well done. I haven’t heard from him since Friday.” Finally, I confess my biggest fear, the words quivering over my lips, “I’m scared I might lose him.”
“Fuck.” Audrey freezes before rallying herself again. “Usually I’m the one who dissuades women from falling in love and running after a cock or two, so I think I might need to call in some reinforcements to help us out here.” Sitting forward, shetakes my hand, her voice tender as she says, “I’m sure whatever happened is a simple misunderstanding and can be sorted out with a frank conversation. You’re a catch and he’s lucky to have you. But listen, you didn’t hear this from me. Not only is Beck a hottie, he’s a good guy too and I think you’re well matched. If I’d wish a truly happy life for you, it would be with him. And on Starry Hill.”
I squeeze her hand back. “That means a lot to me. Thank you.”
“Fuck,” Audrey groans, her nose wrinkled and shoulders slouched. “All the good ones are over there, aren’t they?”
That pulls a smile from me for the first time today. “They certainly seem to be. Want to pack your bags and move there with me? We can live out our happily ever afters in Starry Hill.” Even if I don’t know where I stand with Shinsu, I’m not giving up on my dream of being together. Not until he tells me it’s over.
“Yeah, that’ll be the day,” Audrey says with a snort. “At most I might consider a little vacation there to go help Tilly out once she pops. I might even partake in a mini fuck fest on the side. Fuck knows there might be a cock or two interesting enough to keep my attention for a little while. But only if it’s no strings attached and they promise not to fall in love with me.”
“You know, just by saying it you’re probably going to meet someone and fall for them first.”
Audrey’s head rears back. “Ew. Take that talk straight to the bathroom and go flush it down the drain.”
“Nah, I’m already wondering what color your cottage door will be.”
Audrey rolls her eyes at me, then says, “On a serious note, I’m clearly unqualified to give you advice on your love life. Hang tight while I call a couple more knowledgeable friends.”
“Thank you. Let me go freshen up a little so they’re not alarmed by the state of my dark circles.” Pausing halfway to the bathroom, I look back at my chaotic but bighearted friend. “You’re the best. You know that?”
“Oh, talking about the best,” Audrey says, already scrolling on her phone. “Don’t mind the bag of dicks in the bathroom. I’ve been a little sexually frustrated and nothing was working last night. Cycled through a couple of options and still need to put them away after their bath.”
“Thanks for the heads-up.” I’m not quite sure how else to respond to that. How many dicks does one prepare oneself for? I just hope I don’t see anything resembling Shinsu’s cocks.
By the time there’s a knock on the door, I’m a little more relaxed after being entertained by recollections of Audrey’s wildest escapades. But my eyes start to water as Tilly and Maisie enter, followed by Lucille.
They each take turns hugging me, then Audrey orders enough food to feed a small army. Once everyone’s settled and has a drink in hand—Tilly’s being a sparkling grape juice—all eyes turn to me.
“Spill,” Maisie says from her position on the floor. “We heard you had a relationship wobble and we’re here to help you fix it.”
“You first,” I counter. “How did you get here?” Part of me hopes they say Shinsu and that he’s waiting right outside the door, ready for me to run into his arms.
Tilly’s smile is understanding. “Viggo.”
“Not Sh— Beck?” I ask, needing to confirm. It feels weird to call him Beck, but I know how much sharing his name means to him and I want to be respectful of that. Besides, I kind of like sharing secrets with him.
Lucille reaches across the couch for me. “We haven’t seen him, dear. I thought he was with you.”
Tilly nods. “Yeah. Bodin thought so too at first, because no one answered when the guys went over for Knights and Castles. The mill was dark, even the gears were still.”
My heart rate ratchets up as I bolt upright. “Do you think he’s okay? Has anything bad happened to him?”
“He’s okay,” Tilly reassures me, placing a hand on my thigh. “They could detect he was at home, just not up for company.”
I drop my head into my heads, a sob breaking through as I admit, “I fucked up. So much.”
Scooting closer, Maisie says gently, “Tell us what happened.”
Lucille rubs my back in soothing circles, her touch familiar and comforting. “Start at the beginning, dear Eleanor.”
So, I do. I tell them about falling in love. How much Shinsu means to me, how much I hate my job, and how awful it is that it keeps me away from him.
“Quit,” Audrey chirps, making it sound easy and like my whole life could be solved with that on word.
