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She nestles my hand as I run my fingertips across her shoulder and brush her hair back.
“It’s natural for her to be a little shy about dating after what she went through.”
She nods in agreement. “Yeah, I know she’s afraid of getting close to someone only to end up losing them too.”
My thoughts drift to Lori. I’ve never seen anyone more afraid of getting close to someone. She’d refused to even give me the chance to get to know her until my relationship with Cat forced it on her.
“I wonder what Lori’s deal is.” My hand freezes as I realize I’d unintentionally verbalized my thoughts, falling back into my lap.
I’ll admit friendship isn’t originally what I was hoping for with Lori, and it hasn’t been an easy adjustment. Don’t get me wrong, I like Cat—a lot. We’re great together. But there’s a part of me that still senses the same spark that was there with Lori the first time we met. Only now, I also feel this bond with her. I know I shouldn’t be asking these questions, but I can’t seem to help myself. Her words that day in my truck weigh on me.
You’re looking for a great love story, and I’m a tragedy.
Cat furrows her brow. “What do you mean?”
Shrugging, I clear my throat. “She said something to me about not being dating material, and I wonder why she thinks that about herself. Why she doesn’t feel like she deserves more than one-night stands.”
She pulls away from me, her eyes wide now. “She told you that?”
“Yeah…she mentioned it when we went shopping for your Christmas gift.”
She blinks, studying me as if trying to see the things I’m not saying. Like how the topic had come up because it had been me she didn’t want to date. “Why would she tell you that?”
“I don’t know,” I lie. “Is that not something she would normally share?”
“No, it’s not. She’s never even said that to me. I mean, I assumed, but she claims to be liberated, free from societal expectations. She says she enjoys her no strings attached sex life.” She shakes her head, her eyes becoming accusing. “Why would her dating habits even come up? What were the two of you talking about?”
My head tilts, and I rub at my chin as I try to think of the best way to get myself back out of this hole. I’ve clearly created some suspicions, triggered some jealousy. “We were trying to get to know each other better. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“Well, yeah…but I didn’t expect you to become such fast friends.”
“Wait…” I say, pulling her close to me, “are you jealous?”
She protests, shaking her head, her lips pressed together in a hard line. “No.”
Smirking, I kiss her nose. “You so are. I’m just not sure if you’re jealous of Lori or me.”
She rolls her eyes. “It’s a little odd. Lori doesn’t normally open up like that, and I’m not used to the guys I date getting along with her.”
A sense of pride swells in my chest, and I smile before leaning in to kiss her on the mouth this time. She parts her lips as my tongue glides over them, eagerly connecting us. I deepen the kiss, one hand tangling in her hair as the other rests at her knees between her thighs, hoping to distract us both from the topic of Lori.
11
Lori
3 Months Ago
My feet drag across the taupe carpet that looks more like a gray in the glare of the television lighting the room.
“First, she moves back here without even telling me, then she takes Lizzy back with her to Pennsylvania to pack her stuff, and now this thing with Eric. Why does she keep everything from me? Am I really that awful?”
Cat and Spencer exchange a look on the couch where they’re snuggled up together as I continue to pace the floor in front of them. Before Cat started dating Spencer, it wasn’t a big deal for me to pop up at her house whenever I needed to vent to my friend. But coming here when they’re together sucks.
Spencer cackles, and I narrow my eyes at him as I come to a stop. “Who says it has anything to do with you?”
“Why are you here again?” My tone is clipped, but I can’t seem to keep the playfulness off my face.
Spencer huffs. “Hey, I was here first. You interrupted our date, remember?”
