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I parked my car with equal spacing on either side in the garage, and I couldsensethe giddiness coming from Grace. She couldn’t wait to burst out of my car and go running into his arms.
I wasn’t used to this. I was used to Sam and his hookups or whatever breaking up, then they would get interested in me, and I would politely refuse. I’d drive them home, sure. It wasn’t like I was trying to get an excuse to spend time around them or anything—
“Thank you,” Grace said as she leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.
Her lips felt warm, and validation rushed through me.
…maybe this wasn’t so bad after all. Maybe I was stretching this out into something it wasn’t; pulling it and shifting it around like taffy. I did tend to make things a big deal in my head when they were nothing…
“Oh, and just so we’re clear,” Grace said as she reached for the handle. “I still want to go on this date with you. I just want to check and make sure Sam’s… not, you know, dead.”
I relaxed a little, but it wasn’t enough. “Just curious—what makes you think he wants to see you?”
“He just texted me,” she said lightly, then exited the car.
Well, fuck.
Sam lingered in the kitchen.
Heneverlingered in the kitchen; he usually hid in his bedroom or tinkered in his music room.
“Sam!” Grace said breathlessly as she stepped into the space.
He looked up at her, his eyes full of… ofsomethingI couldn’t put my finger on. He didn’t look at me; only at Grace.
Sam avoided my eyes, just like he had all week.
I didn’t like it. But still, I couldn’t help but think, sucks to suck, dickhead.
I wanted him to look at me; to see me stealing his girl.
I wanted him to know that I wasbetter.
Sam avoided my gaze. He leaned against the counter and fixed Grace with a cold, icy stare.
Suddenly, I felt awkward. All I wanted to do was go hide in my room. I didn’t want to take her out on a date anymore; I wanted to opt-out of any drama that was about to happen. It was easier to keep things on the surface with everything I did, and whatever was about to happen between them, I sensed it was going to be deep.
I didn’t want any part of it.
So, I moved through the kitchen. But as I passed Grace, a whiff of her clean, innocent cotton scent hit me in the face and I hesitated.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Sam asked.
“Giving you two some privacy,” I said with a huff.
“Stop,” Grace said.
I stopped in my tracks, then turned to see both of them staring at me.
“I… I wanted to talk to both of you, actually,” Grace said, running her manicured nails through her hair. “There’s something… I need to tell you.”
“What, that you want to be with Sam?” I asked before I could stop myself. “That you couldn’t stand to go on a date with me, and you just want to smooth things over now? You could have just told me that from the get-go.”
Sam turned toward me and the shadows on his face slanted. “Dude, shut the fuck up. Take your better-than-everyone attitude and get out of our space.”
Anger simmered under my skin. “What the hell is your problem? What do you have against me?”
“I should be asking you the same thing,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Why did you feel the need to take Grace out on a date? Don’t pretend I haven’t noticed all the hints you’ve been dropping all week about it.”
