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“I, uh, meant to call…” he said lamely.
She cleared her throat and set her purse on the table by the door. “It’s okay. You said you were busy—but I got the message. You changed your mind. You have that right.”
Well.Leave it to O’Neal to just say shit straight away.
“I—” He closed his mouth, tried to find the right words, couldn’t. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she said, the words, crisp, a little cutting. “But I hope you don’t mind me crashing movie night. I wanted to hang out with Len. I figured you wouldn’t care.” She tucked her hands into her back pockets and gave him a look of mild challenge—the version of O’Neal he’d known growing up. The quietly feisty girl next door. “You said what happened wouldn’t change our friendship, right?”
Auden frowned. Was she really just going to let him off the hook—just like that? He didn’t know how to feel about the vibe she was throwing his way. But what the hell was he supposed to say? He’d been the asshole in this scenario. He wasn’t going to make it a thing if she didn’t want to make it a thing.
“Right. Yeah, of course. You’re obviously welcome at movie night.”
She smiled a quick smile. “Great.”
Lennox stepped up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, massaging them lightly. “Is the food ready? We’re starved.”
Auden had been about to say something else but he pulled up short.We’re?The word rang wrong in Auden’s ear, and his gaze zoomed in on where Len was touching her. O’Neal leaned back into Len a little. The ease between them sent off alarm bells, but Auden managed to keep his expression calm.
“Yeah, everything’s ready.”
“Nice. Thanks for cooking, man.” Len slid his hand to O’Neal’s lower back and guided her forward. “Come on, Sweets. Let’s get you fed.”
Auden watched them walk by, feeling like he’d stepped into someTwilight Zoneversion of his life. He followed them into the kitchen.
“I can’t believe you know how to cook, Aud,” O’Neal said as she grabbed a paper plate. “Does your mom know? She’d be impressed.”
His mom. The reminder was a needed one. This was why he wasn’t walking over to O’Neal and taking back everything he’d said and pulling her in for a kiss. This was why he hadn’t called her. She was O’Neal goddamned Lory.
“Mom is the one who taught me, but my repertoire is limited. Don’t be too impressed,” he said.
She smiled and turned to assemble her tacos. Auden caught Len’s eye, trying to convey awhat the hell is going onlook.
Len’s expression revealed nothing—which meant Len was up to something because the guy was the most expressive person he knew—but Auden held his tongue for the moment.
They all made their plates and brought them into the living room. Auden took a spot in one of the chairs, expecting O’Neal to take the other, but instead, she sat next to Lennox on the couch.Closeto Lennox.
“So are y’all doing movie roulette tonight?” O’Neal asked between bites.
Her tone was light, but Auden knew her well enough to sense she wasn’t totally relaxed. He took a long pull off his beer, watching. “That’s the plan.”
“Want to do the honor, Sweets?” Len asked. He grabbed his phone and then scooted closer, draping his arm over her shoulder and holding the phone in front of her. “Hit the button.”
Seeing them cuddled up like that made Auden’s stomach tighten.
O’Neal sucked a dollop of sour cream off her fingertip, drawing Auden’s full attention, and then touched the screen. “And the winner is…number one hundred and twenty-three.”
They both looked over at Auden.
Fully irritated now, he set his plate aside and grabbed his phone to open his spreadsheet. He scrolled down the list. “Looks like that’sMean Girls.”
“Ooh.” O’Neal’s expression lit up. “I’ve always wanted to see that one. Me and Maya had rented it at one point, but then your mom decided she better call Nana first to check it if was okay. Spoiler alert: she said no.” She rolled her eyes. “We ended up watching some Disney movie instead.”
“Mean Girlsit is,” Lennox said. “I haven’t seen it either, but I’m a Tina Fey fan, so I’m in. Aud, no countertop sex concerns this time? Or any other objections?”
Auden’s jaw clenched. “Not a one.”
Len smiled. “Cool.”
