Page 24 of Nothing At All

All clear

All clear

All clear

That was it. No likes, no memes, no comments from him at all.

I held the device aloft. “This doesn’t bother you?”

“Not my problem if she can’t take a hint.” He shrugged. “Or a direct message that we’re not anything.”

I watched him flip the pizza box open. “It bothers me.”

He stilled, then straightened and plucked the phone out of my hand. He tapped on the screen and turned the device so I could see his blocked list. “Done.”

My irritation remained, fueled by Nicole’s pushy interest and Samantha’s dismissive mockery. I couldn’t be mad at him because he hadn’t entertained her beyond his job and doing what neighbors did.

I was just . . . itchy.

“Great husbands?” I flicked a finger at his phone.

He turned red. Not a flush on his cheekbones, like when we first started talking about sex or when he had a new idea we could try, but a flare of dull crimson from his collar up his neck to his hairline.

“It’s, um . . . Chuck and his brothers and a couple of other local guys. I don’t talk in it.” His voice lowered, a hint of embarrassment adding a rough edge. “I just lurk.”

“Why?” I gave a half-shake of my head.

Pizza forgotten, he scuffed the back of his neck. “Um, well, they’re married and good at it and I have to learn. Like I didn’t learn from my father and I have to know what to do . . . eventually.”

It’s not like you’re going to marry the guy.

“So it’s like a master class?”

“Well, no, it’s . . . Chuck’s older brother got married a few months back. Sometimes he has questions, and . . . Chuck and them have all been married a hot minute. I asked him to add me. Figured I’d learn along with Tick.”

“Oh.” Obviously, he had plans to marry someone someday. And the idea he was actively trying to learn how to be a good husband? Well, that was adorable and terrifying.

I tried to picture his wife, what kind of woman he might end up with. My brain refused to engage with that. I didn’t see myself there – again, any future thoughts were hazy – but I couldn’t see him with any other woman, either.

Not EmmaLee. They were simply good friends and gaming buddies

Definitely not Nicole.

But somebody. A nice local girl who would appreciate him and be everything he deserved–

“What did you want to watch tonight?” His deep voice snatched me from the whorl of my confused thoughts.

I blinked at him, tall and steady, hair still a little damp, expression open and relaxed. I shook my head. “Um, I don’t care. You pick.”

With a soft snort, he piled a couple of slices of pizza on a plate and passed it to me. “Right, then you’ll hate it and pick it apart. What about that show you were talking about, the one with the baseball players?”

“That’s fine.” I held the plate with both hands and swallowed, watching his forearms flex while he got his own pizza. I added a small mound of salad and swallowed, a sudden lump in my throat, my appetite gone.

With his arm, he nudged me toward the living room. “Go get comfortable and start the show. I’ll bring you something to drink.”

Clutching my plate, I obeyed, glancing back over my shoulder. Balancing his plate on one hand, he snagged a pair of water bottles from the refrigerator.

He absolutely was going to be a great husband.