See? We’re fine.
We’re not fine.
We’ve been skirting around each other all afternoon. Avoiding eye contact and only talking when absolutely necessary.
It’s weird. And it makes me anxious and worried. What if everything’s fucked up? What if we can’t come back from this?
I’m ringing up my last customer for the day, and Kaden’s on the couch, slouching over some design he’s working on. He’s wearing a black hoodie, sleeves pushed up. The muscles in his forearms move with each stroke of the pen. His shoulders are drawn high and he keeps chewing his cheek.
I shift on my feet, ignore the pit in my stomach, and shift my focus back to… whatever his name is. Stanton, I think.
“Thanks, mate!” he says, dropping his phone back into his pocket, grinning widely.
I print the receipt, holding it out to him, eyebrows raised.
“Nah, save the forest, and all that,” he chuckles.
Only, this tree’s obviously already dead, isn’t it?Mate.
“Alright,” I say, walking him to the door. “Take care now. Don’t forget to wash it.”
“I won’t. Have a good one, mate!” I close the door behind him and remove my face mask.
“Hey,” Iggy says, throwing her bag on. “I’m heading out. Are you done for the day?”
I flop down on the couch, spreading my legs wide and nod. I have to clean my station, but I need to talk to Kaden first. I can’t handle this one more second. I glance over at him, his eyes still glued to the sketchpad.
“Kaden?” she asks.
He whips his head up. “Huh? Yeah, uh, just finishing up.” He glances at me for point two seconds before he drops his gaze again.
Iggy looks from him to me and back again, shoulders dropping. “What’s going on? Why are you being so weird?”
I raise my brows, biting my bottom lip. Feigning innocence as best as I can. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve been weird all day.” She waves her hand at us. I shake my head, shrugging. Kaden’s not even looking at her.
“Is it because of Saturday?”
I freeze, casting a glance at Kaden who quickly averts his gaze.
“What?” I breathe.
She sighs. “I’m sorry I was such a bitch, okay? I slept like shit and that essay really—”
“It’s okay, Sully,” Kaden mumbles.
I take a deep breath. “Yeah, no, we’ve all been there. I mean, Kaden and I haven’t ‘cause we never went to college, but we, too, have slept like shit… sometimes.” Wow, the speaking skills are top-tier.
She nods, slowly, licking her top lip. “Yeah, okay. So, we’re good?”
“All good,” I say, saluting her.Kill me dead, please.
“Okay,” she says with a smiles, patting her bangs before she walks out. The door shuts behind her, leaving us in complete silence.
I glance over to Kaden, only to find him already looking at me, biting his lip. I clear my throat, lean back, and stroke my hands over my jeans.
“So—”
