For a second, Connor just looks at me.
Then his eyebrows shoot up. “Is this guy serious?”
A smile tugs at my mouth. I don’t know what I expected from him, but it wasn’t this immediate, uncomplicated outrage on my behalf. It’s a relief to know he doesn’t look at me and only see some sad guy who got friendzoned by the person he was in love with.
“I know,” I say. “And he seemed weirdly proud of himself for asking.”
Connor shakes his head, his mouth twisting. “What a douchebag.”
A laugh slips out of me. “Yeah,” I say. “He kind of is.”
Connor’s mouth lingers in that almost-smile for another second before his gaze settles on mine again.
“Are you going to go?” he asks after a beat.
I shake my head. “Definitely not. I told him we were planning to go to Ireland.”
Connor’s smirk deepens, realization flickering across his face. “Oh. So that’s where the Ireland lie came from.”
My cheeks heat. “Yeah. Sorry about that. I kind of blurted it out on the spot, and then in the hot tub, I decided to fully commit to the lie.”
He chuckles, low and warm, and the sound does something ridiculous to my insides. I don’t know why it feels so good that he isn’t making me feel weird about it.
“Anyway,” I say, trying to sound casual and probably failing, “who says I was lying?”
Connor’s eyebrows lift.
I hold his gaze, my pulse suddenly very aware of the fact that we’re still lying in bed together. “Who knows? Maybe you will take me to Ireland.”
For a second, he just looks at me.
Then the smirk fades. “Of course I will,” he says, like it’s obvious. “You need to meet my family too, now that I’ve met yours.”
I laugh, but it comes out a little uneven, because he does not sound like he’s joking.
“So you’re serious about me,” I say, unable to hold off a smile.
“Yes,” he says, smiling back. “Very.”
“Good,” I say, which is about as much as my brain can manage.
Because what the actual fuck.
Is he flirting with me? Am I flirting with him? Is this still part of the fake-boyfriend thing, or did Connor just casually imply I’m meeting his family for real?
I genuinely can’t tell anymore.
There’s a pause where neither of us says anything. Then Connor’s face turns more serious. “Are you okay?” he asks. “With Rick and everything. It must hurt, the way he’s acting.”
The shift in his tone catches me off guard.
I shrug, looking down for a second. “It pissed me off when he asked,” I admit, surprising myself with how easily the truth comes out. “But now that I’ve cooled off… I don’t know. I think I realized it doesn’t matter the way it used to.”
And as soon as I say it, I realize it’s true.
Rick’s engagement announcement hurt. Hearing him and Cassidy have sex this morning was awful. Having him act like we’re just friends who can move on like nothing ever happened made me sad and angry in a way I didn’t know what to do with.
But the pain feels different now. Duller. Further away.
