Page 154 of On His Schedule
I nod. “Yeah, they were cool with it last night.”
She lets out a humorless laugh. “Shut the fuck up, Lucy.”
I turn redder, if that’s possible. “What?”
Her mouth opens. “He’s in love with you.” She blinks at me.
I gulp. “What?” It comes out Camdenthless. Benson hasn’t even asked me to be his girlfriend. Surely, this man doesn’t love me.
Her eyes widen, and her mouth falls open into a wide smirk. “My brother’s in love with you.”
“How do you know?” I ask, trying to keep my head on straight.
“I know my brother. He doesn’t give two shits about girls. His life is hockey, friends, parties, hockey. He doesn’t make time for girls.”
“Oh,” I murmur.
“I mean, that’s why I was being protective of you, Lucy. I’m not trying to justify how I fucked up, but I didn’t want you to get hurt, but this is a good thing,” she offers. When I glance at her, I think she’s talking to herself more than me. “He really let you sleep over?” she asks again. I nod. She leans against the counter. “Huh.”
For a moment, I watch her think deeply about what this means. And then she changes the subject. “I fucked up, okay? I’m explosive, reactive, and territorial over my brother when it comes to my friends.”
I nod, understanding.
She huffs. “But I take back what I said. Don’t move out, Lucy. You’re my best friend.”
“You’re my best friend, too, G.”
She holds out her arms. “I love you.”
We walk two steps and pull each other into a hug. “I love you, too.”
“I don’t want anyone to come between us again.”
I nod. “Me either.”
I let my head rest against her. I didn’t know I needed this hug until now. I really needed it. We pull back and laugh when we both see that we’re both crying. I wipe my tears, and she wipes hers.
“I can’t believe how dramatic we are.”
“We?” I ask. “That’s all you. I’m just here for the ride.”
She pulls me into a quick hug again and says, “Okay. Are we good?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
She smiles, wiping her last tear. “Thank God. I felt like we had broken up.”
I smile. “Same. It’s been hard.”
Silence falls, and it’s not awkward this time. I glance at the clock on the stove, and it’s a little past five, which means Benson is in film.
“Do you want to watch the rest of Love Island?” she asks.
“You mean you haven’t watched it without me?”
She shakes her head. “And I have ice cream.”
I smile. “Yeah.”
