His blue eyes hold mine, an ocean storm churning behind them. I know all too well the need to leave, even when it hurts, because staying will only hurt more.
“Wanna sit on the balcony?” I change the subject and start moving that way, giving him a minute and hoping he’ll follow me.
Maybe if we do become friends, Wes will feel comfortable sharing the mess behind what seems like a very put-together exterior. I wonder if I could share my mess with him too? I pull the dooropen and turn to watch him move through my space. He looks comfortable, at ease again.
I quickly grab my favorite teal bikini off the second chair, grateful it didn’t blow away while I was gone. I’m usually better about taking things inside when I’m away for work.
I toss it into my beach bag and catch Wes’s eyes following it as it goes. This particular suit is hardly more than a few scraps of material, and it’s definitely not the most practical for surfing, but I love how it makes me feel—confident and sexy. Wes must like it too if the heated look in his eyes is any indication.
Instead of a small flutter of butterflies, I feel a tightening low in my belly. When the burning heat returns to my face, I have to remind myself of conclusion number two.Friends, nothing more.
Sitting down in the white wicker chair, I prop my feet up on the railing. My hands curl around my mug, resting it on my knees as I stare out over the city toward the harbour. I give my cheeks a minute to cool before I look over my shoulder at where Wes is lingering.
“You going to sit? Or just stand there all day?” I force playfulness into my tone.
The corners of his mouth twitch up and he moves gracefully around me to sit. His long legs stretching out in front of him and his whole body relaxing into the chair with a sigh, he tilts his head back, completely at ease. He rolls his head to the side so he can look at me, pinning me with his sapphire gaze.
“So, Joss, what are we going to do about this?”
“This… meaning what?” I know what he means, but I sure as hell won’t be the one to say it.
“Oh come on now, don’t play coy. I am obviously attracted to you. You’re clearly attracted to me.This.”
He motions between us, as if encompassing the chemistry stretching tight. I swallow. I guess putting it all out there might make this easier. Even still, I’d have added something a little stronger to this coffee if I knew we were going to have this conversation.
Well, here goes nothing. “Actually, I’m glad you brought that up. Better for us to just get this out of the way up front. I may think you’re hot, but we’re neighbors, and I’m not looking for a random hookup or any drama in my life. It’s best we stick to being friends. Friendly.”
There, I did it. It’s out there. Wes’s smile grows, but his brows pull together at the same time. Interesting. I wonder what that face means. Is it weird that I hope I get the chance to learn what all his faces mean?
“Sounds like we’re on the same page. I find you extremely sexy, but I don’t do messy either, and I don’t do relationships anymore. So, friends?” He asks this so nonchalantly, like he didn’t just say he thinks I’m extremely sexy. Not just sexy, butextremely sexy. He also indicated a bit of a backstory, where relationships are concerned, that I’m curious to hear more about. Setting his cup of coffee on the table between us, he shoots his hand out toward me. I set my cup down too and let his palm envelop mine.
“Friends,” we say together as we shake, and dammit if electricity doesn’t zing up my arm like I just touched a live wire.
Our eyes snap to where our hands meet, and then back to each other, gazes locked. He felt it too, I know he did. We release our grip,pick up our respective coffee cups, and sit in amicable silence, all the while taking in the view and our new friendship status.
CHAPTER NINE
Wes
The light breeze whips my hair around my face as I stand on the curb outside my new building. Breck is on his way to pick me up for lunch, and I can feel the year since we last saw each other stretching between us and pulling taut the closer he gets. When I was flown to the hospital in Hawaii after the crash, he dropped everything, took time off work, and was on the first flight he could get. He stayed with me for a week and he’s been a constant source of support since.
We’d been close friends since I studied abroad here in college, but after Hawaii, he became mybestfriend. My friends from back home hardly keep in touch, and I don’t know that I would feel comfortable accepting the support from them that I’ve sought from Breck. That’s how you know the fair-weather friends from the trueones—they show up. And here is Breck showing up when I need him most and giving me a much-needed escape.
A sleek grey Toyota Hilux pulls up with a loud honk. A grin splits my face at the sight of him bounding around the front of the truck like a golden retriever, headed straight for me. I brace myself as we collide and he wraps me in a hug unlike anything I’ve experienced in… well, probably since I saw him last. Breck is the most physically affectionate man I’ve ever met. When he hugs you, it’s a full-body experience, not like those bro-hugs or the handshake/back slap hybrids either. It’s just part of who he is.
I’m struggling to remember the last time someone hugged me that wasn’t my sister. Even my parents don’t hug like this. In the Navy, buttoning down your emotions is expected, and rightfully so when compartmentalizing is key, but it usually trickles down into your friendships and relationships as well. Things have never felt like my bond with Breck does, like they exist deeper than surface-level.Almostnever, I should say, but that’s not a thought I allow in.
I squeeze him back, putting all the feelings I can’t find words for into it, hoping he understands.
“Fucking finally, mate! I can’t believe you’re really here.” Breck’s warm laugh surrounds me as he nearly picks me up off the ground.
All my stress, the worries, the anxieties… the guilt, seem to drop to the sidewalk like a stone as he releases me. Leaving his hands on my shoulders, he looks me over. My somewhat disheveled appearance is probably a shock to him, and I smirk remembering the way Joss appraised me in a similar fashion earlier. Even in college I had a buzzcut. I may not have been in the military yet, but I knew where I was headed and I made sure to fit the part. I know I look alittle shaggy by comparison now, and I’m just waiting for him to comment on it.
Breck, on the flipside, looks exactly the same. Six feet tall and built like a rock. His ability to surf and snowboard with the grace of a dancer has always blown my mind. His sandy-blond curls blow in the wind and his bright blue eyes shine with open excitement.
“Man, it’s good to see you.” The emotion in my voice threatens to spill over, so I pull him back in for another quick hug.
“You have no idea. It’s been way too long!”
