Page 55 of Coming Up Roses
I’m effectively dismissed and I climb out of the ute. The moment my door is closed, he’s backing away.
So, I guess that answers my question about how he’s feeling about last night. I shouldn’t have been so flippant about his experience, or lack of it, or any of his other concerns about us hooking up. I just so desperately needed the escape from my brain, and it felt so good I don’t even feel like I should regret it.
I don’t want to regret it.
I sigh and shove my key into the lock. I flick Emily a message as I close the door behind me and dump my keys on the side table in the entryway.
I have a quick shower and by the time I’m out, Emily has replied. I pick up the phone and call her.
“Em, I think I fucked up,” I say as soon as she answers.
“The farm hand guy? What’s his name? Flynn?”
“What? How did you know?” I love that we don’t have to beat around the bush with anything in our friendship. We’ve been through enough to know there isn’t any judgement fromeither side. But I still don’t understand how she could possibly know about Flynn.
“Because honey, you talk about him constantly. Way more than you talk about Dallas, almost as much as you talk about Sadie.”
I sigh and slump onto my bed, then immediately jump up again, switching the phone to speaker and pulling on my clothes. “He’s my only friend here,” I say. “If I can even really call him a friend.”
“Of course you can. You like him, you spend time with him. Apparently he likes to hang out with you. That’s pretty much the definition of friends.”
“Yeah, but like I said, I fucked up.” I wrestle with the zipper on my dress. What I really need is another set of hands, but asking Flynn to do it when he gets back is out of the question, not when he can barely look at me.
“Why? Did you fuck him?” she asks and I can hear the cackle building in her voice. I groan and she unleashes her wicked laugh. “You did!”
“Not exactly.”
“Did one or both of you come because of something you did to the other?”
“Yes.”
“It counts, babe. But more importantly, how was it?”
“Really, really, really good.”
“Was this the first time?”
I groan again and Emily lets out a shriek that’s far too loud for this early in the morning. “We sort of made out on the beach a couple of weeks ago.”
“Hot.”
“It really, really was.” My blood heats up just remembering that day.
“Was that the day he taught you to ride his bike? Didn’t know that was a euphemism.”
I laugh, the sound echoing around the room. “It wasn’t. I really did learn to drive it … then we made out on it.”
“Maybe Simone needs a dirt bike … That sounds super hot.” Emily groans. “Right, sorry. Focussing. Why’d it take you so long between making out and getting off?”
“Because Flynn was worried about what would happen if we went further.”
“And he’s not worried now?”
“Oh, yeah, I’m pretty sure he’s worried now. That’s why I fucked up. I shouldn’t have pushed him.” I start in on my makeup while we talk and I can hear Emily making her morning coffee. I love this about our friendship, how seamlessly we fit each other into our lives. “He’s acting weird this morning. I don’t know how to fix it.”
“You don’t always need to be fixing things you know. Maybe he just needs a little time. Or a proper fucking.”
“Em,” I groan and she laughs.
