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“That’s a hazard. I’d like my nipples to not get burned off by wayward sauce splashes, thank you.”
“That would be uncomfortable.”
“No shit.” I rolled my eyes, glancing at my phone right after. “You know you’re running late, don’t you?”
Ethan leaned over and pulled my phone toward him. “Oh, shit!” He drank the coffee really fast, then put the mug down, flapping his hand in front of his face.
I watched, amused, as he ran into his room. There was a clatter that was followed by a loud, “Fuck!” and it took everything I had not to burst out laughing. Especially when a second, quieter one followed it—and a creak of the bed.
“All right in there?” I called in my most innocent voice.
“Shut up!” he shouted back. “I stubbed my fucking toe!”
“Wake up earlier, then!” I returned.
“Says the person who hates mornings!”
I laughed into my hands, desperately trying not to let it escape. If I gave in to it too much, I’d never stop.
“I’m going.” Ethan swerved to grab his keys. “I’ll see you later.”
“So I’m cooking, then.”
“I can cook. I’ll get something after work.” He raised his hand in goodbye at the front door, stopped, and changed course. He rushed over to me and grabbed my chin, kissing me firmly, then spun back and ran out of the apartment, leaving the door wide open.
Rolling my eyes, I got up and closed it behind him.
Then I went back to bed.
Mornings were for the birds, and I was not a bird.
At all.
***
“So you’re going for it?”
I nodded, passing Reagan the string she’d motioned for. “I think so. After Leo’s interference, everything makes sense.”
Halley wrinkled her nose up. “I can’t believe he did that. Did he think that you and Ethan wouldn’t care that he was your link?”
“I honestly don’t think he thought at all. He obviously thought he was helping, and I guess he was because it’s worked out in the end. I just wish we didn’t have to fight quite so much to get here.”
“That was a little rough,” Reagan agreed. “Think of it this way, though, it’s not like you were deliberately trying to hurt each other. It was all done out of good intentions.”
“Good intentions don’t heal broken hearts, though.” Halley tapped her fingers against her chin. “Well, they do, but not if you’re breaking your own hearts in the process.”
I shrugged a shoulder and picked at the remaining chips on the counter. “I guess. It’s fixed now, though. It’s not going to be the same because we live together, but we’re going to take it slow and see how it goes.”
“Is it weird to say it might be easier?”
“Yes,” Reagan said.
“No, listen.” Halley waved her hands. “You already know each other’s bad habits. Like, holy shit, when Preston moved in with me, it was hell. We argued for like a week straight, and it was because we never had any time apart. Even though we spent almost every night together, we still had a place to go before he moved in. After that…” She shuddered. “Splitting chores was hell. He was useless at just about everything.”
“Well, Ethan isn’t that bad. He already does stuff in the apartment.”
“There you go, then. You’re already off to a better start.” Reagan smirked. “You don’t need to be worried about anything, Ava. The biggest hurdle in your relationship was Leo, and he was the instigator in it all. Now you can just focus on being two people who are dating.”
“Right, but we didn’t really get along before. Is that supposed to just flip now? Are we going to go from not bitching at each other to getting along perfectly?”
“No,” Halley said honestly. “You won’t. But that’s just like any relationship. You’re still going to bicker, and knowing you two, you’re still going to do that passive-aggressive shit just because you found it more fun than anything else.”
“But you’ll be okay,” Reagan added, tying off the bouquet she was working on. “I promise.”
***
I smelled… spaghetti.
My nose twitched as I paused outside the apartment door. Had Ethan actually cooked? Not gonna lie, I was expecting him to not do it.
I pushed open the door and stepped inside. The rich scent of the sauce wrapped itself around me, and I inhaled deeply.
“Hey.” Ethan was stood over a huge pot of sauce, shirtless, and grinning at me.
“Hey. You actually cooked.” I put down my purse and kicked my shoes into the corner. “I didn’t think you would.”
“Ah. I’m not a chef like you, but my grandma taught me to make spaghetti when I was younger. She told me that if I can cook a good spaghetti, I’ll make a woman very happy one day.” He winked at me and used a teaspoon to taste test it.
“I do like spaghetti.” I smiled. “I need to change really quick. I’ll be right back.”
