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He’d phased out. How long had he been standing there, losing himself in memories of her?
“She’s in my bed, Eth.”
“So go make a move.”
His arm flopped down at his side. “I can’t. I wouldn’t do that to her… I told her to take the bed. She laughed at me and said we should share. Share, Eth, like it was nothing.” Like he was no threat, just like Lance said. “You know what she’s wearing right now?”
“What?”
“My shirt,” he said, his stomach clenching as he relived the horror. “A tiny pair of thong panties and my shirt… She only did like two buttons over her chest…” His arm rose to straighten at his side. “There she is, the woman I want, in my bed…” He clenched his teeth. “In tiny thong panties and my shirt.”
“If she didn’t bring anything to sleep in, maybe she wants you to make a move. Seems like a signal to me.”
He sank back against the wall. “You don’t know her,” he said and sighed. Being forgetful was just her way. “She doesn’t play games like that.”
“Did you get in bed with her?”
“Yeah,” he said, his brows rising. “And she started talking about how horny she was and how that meant her period was right around the corner. How much is a guy supposed to take?” Ethan laughed. “I waited ‘til she fell asleep and got up. I’m glad you think this is fucking funny.”
“I’m sorry, boss, I am. But this is exactly the kind of luck you have in romance. In business, you shine, it’s like you can’t fail. But in love? You always meet the wrong woman or the wrong one gets her hooks in. Only you could meet the right woman and not be able to have her because of something like this.”
“She wouldn’t go to the press,” he said, his hand on his heart, checking it was still in there. In any way that really counted, he’d already handed it over to the woman sleeping in his bed. “I don’t know I’d care even if she did.” But that wasn’t it. Wasn’t the reason he hadn’t been honest. He faced the truth that was only just processing. “If I tell her the truth, it will hurt her. I can’t do it. I can’t win. The lying is wrong and hurting her, but if I tell her…”
“You might feel better, but it won’t do her any good.” His friend’s sympathy was some consolation. “How did you get her into your bed anyway? Doesn’t she think you live with Lance?”
“I told her we broke up.”
“Another lie,” Ethan said. “Is that a good plan?”
“I’m not dating him. It’s less of a lie than telling her I am.”
“Why did you break up?”
“I just keep telling her I don’t want to talk about it,” he said, knowing that wouldn’t fly forever. “She asked me tonight if there was someone else involved. And, yes, there fucking is: her.”
“Telling her that won’t help,” Ethan said, then sighed. “If you tell her, she’ll hate you forever or you don’t tell her and fake being gay for the rest of your life.”
“I thought today would be the last time. I told myself to go to the coffee shop, see her one last time, and then draw a line under it.”
“And somehow she ended up in your bed.”
“She’s being a friend. She thinks I’m going through a breakup.”
Ethan sucked in a breath, which wasn’t encouraging. “Which makes things worse. As she’s being extra nice, you’re getting deeper into the lie.”
That was the point he’d already made. “What do I do?”
Silence lingered before Ethan stuttered. “I… I don’t think you’ve ever asked me that. Of the three of us, you’re the one who is always sure. The one who always comes up with a plan.”
“I’m asking now.”
Except his friend said nothing. Because there was no answer. Any way he looked at it, he was screwed. Rainie would get hurt if he told the truth or if he just abandoned her and disappeared. She valued loyalty, and he was proving himself to be a bad investment. He was spending her kindness with no way to return the favor, no way to soften the blow. And there was no way out.
11
Movies were not in short supply. With streaming services at their disposal too, Rainie had lined up a whole host of definitely not sappy movies to get them through the nights.
All week, she’d only been three places: work, the coffee shop, and Alex’s apartment. Some people might feel intruded upon. Not Alex. His willingness to have her around was a sure sign he needed a distraction from his breakup. Especially since he still met her every day at twelve thirty for lunch. They were temporarily living together and didn’t need to meet in the middle of the day, but he was always there.
