Page 19 of Extra Grumpy
As much as I don’t want to agree to it, I also hate the idea of wasting money. “Fine. Three days.”
“That’s nowhere near long enough, Rock! Let’s give it two weeks.”
“Oneweek.”
“Fourteen days.”
“That’s the same as two weeks,” I grumble.
She smiles.
Fuck. When she smiles at me like that, my resolve is pointless.
That night, as I work, the neon sign keeps buzzing in my peripheral vision. Bafflingly, it doesn’t seem to be bothering anyone else.
I don’t know what the hell is wrong with people.
Emily and I still haven’t talked about what happened the other night. There hasn’t exactly been a good opportunity to talk about it, but still. It’s this giant fucking elephant sitting at the bar, staring and waiting for us to talk.
Damn it, I just want to know what’s going on in her head.
I’m running a customer’s credit card when I notice a guy at one of our tables trying to flirt with Emily. He’s leaning back in his chair with this stupid fucking smile on his face, saying something that makes Emily laugh. Wild jealousy churns in my chest at the sight. I wordlessly hand the credit card back to the other customer, my breath going hot as I watch the guy over at that table nudge Emily’s foot with his own.Motherfucker. Stay away from her.I want to jump over the bar and do something about it, but I stay in place.
Emily walks away from the table and comes back behind the bar.
“That guy bothering you?” I growl.
“He was just being a little flirty. It’s nothing.”
“Want me to tell him to fuck off?”
“What? No. It’s fine, Rock. I can handle that kind of thing myself.” She frowns as she reaches for a straw and finds the container empty.
She turns to go into the back room, and I follow her.
“Did you like that guy flirting with you?” I ask.
“Um…no?” She gives me a strange look. “Why are you being like this?”
Is she serious? How can she act like this after what happened between us?
“I’m acting like this because you kissed me, Em. And we need to talk about it.”
She looks flustered for a moment. Jittery. “I told you. It was a mistake.”
“Friends don’t accidentally kiss friends.”
“I got caught up in the moment,” she says. “I don’t know what else to tell you. Why can’t we just pretend it didn’t happen?”
“I can’t do that.”
She sighs. “Why not?”
Now would be the time to confess my feelings. Tell her everything. Admit that I’ve had feelings for her since the day I met her, and that it’s been a low-lying form of torture to be nothing more than friends for all these years. That my heartis obsessed with her and that being kissed by her is making it impossible to keep my feelings in check.
But a grand admission of love isn’t gonna happen. That’s a secret that’s buried way too damn deep. I’ve spent too much time making sure it’s locked up in a safe place and I’m not ready to let those terrifying words come out of my mouth.
I can’t let her even get a whiff of it. It could ruin our friendship. It could be the end of everything.
