Page 56 of How To Tackle A Crush
Both of them stare at me.
“No?” AJ repeats.
“No,” I say again, far too quickly. “Obviously not.”
“Obviously?” Chloe says.
“I was working!”
“People have shagged under far more professional circumstances,” Chloe says with a smirk.
“I did not shag him.”
AJ raises his hands. “Good. Progress. We have established no shagging.”
Chloe narrows her eyes. “But?”
“There is nobut.”
“There is always a but.”
I sigh.
“There was just… a moment.”
Chloe leans back immediately, deeply satisfied. “There it is.”
“It was just… we were standing close and then we realised we were standing close and then I left.”
“That is peak romance novel behaviour,” Chloe says dryly.
AJ pushes his chair back slightly. “I feel like I should start having lunch with the sports desk.”
“You wouldn’t survive five minutes,” Chloe says. “They talk about hamstrings and protein.”
“That already sounds better than this.”
“You’re staying,” she tells him.
He stays.
“Ava, come on. What exactly happened,” AJ groans because despite his threat of leaving, he is an old gossip and of course wants me to spill the beans.
“I… we almost kissed. I think.” There. I said it. I said the words I’ve been trying to convince myself weren’t true.
There’s a small pause then. The teasing settling into something quieter.
Chloe studies me properly now.
“Okay,” she says gently. “Jokes aside. Are you alright?”
“Yes.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
AJ nods. “You don’t usually… have moments.”
