“I do not need a bath!” I exhaled slowly. They were both looking at me like I was insane. But they were being fucking nuts. “I’m going to make myself very clear here. Kennedy is not going out with Felix.”
“But…” Tanner started.
“Period. And I like showers.”
“But you’re all sweaty…” Nigel started.
“Baths are for infants!” I yelled.
“That isn’t true…”
“Fine. And women with a glass of wine and a book!”
“I’ll bring you wine and a book then,” Nigel said.
“I don’t want wine and a book!”
“But you just said…”
“I don’t want a bath!” I screamed.
“Matt, calm yourself,” Tanner said. “You’re acting hysterical.”
“Hysterical? You’re the ones who are hysterical!”
Nigel and Tanner calmly looked at each other.
Fuck.Fine, maybe they weren’t acting hysterical right this second. But they were freaking crazy. I took a deep breath. “I just need a night alone,” I said to Nigel. And then I turned to Tanner. “And I need you to tell me you’re not setting the girl I love up with her high school crush.”
“I can’t promise that,” Tanner said.
“What the fuck, Tanner!”
“A bath and some green juice will fix the hysteria,” Nigel said calmy.
God, I wanted to yell so many obscenities. And flip the table. And shove a bunch of spicy food down Nigel’s throat. But I was pretty sure he’d love that, so I stayed completely still. “I’ll be in my room,” I said. I gave them each one final hard stare and then walked away.
“I’ll be by for your bath in just a moment!” Nigel called after me. “I just have to book that restaurant for Kennedy and Felix’s sex date.”
I was going to kill both of them. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop myself.
***
My call to Kennedy went unanswered again.
I knew she kept pushing me away.
But she’d also kissed me back.
And wasn’t that proof enough that she didn’t want to end things?
Her words after I’d told her I was planning on proposing rattled around in my head.“I think that some things were always meant to be. And I’m not the kind of person that stuff like that happens to.”
What did she mean by that? What things were alwaysmeant to bethat didn’t involve her and me? Because this feltmeant to beto me.
There was a knock on my door.
I didn’t bother to tell whoever was on the other side of the door to go away. Because it was either Tanner or Nigel, and both of them loved walking in uninvited.
