“Nice sweatshirt.”
“Jesus!” I smack my chest, spinning around to find a head of messy blonde hair poking up from the couch.
“Sorry.” Chloe giggles, clearly not sorry at all.
“Did you fall asleep out here again?”
“No. I just thought I would hide under the blankets andwait for you to sneak in to scare you.” My eyes flirt with her open laptop on the coffee table. “Okay, I fell asleep on the couch again.” She throws her hands up in the air and stomps off to the kitchen.
The two stools at the kitchen island are hand-me-downs from a family Chloe used to babysit for, but we added some flavor to them by reupholstering the cushions with pink and red checkered fabric. I hop up on one of them while Chloe starts up the Keurig.
“Well, it’s been forty-five seconds.” She reaches a hand over her shoulder, giving herself a pat on the back. “The appropriate amount of time has officially passed. Spill.”
I pull on the sleeves of Noah’s sweatshirt, covering both my hands, and the smile now forming on my lips. Big mistake. His scent lingers in the fabric, setting my jar of Noah Kingston fireflies wild. I drop my arms and head to the counter with a dramatic groan.
“Ugh, Chlo! I don’t know.”
She’s smiling as she puts my decaf pod in.
“You had a good time.” It’s not a question.
Noah and I might have agreed to keep whatever this is between us, but he’s bound to learn sooner or later that “between us” will almost always mean “between him, me, and Chloe.”
“He took me ice skating.”
She pauses with my coffee in hand. Her big, green eyes somehow grow even wider. I nod my head, confirming all the thoughts I know are swirling in her head.
“And you…?”
“Yup.”
“Without…?”Panic.
“Yeah.”
“Holy shit, dude,” she breathes, setting the mug down in front of me.
Holy shit, dude, is right.
My phone dings, and I’m embarrassed to admit that my mind immediately goes to Noah. I dig it out of my bag, snatch the last orange from the bowl, and go back to the counter but stop in my tracks when I see the email from the rugby department.
Shit. I forgot to send them an ‘emergency came up’ email.
My thumb hovers over it, but I decide to rip the bandage off. What are they going to do? Tell me I didn’t get the job I didn’t want?
Good morning, Ms. Alvarez,
I wanted to reach out and see about rescheduling your interview. I apologize for the mix-up last week. Please give me a call at your earliest convenience so we can get you situated.
Looking forward to meeting with you soon.
-Dan
“Is your new boyfriend missing you already?” Chloe teases, but I barely register the joke over my confusion.
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