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I stand firm. “Nothing good would come from catching feelings for this guy. Not only have we just barely buried the hatchet, but he’s leaving in a month. His stay here is temporary.”
“Temporary, my ass,” Poppy mumbles, and I scowl at her.
“Don’t start.”
She swings her hands before dropping them dramatically in her lap with a heavy sigh. “You never know unless you try. And ignoring the obvious isn’t trying.”
“You could still sleep with him,” Bryce says nonchalantly.
Until I met Bryce, I’d never known someone so at ease with sex and their sexuality in general. It’s a refreshing mindset to see.
I’ve never been opposed to casual sex, but I haven’t done it often. I’m not equipped to handle that lack of emotional connection with someone. I may not be a woman who’s spent her whole life dreaming of a fairy-tale love story, but I still want a real partner. Marriage is off the table for me, but everythingelse is still something I’m interested in. Who wouldn’t want someone to share their life with? Someone to love and to be loved by?
Even with everything Stewart did and broke within me, those wants remain untouched. I don’t want to remain single for my entire life. He didn’t break me or my dreams. Just my heart. The one I’m slowly but surely stitching back together.
“Casual sex with Brody Steele wouldn’t stay casual. Not for me.” Our differences wouldn’t matter. Once we reached that level of intimacy, I’d become completely wrapped up in him. Everything would mean that much more. “And let’s not get ahead of ourselves. He hasn’t given me any hint that he’s considered me in that way, and he probably won’t.”
This talk is only going to make me look for any sign of interest, and I’ll end up more disappointed than anything else when I never catch it.
“I don’t blame you there,” Poppy says on an exhale. “Just keep us in the loop on how things go the next few days. He’s picking you up tomorrow morning, right?”
“Yes.”
“You should bring him coffee or something,” Bryce suggests, and when I catch the slight curve of her lips, I roll my eyes.
“I don’t even know how he likes it.”
“A guy like that? Black for sure,” Poppy states.
I pull my hair behind my shoulders and lean back, staring at the ceiling. Giving him coffee in exchange for the rides to and from work seems like a safe thing to do. It’s the first solid suggestion my friends have had today.
“If he’s a latte guy, you’re both dead,” I warn.
Poppy snorts. “If Brody is a latte guy, then I’m a whiskey girl.”
“Okay, I get it. I’ll try the coffee sometime,” I relent.
Bryce reaches for the rest of her burger and then returns her head to my shoulder. “And you’ll text us as soon as you get to work tomorrow.”
“Whatever you want, Brycie.”
The pinch in my side from her sharp nails makes me howl a laugh, the sound of it acting as another stitch in my chest.
Bo: Good morning. What’s your favourite colour?
Me: Pink. The hot kind. Yours?
Bo: Blue. The tropical ocean kind.
The good-morning textwas waiting for me when I woke up. There have been similar ones every morning for the past week, and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t started to look forward to them.
It’s always a random question, something to help us get to know each other. So far, I know that he prefers salty over sweet, morning over night, fall over summer.
The friendship between us has grown so organically that it should probably be a bit scary, considering he’s still ultimately a stranger. It’s safer for me to keep him in that box until we meet in person. If we ever meet, that is. Everything has started falling into place in Cherry Peak, and I’ve grown content with my new life. Any new changes and I might lose that feeling.
For now, he’ll continue to be a cozy spot in my life, tucked away in the safety of my texts until we take the next step.
A glance at the clock above the stove and I’m grabbing the jacket from its hook by the door and slipping my arms inside.The soft material glides over the bare skin of my arms, and the same way I did last night, I ignore the scent clinging to it. Cinnamon and something woodsy. God, getting such a strong scent of it makes my toes curl. It’s ten times stronger than the few times I’ve smelled Brody.
