Page 27 of Tempting Fate

Chapter Thirteen

Jamie

Patch and Em come out of the pub a few minutes after the rest of us. I don’t look at Dax and Cecile. I can’t. They’ll be able to tell what happened between them, and I don’t want to read it from their faces.

I turn my head away to scowl. It’s not my business, is it? Patch doesn’t want me, and Em is my housemate, so even if he did, it’d be a silly thing to start.

Nick leans against my side. He’s not drunk, just a little tipsy, the way he gets after a few pints. His eyes are all soft when I look up at him.

“Don’t give me that look. Jesus.”

“Sorry,” he mutters, and I don’t know if he’s apologising for the pity or for the fact that Patch and Em are clearly meant to be—I don’t know if he even knows that, really—but I don’t care.

“Let’s go,” Flynn says, dragging Patch close once they approach. “I’m fucking freezing.”

It’s really not that cold, and Cecile laughs like she thinks so too, and we all walk away from the pub. Of course, Patch and Flynn live the closest, so they vanish first, Patch giving Em a long, lingering look before they head off down a different road. Em doesn’t look longingly after him. He keeps looking at me instead, little worry lines creasing his brow.

I sigh. I don’t want that. None of this is on him, after all.

I need to sort my head out.

Cecile leaves next, and then Vince and Dax. Vince wraps me up in a big hug as Dax politely says goodbyes to Nick and Em. “Don’t worry about them,” he murmurs. “It’ll all work out for you, y’know?”

I pull back with a sceptical look, and Vince huffs. “Come to dinner this week, hey? Drew wants to see you.”

“Thought you all didn’t want me to come since I didn’t get an invite last week.”

Dax must hear that because his face falls, and Vince shakes his head. “I figured you’d need the weekend to adjust to your new housemate, dickhead. Plus, I got caught up in all the new gym stuff and forgot to ring you. It’s an open invite. You can just come over.” His gaze shifts to Nick. “Both of you.”

Nick holds up his hands, shaking his head. He’s still not there yet, but after tonight, I’m more hopeful he’ll be open to it soon. Em just watches us all. At least now he looks more amused than concerned.

“Yeah, sorry,” I mutter. “I’ll come.”

“Me and Em can hang out,” Nick says, and he throws his arm around Em, proving he’s a little more drunk than I thought. “It’ll be fuuuuun.”

Em laughs and so does Dax, and I apologise to him too before we all part ways. I know they’re glad when I turn up. At first, I think they were putting me and Quinn, one of the other wolves in their pack, in the same boat. He’s skittish, more so than I was, even after Tim, but the last few months have seen a big change in him, too.

I shove Nick in the direction of his room when we get in. I’ll drop off a glass of water before I go to bed. At first, I think Em will say good night too, but he just hangs up his jacket and follows me into the living room.

“Did you have fun tonight?” I ask.

“Yes. I mean it—your friends are great.”

They are. Warmth spreads through my chest. They are, and maybe I’ve been a little unfair of late. Doesn’t mean I won’t be unfair again, but I can try harder, and I think they might get off my back a bit now that Em’s around.

They’re not going to like it if I leave. Flynn’s right. Someone will follow. I lean back on the sofa. That’s if I get the job at all. The interview is on Monday, so I won’t know for a week or two.

“Jamie, I—” Em sits at the other end of the sofa. His hair is a little more dishevelled than it was when we left for the pub today. He’s been running his hands through it all night. “I’m sorry about Patch. I mean, I didn’t—I didn’t do anything, but—”

“It’s okay. There’s nothing going on with us, you know?”

“Do you want there to be?”

The frankness of the question catches me by surprise, and I hesitate. Em sighs.

“Really,” I say, “it’s fine. It’s nothing. It’s just me.”

“He asked me out,” Em says, and I snap my mouth shut. “I’m going to tell him no.”