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“Okay, then it’s a done deal.” I drop Scarlett’s hand, exhale sharply, and turn to Rowan. “I’ll text you later.”
She nods with a conspiratorial grin and grabs her jean jacket and camera bag. Hoisting it over her shoulders, she saunters out the door, taking her orange-scented perfume with her.
Perching myself on the edge of my desk, I raise my eyes to Scarlett, who’s looking after Rowan with a big crease in the center of her forehead. Even when she scowls, she’s so goddamn beautiful. I wish I could erase that frown. Snatch her up and kiss the hell out of those scarlet-red lips. I fear with every day that passes, she’s slipping further and further away from me. She doesn’t seem thrilled with whatever’s going on between Rowan and me, that much I can read from her body language.
“We’re just friends, Scar.” I put as much emphasis on this as I can because I don’t want anyone but Scarlett Rhodes.
Her gaze whips to mine, those crystal blues widening, swallowing me whole. “It’s okay if it’s more. You’re entitled to see whomever you want.” Her words rush out and she wrings her hands together in front of her. My gut tells me she doesn’t want this double date either.
Just tell her. Here’s your chance. Take it. Tell her you love her. Or at the very least, tell her you care deeply about her.
“Hey… I need to tell you something. I…” The words catch in my throat as she sears me with her expectant expression. I stall, wanting to get so lost in her, but… I can’t do this. I can’t ruin this—us.
“Yeah?”
Straightening, I swing around to my desk chair and sit down abruptly, pissed at myself, gritting out, “Nothing, forget it. Um, Theo forgot his camp information at my house, so I’ll swing by and give it to you so you can look over it.” The sting and flood of tangy blood meets my tongue where I’ve bitten my cheek.
“Is everything all right?” Her voice is small, and I deflate.
“Yeah, sorry. I’m just stressed with work.” The lie is so transparent, even I wince.
She watches me for a second before nodding, and after a stilted goodbye, she’s gone. I rub my tired eyes and lean back in my chair, contemplating how I’m going to murder Rowan for this. It’s going to backfire. Double-date? This fucking sucks. If I only spit out the words, we could’ve avoided this complete fiasco. But what if it scared her, sent her away from me?
A growl tears from my throat and my fists ball atop my thighs. Snapping straight to my feet, I march to my mini fridge and grab a bottle of water. I palm the glass window as I chug it back, willing the serene picture of nature outside to calm my raging heart.
Tamp it down.
I let my fingers tap and slide across the cool glass, coding words and phrases with no meaning other than to slow down my adrenaline. I have a class to lead soon and I can’t show up guns blazing because I’m weak in the knees and scarred in the heart. What happened to my bravado? I was ready, so ready to tell her.
All the sacrifice, the self-preservation, the hiding and pretending—reasons why you should never fall in love with your best friend.
