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ME: He’s got another arm. Two legs. Who knows with Jack. You didn’t want to go hang out with them?
CUPCAKE: Actually…I was hoping I could sneak a certain brat over to my room.
More flutters, but in my belly this time.
ME: Oh yeah? And do what?
CUPCAKE: Come over when you’re done and find out.
I bite my lip to hold back my grin as I stare at the text; I might still be struggling to get used to it, but I sure as hell enjoy the easy flirtation that we’ve fallen into. Teen me is practically dancing around her bedroom to Katy Perry circa 2012.
“God, you are killing me with all that giggly shit,” Ava grumbles as she sidles up beside me to get to the coffee maker. “You’re going to rot my teeth out if you don’t stop being so sweet.”
I shove my phone in my pocket, reaching for an empty cup. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Please. I caught you staring at your dressing room mirror yesterday, smiling to yourself while ‘Enchanted’ was blasting.”
“I was just happy for Taylor’s version,” I mumble.
“Uh-huh.” She rolls her eyes as she stirs her creamer into her paper cup. “Sure you were. I happen to know for a fact that you’re a 1989 stan.”
“Taylor is Taylor,” I hmph.
“But it’s…going well, right?”
I hate that she’s right; my mouth immediately turns up, and it really is ridiculous how giddy just thinking about Ian makes me.
“It is,” I tell her.
“But you still haven’t told Jack?”
“No,” I sigh. “I’m going to. When I figure out how to approach the subject without him going all alpha-hole big brother on me.”
“I would pay money to see that.”
“Honestly, so would I,” I laugh. “If it weren’t going to be directed at me. Can you imagine how insufferable he’s going to be when he finds out I’m sleeping with his best friend?”
“Oh, he’s never going to let you live it down once he stops being weird.”
“Exactly.”
“Probably be weirder to keep not telling him though,” she points out.
“I know, I know. I’m going to tell him soon. Ian is just stressed out about training camp right now, and everything is already a lot for him right now, I don’t want to add an overprotective Jack to the mix.”
“Oh God. You are so smitten.” She raises her voice in a terrible impression of mine. “Ian this. Ian that.”
“Shut up,” I grouse.
“You lurve him,” she teases.
And it’s a joke, I know that, but the way my stomach tightens is no laughing matter. I won’t pretend that it hasn’t been…intense, being with Ian after wanting him for so long, just like I also won’t pretend that like has felt like too small a word for what I’ve been feeling for him. Not that I would ever tell him that. I won’t risk scaring him off when I just got him.
I bump her elbow with mine. “Don’t you have something to be doing?”
“Yeah, making sure your show is perfect.”
“Well.” I make a shooing motion. “Go on then.”
