“Did you have a good night, mia preferita?”
“You were there, you know how much I enjoyed it,” I quipped, changing positions to lie next to him with my head resting on the pillow I used when I stayed over.
“You know I meant when we parted.”
I sighed dramatically. “I know what you meant. We just slept, and it was great. I woke up with a lightness in my chest—like it felt right to be there. But Sly, I still don’t know.”
He rested his hand on my knee and stroked the skin with his thumb. For several seconds, I stared down at the motions of his hands, my brows furrowing as I realized the touch wasn’t doing anything for me. Typically, when he touched me, little sparks of lust would trickle through my system, and for some reason, that wasn’t happening.
Looking up at him, I gave him a small smile, not sure of what to say about that, if anything needed to be said at all.
“It’s okay, Rosie,” he said lightly, giving my knee a squeeze.
“What’s okay?”
“Feeling differently about my touch now that you’ve experienced Cain’s.” His eyes met mine, and behind his vibrant blues, I saw no traces of hurt or anger shine through, and it confused me more than I thought it would.
“You’re not mad?” I questioned, trying to keep my tone even, but my voice shook just slightly.
“Why would I be? Rosie, you’ll always be mia preferita, but your happiness is what will makemehappy. I know I don’t need to remind you of our arrangement. It’s been beautiful and everything we’ve both needed, but it’s okay if it’s no longer.”
He brushed a piece of hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear. “I will never leave you, and so long as you want me around as you did last night, I will stay, but I will not hold you back from what your heart truly desires. It’s time to stop letting fear drive you, amore mio. Let Cain prove to you what type of man he is now—he’s been trying to show you for months. I did not know him then, but I know him now and his heart is good, and his love for you is unwavering. If you need me, I’ll forever be by your side, but youmustbury your hesitations and let your heart guide you back to him.”
Sly was the most sincere man I knew, and my heart ached as his words settled deep within me. How could someone be so undeniably selfless and understanding? It pained me to know that while he was pushing me toward something that could be life-altering, he was sitting idle, unable to be with the womanhetruly loved. He never fully opened up about his situation, but in this moment there was nothing more important to me than returning all the support and love he’d poured into our friendship, especially these last few weeks.
“When do you get to let your heart guide you back toher, Sly?” I asked, hoping he’d realize I wasn’t the only one in the room who deserved happiness.
He offered me a weak smile, glancing down at his hands that were now crossed in his lap. “One day, I hope. Though time may not be on our side.”
I wanted to ask another question, but he picked up his phone and resumed his scrolling, setting the boundary that the conversation was now over.
Scooting up the bed, I lifted his comforter and pushed my legs under, cozying myself under the covers. Sly leaned over to his nightstand before jutting his hand out, offering me my cell phone. I took it happily, grinning at him when I noticed my battery was full.
“Have I told you that you’re the best and I love you?” I asked him as I found my string of text messages with Elle, sending her a message to meet me for brunch and mimosas in an hour.
The text was returned immediately, confirming what I already know. She’d be there.
"Sì, Rosie. And I, you.”
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
Elle and I had spent years finding the perfect brunch spot, trying out nearly all of them in Ridgewood and Shadow Hills. Several restaurants had been serious contenders for our number one, but when we sat down one fateful morning at The Breakfast Table in Shadow Hills, it was a done deal.
We’d been coming here as often as we could—at least biweekly—ever since. The staff knew us well. Shadow Hills was barely a blip on the map, after all.
What we’d both loved about The Breakfast Table was that they offered a brunch happy hour, with half off flights of mimosas and Bloody Marys, silver dollar pancakes for five bucks, and a whole array of other delicious foods for discounted prices. Elle and I would mix and match, eating and drinking until the brunch hour turned to lunch, and sometimes, even then, we’d still stay and order a third or fourth round of drinks, adding in some lunch entrees if we ended up with the day drinking snack cravings.
Today, a waitress by the name of Rachel, according to her name tag, seated us at a table by the window and handed us brunch menus.
“Start us off with a flight of mimosas, and the Mini Beni’s please, Rachel. Thank you,” I told her, setting my menu down in front of me on the table. She was a beautiful woman with a heart-shaped face and blue eyes. She had a total girl-next-door type of look about her, and a warm vibe.
I couldn’t help but wonder if she knew how to bartend.
“A woman who knows what she wants! I like it,” she said, jotting down our order on her server book. “I’ll be right back with some water and your mimosas.”
As she walked away, Elle cleared her throat and brought my attention back to her, my beautiful best friend sitting across from me. Although, my beautiful bestie was looking a little out of sorts today.
Her hair was piled messily on top of her head, a large claw clip keeping it secured, and she wore an oversized sweatshirt paired with yoga pants. Her face was bare, save for a little concealer and mascara. I guess I hadn’t given her much time to prepare for our meetup, but in all the years I’d known her, this was by far the most dressed down I’d seen her out in public.
