Page 48 of More Than Friends

“Why is it both a good and bad thing, Char?” I ask again, not caring at this point how hoarse my voice is.

She opens her mouth to speak, but before any words come out, Ava lets out a loud wail from the back seat.

I swear Charlotte’s shoulders relax at the sound of Ava crying.

We both look at the monitor to find Ava with her eyes wide open and her mouth poised to let out another cry.

“Looks like you should start driving again,” Charlotte says.

All I do is nod before putting the car back in drive. Ava waking up to interrupt that moment is just another reminder that I shouldn’t be wanting the things I’m wanting when it comes to Charlotte.

Maybe it’s best that I don’t know her answer to my question. At least, I keep reminding myself of that for the rest of the drive. Ava falls asleep instantly, but neither Charlotte nor I say another word. The silence between us only leads my head to wander to places it shouldn’t.

It’s wandering to the sight of her staring at my lips. At the groan she let out. I’m left spending the entire car ride wondering if I’m doing the right thing by trying to keep things platonic between us. It doesn’t feel like the right thing. Not when all I want to do is smash my lips against hers and finish what we started a few nights ago.

TWENTY-EIGHT

CHARLOTTE

I walkinto the house after a long shift as a cart girl and find Jude lying on the ground in the living room as Ava rests on his chest. It’s so adorable, and I wish I hadn’t left my camera in my room this morning, because I want to capture the moment. My camera is quickly filling up with photos of Jude and Ava, and I love it and wish this were another one I could capture on film.

It’s been two weeks since I moved in with Jude and Ava.

Two weeks of me always taking photos of them.

Two weeks of spending every spare second with them.

Two weeks of lingering stares from Jude.

Two weeks of him making me coffee every morning.

Of me going to bed thinking about him.

Of us taking care of Ava. Of it feeling like we’re a family when I know we’re not.

Two weeks of torture because as much as I love living with Jude and being there for him as he navigates this new life with Ava, it’s also brutal to live with him.

I used to be able to pretend I was immune to him. His flirting didn’t work. I didn’t notice if he looked at me too long. Now, I’m all too aware if he’s looking at me when he doesn’t need to be. Ifhis skin brushes against mine, it’s all I can think about for days after.

I thought I’d be able to push all nonplatonic thoughts of him to the back of my mind and focus on being friends, but it’s getting hard. I think I’m catching feelings for Jude. Feelings that won’t go away, no matter how hard I try.

“People at the club are wondering where you are,” I tell Jude, setting my bag on the kitchen counter and immediately making my way to him and Ava.

“Doubt it,” Jude notes, giving me a smile as I sit down next to the two of them. The moment Ava sees me, she smiles, and it completely melts my heart. She’s only started doing that recently. She smiles at Jude way more, but I’ll still take what I can get.

I narrow my eyes on him as I get comfortable on the floor. “You’re typically at the club every day, and you haven’t been there in over two weeks. People are absolutely asking about you. I had to tell them you were in the city because I’m not a good liar, and I didn’t know what else to say.” I hadn’t realized how much people associated me with Jude until he didn’t show up at Pembroke for two weeks, and suddenly, everyone was asking me about his whereabouts.

“Telling them I’m in Manhattan is perfect,” Jude responds. He presses his lips to Ava’s forehead before lifting her off his chest and handing her to me. “Want some baby snuggles?”

I laugh and gladly take Ava from him. I love my job at the club, but after working three days in a row, I’m excited for my days off again so I can spend more time with her. I’m lucky to have the weekend shift. It’s when we get the best tips, and now that it’s warming up, it’s getting busier and busier. “I do need baby snuggles, but I feel like we should maybe talk about what your plan is regarding Ava. You can’t hide here forever.”

Jude sighs. He folds his hands behind his head and lies back, his gaze staying pinned on me. “It’s not that I’mhiding. I’m just figuring out how to tell everyone about Ava. I want to do it the right way.”

I nod because I understand he’s in a tough position. He knows everyone at the club. They’ll immediately notice it when he shows up with a baby all of a sudden. But I also don’t want him to feel like he has to stay locked away all summer because of her. I play with Ava for a moment before I look back at Jude. “You show up, you tell everyone she’s your daughter, and you leave it at that.”

He laughs, and I hate how the deep, throaty sound makes my entire body warm. It’s been over two weeks since I moved in with him, and I wish I could say that it’s been easy keeping him in the friend zone, but that would be a lie. When we’re not working, we spend every second together, and things just don’t feel the same as they used to. He used to laugh without me feeling it through my entire body. My heart didn’t race just at the sight of his smile. He used to just beJude, my charming best friend. Now, he’s someone totally different. Someone I have feelings for that I can’t even begin to understand.

“I don’t know if your plan will work or not. I think people will have lots of questions. I know my mom and dad did,” he adds on at the last minute.