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As soon aswe got back from brunch, Katie recruited Connor for her much-needed nap. Even though we were doing a low-key bonfire on the beach, it would still be a late night. I forgot that not everyone slept in until noon this morning, and that this was usually the time Katie napped if she was going to.
I changed out of my jeans and opted for some joggers before I made myself at home on the puffy L-shaped couch. I claimed the chaise part of the sofa because it was closest to the fireplace and clicked on the fire. Red and orange flames danced in front of me, and I sank deeper into the corner of my seat. I drew my legs to my chest and scrolled through the TV guide until I was satisfied. One of the stations was playingLegally Blonde, followed byMean Girls. I was in for a fantastic afternoon.
I was confused to feel the material of the couch when I reached behind me for a blanket. There was one there this morning, and I didn’t feel like hunting it down among the bedrooms. Katie’s Chicago Blackhawks blanket was still in my room, so I hopped up and jogged down the hall.
No sooner than I rounded the corner of my bed, I heard the front door of the condo slam shut. I froze, and butterflies erupted in my stomach as footsteps went down the hall and toward the kitchen.
Jaxon was back from the other condo, and while I was excited to see him again, I was also terrified at what came next. As of right now, I slept with my best friend and everything was good. However, once we decided to throw logic at the situation, everything could change just as quickly.
I wrapped the blanket in my arms and took a deep breath. The sooner we got this over with, the easier it would be to move on to whatever came next. Jaxon was still my friend—the guy I could depend on for pretty much anything. That part of our relationship didn’t have to change.
I walked the short length of the hallway and stopped in my tracks when I noticed it wasn’t Jaxon who had come through the front door—it was Bryson.
He peered into the open fridge and glanced up at me when he noticed I was standing there. His teeth rested on his bottom lip, and he drew his body back so he could lean against the kitchen counter. His arms crossed in front of his chest, and his dimples dug into his cheeks. He was trying hard not to smile at me.
I took a few steps toward him and cocked my head. Bryson’s expression seemed genuine, but it was very out of character. I examined his face and processed all of the possible options that could have happened while Katie and I were at brunch. I knew as soon as I saw his cocky grin.
“He told you,” I stated.
“Oh, he told me.” Bryson jerked his back up from the counter and turned to face me head-on. It was refreshing to hear the playfulness in his voice. All of the times we had messed around and fucked around, I had never seen this side of him.
“Like from the beginning, he told you?” I asked cautiously, still reading into his reactions. “Orrrrrr . . .”
“Like from Halloween, he told me,” Bryson added and opened the fridge again.
I pursed my lips and didn’t know what to say next. Before I could open my mouth and make another attempt at the conversation, Bryson beat me to it.
“Out of all people, you had to run into me that night, huh?” His smile returned, and the weight in my chest subsided.
“You served your purpose,” I said softly. I lost it when Bryson’s eyes widened, and his head shot out of the fridge.
“I served my purpose,” he emphasized and shook his head. He chuckled, and when his golden-brown eyes met mine, I was brought back to the beginning—when neither of us knew we would be having this conversation.
I burst into hysterics and had to turn away from him. There wasn’t any negative energy that hung in the air between us or any awkward spaces we needed to fill. It was the most natural I had felt with him since the night I met him at Brathaus. Yesterday I never would’ve joked with him about this. We would’ve had a completely different conversation about where he went after the club or if there were any other lies he told while we were here.
Bryson and I had been on our way out for a while, and when we walked away last night outside of Razzle’s, we both knew it.
He grabbed a beer from the fridge and twisted off the cap. Before the fridge door could close, I held it open to reach in and help myself to a drink.
“Hey,” I said and extended the bottle in front of me.
Bryson stared and waited for me to continue.
“It was fun while it lasted,” I offered.
He clinked his drink against mine, and we both took a sip. He smacked his lips and brushed past me. “It’s gonna be weird with you not asking what I’m up to all the time.” He glanced behind him and walked toward the door to the basement.
“Well, at least now you can lie to me about what you’re up to and I won’t give a shit,” I shot back, and he chuckled.
I slid back into my seat on the chaise and extended my legs toward the fire. I heard the basement door shut and I relaxed on the couch. A conversation that could’ve quickly gone south actually ended on a good note. I wasn’t sure if this made Bryson and meactualfriends, but it felt like a step in the right direction.
I sipped my beer and watched Elle Woods create her admissions video for Harvard. Seeing her chihuahua Bruiser prance around the screen reminded me of Clooney, Chase and Trey’s dog back in Pittsburgh.
I leaned over for my phone and shot him a quick check-in text.
Any updates?
Chase:
