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“What you feel for her.”
“I feel nothing other than what I have felt for years. Jewel is my best friend. I can’t imagine a day without her. She truly is my best friend.”
Eli’s tongue peeked between her lips. “Ask her if she feels the same way and see what answer you get.”
Azalea drew in a deep breath. She did not want to tread down that path. No one needed to get those ideas in their head, and she certainly wasn’t going to put them in Jewel’s if she didn’t have to. Jewel deserved to date in an uncomplicated fashion. She didn’t need to know that Azalea liked women, or what that would mean in terms of potential relationships she might find herself in. No, she would leave Jewel to her own thoughts and leave her complication free.
“Well.” Eli slapped her hands onto her thighs. “It’s midnight. I’m going to make my rounds. Don’t wait up for me.”
Eli winked as she stood up and headed for the kitchen, and no doubt, the back door.
“See you in the morning,” Azalea called over her shoulder, her voice wavering as she fell into the silence of the house.
The glow of the fire against her was strong, but she didn’t add another log as she stared into the embers. Just what had Eli meant? Azalea didn’t like Jewel in that way, not in the least bit. But the way Jewel had looked at her? What did she even mean?
Frustrated, Azalea blew out a breath, moving her hair from her cheek as she crossed her arms and collapsed into the couch. She propped her feet up on the coffee table and watched the flames flicker lowly. She didn’t like Jewel, not in that way. Sure, they were best friends. They had spent so many hours together it was impossible not to know the ins and outs of Jewel’s behaviors and past. Although she had been a little surprised by Jewel’s confession of her sexuality, it really shouldn’t have surprised her if she thought about it.
Jewel was always eyeing women up and down when they were out and about, making comments on their looks or something. Azalea had just chosen to ignore it. She clenched her fingers tightly, her nails digging into the palm of her hand. Surely Jewel didn’t like her like that, did she? It was stupid to assume that. Just because her best friend was on the rainbow somewhere didn’t mean she liked every woman in her life.
Azalea stared out the dark window, into the starry sky outside. It wouldn’t last long. They were supposed to get storms for the rest of the week, but at least they’d have one clear night. Sighing, she rubbed her temple in circles. Eli was full of it. Jewel didn’t like her like that. She was dating Brianna, and she had just gotten out of a relationship with Brady. There was no way Jewel thought of her as a potential love interest.
Waiting until the fire died down, Azalea grabbed her glass and rinsed it in the sink. It was nearly one in the morning before she trudged as quietly as she could up the stairs to the bedroom she was sharing with Jewel. She slipped inside the room, locking the door behind her. Jewel didn’t rustle in the bed. The moonlight cast a gentle glow on her through the open blinds.
Azalea’s breath caught in her throat. Jewel really was beautiful, if she took the time to name it. She was young, spunky, cute. She had the world in front of her, and she knew how to grasp it and run with it. It was what she had done for years. Tiptoeing to the dresser, Azalea grabbed her pajama bottoms and an old T-shirt before sliding into the bathroom.
She loved Jewel, but not like Eli had implied, although she could see how it would be perceived otherwise. They did spend an inordinate amount of time together. Perhaps that had been what Brady had seen. But then why would he try to persuade Azalea to date him in the aftermath of the breakup? To prove a point? To prove Azalea’s sexuality?
Cursing under her breath, she slipped into her pajamas and folded the clothes she’d worn all day. She set them in the bottom drawer of the dresser before she lifted the blankets and slid onto the mattress. Jewel didn’t budge, which Azalea knew meant she was likely still awake. She rustled around as gently as she could until she was in a comfortable position and closed her eyes.
The noises outside were quiet but they were a bit odd since she was so used to living in town. Crickets, cows, the rustle of the wind. Azalea drew in steady breaths as she tried to calm her racing heart. Eli was completely off base. She had to be. Right? But what if she wasn’t? What if there was something more between them than mere friendship?
Neither of them had ever crossed a line. Neither of them had made any hint that there might be more. Azalea had to have faith in that. She had to believe that there was nothing more between them that she was missing. She pulled the blanket tighter around her as she stared at the back of Jewel’s head in the cast of the moon.
“Jewel?”
“Yeah?”
“Goodnight,” Azalea whispered.
“Did you have a good talk with Eli?”
“I did.”
“Good.”
Azalea smiled lightly, although her stomach churned from how the conversation with Eli had ended. “Night.”
The gentleness of the night continued as they both fell into silence. Azalea finally fell asleep with the moon high in the sky, confused about her conversation with Eli. It weighed heavily on her mind. She couldn’t like Jewel. They were best friends.
