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CHAPTER ELEVEN
Sawyer
I’ve just made it back to my room after my shower when I hear the front door close, meaning Harlow is back from work. I was hoping to be out by the time she got back but procrastinated on my phone for too long and she’s early, so now I’ll have to wait for her to leave. Cowardly, I know, but something about her and Ezra seems to be more than her normal hookups. It’s an actual date, not just someone she picked up at the bar. Harlow has never dated before, or even seen someone more than once. I can’t stand to see her leave all dressed up for someone else, even if I did convince her to give him a shot. Seeing her so comfortable in his arms yesterday was tough enough.
We’ve also had an odd atmosphere between us recently—not helped by me practically feeling her up at the gym—even when I was actively not focusing on her. I can’t keep her here, single, when she has a real shot at happiness, just because I have some unrequited feelings. Hopefully later she’ll go back to his place, but I’ve got a booty call lined up either way to take my mind off her.
I guess it was always inevitable that she’d find someone. I can’t believe no one has snapped her up sooner, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. I’ve tried to be her big-brother figure her whole life so that she has someone to rely on, and I’m not flushing that down the toilet because she’s turned out really fucking sexy. Even as I tell myself that for the millionth time, I know it’s so much more than that. I love every single thing about my angel.
I put a film on to kill some time, and once that is finished, it seems quiet in the flat, so I must’ve missed her leave. She normally says bye, but to be fair, I didn’t even tell her I was here. I get dressed in some gray trousers and a black button-up shirt, adding a watch and some gel to my hair before grabbing my phone and leaving my room. Harlow pops her head up like a meerkat from the sofa, surprising me on my way to the door.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” I ask.
“I live here,” she deadpans.
“Ha ha. I thought you had your big date?”
“It’s not abig date,but also, I started my period.” Damn.
“That’s shit. How are you feeling?”
“Like crap, hence being on the couch.” I should have known.
“How about I grab a duvet and we can order pasta and doughnuts?” I probably shouldn’t offer, but it’s such anusthing to do, I can’t help it. Her eyes light up before they skim me up and down.
“Aren’t you meeting someone?”
“No, not tonight.”
“Really? You look hot.”
“Well, thanks.” I smirk, and she rolls her eyes with a smile.
“You know what I mean—you’re all dressed up.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s important.”
I don’t wait for her to say anything else, like trying to convince me to still go out, instead heading back into my room and changing into some sweatshorts. Harlow always runs cold for some reason during her time of the month, so she loves being under the duvet, but she’s like a little hot water bottle.
I order our favorite takeout pasta and place an order for fried doughnuts to come half an hour later. We’ve been best friends since before she even started getting her period, when there was no one to look after her, so I happily stepped up. Now that we’ve also lived together for years, I’ve got this down. I throw the duvet over her head and go to the kitchen area while she arranges it and turns the TV on. She’s picked a series by the time I come back with her actual hot water bottle, and she smiles up at me as I hand it to her.
“You are seriously the best,” she says.
“I know,” I agree as I settle down next to her.
“You were supposed to be meeting someone, weren’t you? Did I ruin your plans?”
“I was meeting someone, but I’d rather be here.”
“Am I the biggest cockblock known to man?” she asks, pulling an apologetic face while I laugh at her. The only reason I see so many different girls is so I don’t pounce on her, or knock out some random guy she brings home.
“Something like that.”
“The women of this townmust hate me for taking up so much of your time.”
I shrug. I have no real interest in those women for anything other than sex. She’s chewing on her lip, so I wait for her to think through what she wants to say. “Do you agree with what Ezra was saying last night? About loving more than one person?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
