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“Which means we’re about to have one hell of a hangover on our hands. They’re awake. Brace yourself.”
James returned to the stove to make another plate and slid two pieces of bread in the toaster. I started to eat, hearing the creak from Hannah’s bedroom door. Soft footsteps padded down the hallway before Shi meekly poked their head around the corner.
“There go my chances of escaping unseen,” they lamented, their voice rough and scratchy. “Hi, James.”
“Morning, Shiloh,” he returned, managing to hide his grin by keeping his back turned. I still heard it in his voice. “Sit down. You should eat.”
“I’m okay, really.”
“That wasn’t a suggestion, Shi Baby.” I kicked the chair across from me. “Sit.”
That beautiful pink flush crept under Shi’s collar and swept over their cheeks. They looked between me and James, but relented and crossed the room to lower themselves into the chair. James reached over their shoulder to set their food in front of them, while I nudged an extra bottle of water and the Tylenol across the table.
“Are you not eating?” they asked James.
“Already did,” he lied. “You’ve been knocked out for a while.”
Shi groaned, rubbing at their temples. “It wasn’t long enough.”
“Eat,” James repeated. “You’ll feel better.”
Shiloh grabbed the Tylenol, but I stopped them from opening it. “Maybe you should eat first. You’ll want to keep that down.”
“Oh God,” they groaned. “I puked all over you last night, didn’t I?” They dropped the bottle, wincing at the noise and burying their reddened face in their hands.
I stifled a grin. Damn, they were adorable. “You didn’t get it all over me,” I assured them. “I’m too skilled at my job to let that happen.”
James stood in the corner of the kitchen, watching Shiloh with a look in his eyes that I couldn’t quite discern. Shiloh peeked at me through their fingers and I let my mouth quirk up in a way I knew would deepen that blush. The redder their skin got, the more the smattering of freckles across their nose and cheeks stood out.
“Don’t worry, Shiloh,” James finally spoke, a sinister grin curling his lips. “You should have seen Ryder last year when we separated.”
My stomach flipped. “Don’t you dare!”
Amused that he got a rise out of me, James crossed the room, stopping behind my chair and bending to wrap his arms around my shoulders. “Don’t what? Tell Shiloh that we all drown our sorrows in a bottle from time to time? That we all do things we regret?”
I gulped. “He’s right, Shi.”
Slowly, as if afraid every bite could come back up, they began eating. “You two broke up?”
“For a little while, yeah,” I said, my throat tight. “Sometimes things have to happen for a reason.”
“And what was the reason?”
“It’s complicated,” James and I both said.
Shi’s gaze flitted between us. “That doesn’t make things any clearer.”
We didn’t expand further, and Shi got the hint. We focused on our breakfast. I had no desire to relive those days apart from James. I fucked up when I slept with Luke. I knew I’d hurt James. Worse, I’d led him right into the hunters’ trap. But I couldn’t take it back. The next time I looked up from my plate, I caught James’s eye. He must have sensed my inner turmoil because he gave me a sweet smile and mouthed,“It’s okay.”
His small gesture did more to soothe me than I thought it would, and I turned back to my breakfast. Shiloh’s fork clattered to the plate, making evenmeflinch. “Oh, fuck. I tried to kiss…” They trailed off, looking from me to James.
“I told him, Shi.”
This time, they paled instead of turning red. “I’m?—”
“Don’t you dare say you’re sorry.”
“You have a boyfriend. Who’s also my boss. And I tried to kiss you, oh my God.” Shiloh hid behind their hands again. “Why haven’t you fired me yet?”
