And I let that sink in.
Not sure I’d ever have thought Breaker would say something like that to me.
Never thought he’d ever touch me the way he has.
But the way he answered me, not actually saying he likes me romantically, more what he likes about me, puts me on edge.
“I’m not just someone you can fuck around with,” I say before I can stop myself.
He pauses and turns so our eyes meet. “You think I’d do that to you?” he asks, his voice growing darker.
“I don’t know, Breaker. It feels like I’m just a toy at the moment.”
He pushes back, then turns his body toward me. “That’s insulting, Lia. Do you really think I’d treat our friendship so cheaply?”
No.
I think he takes our friendship very seriously.
“Then what is it?”
“How about you stop trying to label things and just enjoy? I know what I’m doing.”
“Would be great to let me know what that is.”
He turns back toward the coffee table and shuffles some cards before saying, “Let me worry about it. You just sit back and relax.”
He cuts the conversation off with that.
The rest of the night, we eat Thai food, play Codenames, joke around, and don’t speak about what we’ve done. When it’s time for bed, he walks me back to my apartment, and when I think he’s going to kiss me, he pulls me into a hug and kisses the top of my head.
When we’re in bed, he knocks on the wall four times, and with an uneasy feeling in my chest, I knock back three.
“Look at this multicolored yarn,” Lottie says. “And it has glitter in it.”
“Oh wow, that’s nice,” I say while the girls show me all the supplies they bought for our first knitting club gathering.
After the whole towel and going down on me situation, I texted the girls and asked them if they wanted to meet up, and luckily, they were free the next day. They think they’re going to learn how to knit, when in fact, I have ulterior motives. I need to figure out what’s going on with Breaker so I know how to approach it. Him.
“I got just plain red,” Myla says, looking defeated. “I didn’t know we were allowed to get a glitter yarn.”
“You live and you learn,” Lottie says with a smirk while Kelsey sits in our circle after stepping out to answer a call.
“Okay, sorry about that. JP thought we were going out to dinner tonight, and I had to remind him that’s tomorrow.”
“Where are you two going?” Myla asks.
“To this new sushi place that he’s been wanting to go to for a while.”
“Is it Nori?” Lottie asks.
“Yes. Did Huxley take you?”
“Last week,” Lottie answers. “It’s so good.” She then turns to me and says, “Are you a big sushi fan?”
“I love it. Breaker and I used to get it all the time in college. There was a place downtown that wasn’t too pricey, but it was amazing.”
“Speaking of Breaker,” Lottie says with a smile. “I heard through the grapevine that he’s been making a move.”
The grapevine being her husband.
“What?” Kelsey says. “JP didn’t say anything to me.”
“That’s shocking,” Lottie says as she leans over and picks up one of the cookies I made for tonight. “He’s a bigger gossip than Hux.”
“I even heard a whispering of something,” Myla said. “But my husband and his brother can’t keep anything to themselves, and Breaker hangs out with Banner enough for there to be a leak between them.” Myla looks up at me. “So, is it true?”
With all eyes on me, I know this is what I wanted, but it doesn’t make it easier, just makes the conversation flow better.
“Uh, yeah, he did.”
The girls all clap and cheer, but it all feels so weird.
“That boy has had it really bad for you,” Lottie says. “God, I’m so glad he finally did something about it. How was it?”
I pause and tilt my head to the side. “He’s had it bad for me?” I ask, confused.
Lottie glances at Kelsey and then back at me. “I mean . . . what?” She blinks a few times.
“You said he has it bad for me. What do you mean?”
“Uh, I don’t think I said that, right, Kelsey? I didn’t say that.”
“Yeah, I don’t think she said that.”
“That’s what I heard,” Myla says with a smirk, and when the sisters look her way, she just shrugs. “Listen, we’re here for a reason. These men of ours often have the upper hand, and any advantage we can have over them, the better, so we might as well be truthful with her. Yes, Breaker has had it bad for you.”