Page 21

Cal,

Sorry to ditch you for pizza. Had to go in and prep at the bakery last minute.

See you Sunday.

Rox!

“Why’s she working at a bakery?”

“Long story,” I muttered.

“I got time.” He shrugged.

I watched him move around the kitchen, grabbing plates and glasses from the shelves before turning to fill them with water from the Brita pitcher we kept in the fridge. As if feeling my eyes on him, he looked over his shoulder, a smile on his face.

“What?”

“Nothing.” I shook my head and went in to get the plates he’d served two slices of pizza each on.

It hit me just how normal this felt.

How good he looked in the kitchen and how much I’d missed sharing space with him. I took the plates to the coffee table and sat on the couch. Adam followed and sat right next to me.

“Hey,” he said as he handed me my plate and we settled in. “You good?”

“Yeah.” I took a bite, and when he turned his face to look at the TV, I felt the need to ask, “You okay?”

“I’m here.” He shrugged as if those two words were enough of an answer. I frowned.

“That doesn’t really answer the question,” I said, setting my plate on the coffee table. He did the same and turned.

It had always been jarring just how handsome he was. His dark eyes against his lightly sun-kissed skin and all the dark ink that now marked his skin and even poked through his shirt. It made me wonder if he had gotten new tatts in the last year, and it made me sad that I didn’t know.

But it was even more jarring when all that he was gave you his full and complete attention.

“I’m sitting next to my best friend, having really good pizza after a year of not doing that. I’m better than good, Cal,” he promised.

“Oh.” My cheeks heated up.

“Missed that.” I could have sworn his tone dropped. His gaze ran down to my face before our eyes connected. “Missed you.” His hand found mine and our fingers quietly tangled together.

We’d done this a million times before.

Held hands. Cuddled on the couch. It was what had made it so hard to try and ignore the love I felt for him.

“I missed you, too,” I whispered. I couldn’t believe we were here again, after almost a year. It felt like we were just picking up where we left off. Which made sense. Adam had always been the person I could be myself the most with.

But we had to talk.

“About what you said at the gym.”

“About being yours?” he asked bluntly.

“What do you mean by that exactly?” I quickly asked, too afraid I would lose my nerve.

“I love you.” Again, these were words I’d heard before. We’d been best friends just a couple years short of a decade. Of course, we loved one another.

“Honey, I’m your best friend. Of course you⁠—“