“Why, what’s going on?” Silas looks at us with worry.
“Nothing. She just felt off last night and today again. We were just wondering if there was something we should know.”There, that should get them to drop it.
Clay snorts. “That’s probably because she’s now working for you two jackasses.”
“Actually, that’s been going pretty well. We have been nothing short of polite and respectful with her,” Gabe tells them with a proud, glowing smile.
“Ah, you’ve both been bitten by the lovebug.” Silas leans back against the wall, fingers interlocking behind his head as his eyes close. “I swear, that thing is contagious. We went from full-on bachelors to all getting married.”
“What? No, we haven’t. He’s not married,” I say, pointing at Ford. “And we’re not even in a relationship,” I finish, throwing a finger back and forth between me and Gabe.
“Yet. I’m not married yet. But I will be by the end of the year.” Greyson’s eyes light up at the mention of marrying his girlfriend.
“Does she know that?” Burkley laughs.
“She will soon.” He winks back. “And don’t rule out so quickly that you aren’t going down the same path we are. You two have been obsessed with Ronnie since November. And don’t try to pass it off as just wanting to sleep with her, because we all know that’s bullshit.”
“He’s right. I’ve never seen you guys so hung up over someone before. And now that she’s basically surrounded by you two daily, there’s no way nothing’s going to happen,” Silas adds.
“What are you guys gonna do if shit gets serious?” Clay asks curiously.
“What do you mean?” Gabe looks at me with a confused look then back to Burkley.
“Well… there are two of you and one of her.”
Shit, I hadn’t thought about that…
We exit the elevator in our penthouse, and I immediately feel like something’s different; I just can’t place what exactly. Gabe stops beside me and looks around with that same expression, as if he’s waiting for something to pop out that we haven’t noticed.
“Oh! Good. You’re back.” Veronica comes into view with a smile. “Sit.” Shepoints to the couch.
I look at Gabe, and he shrugs, then trots over to the couch and plops down. I walk over and sit next to him, while Veronica comes to stand before us with her hands on her hips.
“So, I’ve changed a few things around here. As you can see, I’ve added side tables to the couch.”Ah, so that’s what’s different.She frowns. “Let me guess, you didn’t even notice?”
“In all fairness, we noticedsomethingwas different,” Gabe justifies.
“So, what you’re saying is I could have changed the couch color, and you wouldn’t have noticed? Just felt something was off.”
I lift a shoulder. “Pretty much.”
“Good to know.” She nods with a mischievous smirk, but then it drops. “But you see, that’s the problem. That’s why you’re so messy. You guys don’t pay attention to things, so it becomes easy to leave stuff lying around without realizing it. Which is why I have added some things around the house to help you in the right direction, without pushing too much.”
She claps her hands together. “First off, I’ve added garbage baskets to every single room, except for those that already had them. Like, for example, there’s one right beneath the side table right there.” She points to said basket. “You know, so you can put your trash in it, since the kitchen is too far of a walk.” She narrows her eyes at us with disappointment.
“Next, I’ve added a recycling bin and a clothing basket in the gym. One for your water bottles, and the other for your dirty towels. There are also new baskets in your personal bathrooms for your dirty clothes, so no more leaving them in a heaping pile. Just throw it in the basket. That’s all I’m asking.” We both nod.We can do that… probably.
“Okay. I’ve also installed three hooks behind each of your bedroom doors. Those will be used for anything you might want dry-cleaned. Just hook it up and I’ll take care of the rest. Hmm, what else…”
She taps a slender finger to her pretty lips. “Oh! Noah, thank you for putting your dishes in the sink.” She smiles at me, and fuck if my heart doesn’t do a somersault in my chest.
“Gabe… we need to work on putting things away. You left everything on the counter, so I’ve added a little bin that hooks to the lower cabinet door. I placed it right below where you use the blender, so when you’re done with your ingredients, just slide them right into the bin. As easy as that.”
“Wait, you did all that while we were gone? You even built the side coffee tables?”I ask, now realizing how much she’s done.
“I did. It was pretty simple, actually. I had planned on cleaning up the outdoor area, but I forgot to ask you how to open that damn door.”
“I’ll show you later. But you don’t need to clean out there. We never really use it,” I inform her.
