“I thought it would be funnier.” Freddie tutted out.
I sipped my coffee. “He’s not mentioned it to me at all.”
She stood up and put a sleeping Sam back in his stroller. “He’s too preoccupied with the baby. Don’t worry though, he’s chilled about it. He’s happy for you guys.”
Wolfie waved her to be quiet, her green eyes filling with annoyance, then turned back to me. “Okay, so start.”
Where to start, where to start.
“Did you know I’d always had a crush on him? Well, more than a crush.”
Wolfie nodded. “Sort of. Freddie mentioned something to me last year, or asked if there was something going on, and I didn’t think anything of it. But since then, I have noticed more.”
I blushed slightly. I really thought I’d concealed everything so well, but I clearly hadn’t been as inconspicuous as I’d assumed I was. Especially after the comment my mother had made. Seemed like the only people who didn’t notice were Felix and me.
“But how did it all start?”
I took another sip of my coffee before I got into it. “The night of his accident, he kissed me.”
Wolfie gasped and pointed right at me. “Oh my God, you really were avoiding him! Poor Felix, I told him he was imagining things.”
The corner of my mouth turned up in a lopsided smile. “No, he wasn’t. But I’d come in to see you all that first day after his accident, when he was awake, and he didn’t remember us kissing, and I freaked out. His kiss had brought all my feelings back, coupled with being worried about him, and I just wanted them to go away again.”
“And then what happened?”
“His last night before being discharged, I’d finished a long surgery and went it to check on him while he was asleep, then fell asleep myself. But he woke up and saw me, and he was pissed. Like, really pissed. And then he remembered and was so shocked, I didn’t know what to do, so I ran away again.”
Wolfie’s mouth formed the perfect O shape.
I could feel the heat creeping up my cheeks at how badly I’d behaved, how panicked I’d been, and then how much I’d hurt him. Then the guilt I’d been feeling lately made itself known again. I rubbed my fingers across my head. I really needed some water before my brain burst from dehydration.
“He was so mad, and I know it was childish, but I couldn’t handle it. I’d spent the past twelve years ignoring my feelings and we’d only ever been friends, best friends, but I never expected him to feel the same way. And even then it didn’t mean we’d work together as a couple, especially as I’m terrible at relationships. I didn’t know what to do or who to talk to about it.”
Wolfie’s hand found mine, giving it a squeeze. “You could have talked to us.”
Emerson put her coffee down on the table and leaned forward. “Mol, he was pretty crushed. That day I turned up to his place, when he, Drew and Jupe were all wasted, I’m sure they’d been crying.”
“What’s this?” Freddie scoffed.
She started laughing at the memory. “It was one afternoon, not long after his accident. Drew asked me to meet him at Felix’s house, but when I got there, they were all so drunk they could barely string a sentence together. And they were all crying about love and lost opportunities or something ridiculous like that, even my brother. You know what Drew is like, and he’d got them all riled up about finding love. It was kind of sweet, but the only way I could get him out of there and back home was if I promised to help Felix get you and him together, by luring you to a fake lunch. I thought they’d forget about it in their hangover, but they didn’t.”
No one had the eye-roll perfected like Wolf did. “Kidnapping? What a bunch of bloody idiots.”
“I know, but he did make you those cute sneakers so you wouldn’t be mad.” Emerson said.
“What cute sneakers?”
I lifted my leg up in the air, pulling up my scrub pants so they could see. “These.”
Freddie grabbed my foot and yanked the sneaker off so hard that Wolfie had to hold onto me before I hit the floor.
She ran her fingers over the detailing, like I’d done. “Oh my God, these are amazing! And they have your name on! I want some.”
Wolfie swiped it out of her hand, examining it herself. “Who knew Felix Cleverly could be so good with presents?”
“He’s always been good with presents.” My eyes opened wide, slightly shocked Wolfie hadn’t known. “He gives amazing presents.”
She passed it back to me. “What do you mean?”
