“Aw now, cupcake. Are you jealous? You didn’t strike me as the insecure type the other night. The girls aren’t part of the reputations, though. We just like sex.”
I choke on my own drink. I cough hard enough to attract stares. Maddox comes to me, gently patting me on the back. “You okay?” he asks with concern.
After another second, I nod. I lift my eyes to meet his. “Is that whyyougave me your numbers? Did you think I would just fall into bed with you?”
“Part of it,” he says, making me feel like I could vomit. “But you also seem different. If we just wanted to fuck, we wouldn’t have hunted you down.”
“Jesus, are you always this – blunt?”
“You want me to lie to you?”
I think for a second before I shake my head. “No. No, I don’t want to be lied to, but if that’s why you sought me out, then maybe you should move on because I am not going to sleep with you. I don’t want to be a notch on anyone’s belt or just another nameless face.”
“Pretty sure you could never be a nameless face, cupcake, but I get what you’re saying. Like I said, you’re different. So, how about we start over. Try being friends, yeah?”
I look back towards the bar where Ryder is glaring daggers my way. “I’m pretty sure he isn’t interested in anything with me anymore.”
“He’s complicated.” Maddox looks to his friend. The genuine affection is his eyes nearly knocks the breath out of me. “We’re both complicated. Our lives haven’t been as picturesque as the media portrays.”
“You love him,” I observe, carefully choosing the word. “You love each other.”
He smiles at me with a shake of his head. “We do, but it’s not how you’re thinking.”
“No?” I have no idea what he’s even talking about. I can see it with my own two eyes. The love they feel for each other is far beyond friendly or brotherly.
“Like I said, we’re complicated.” He shrugs. “Anyway, what do you say? Friends?”
I gnaw on my cheek thoughtfully. I don’t know how to answer him. The attraction I feel for them is very real and makes meextremely nervous. Is it possible to be friends when you’re sexually drawn to someone? Considering I’ve never been, I’m not sure if there’s an answer to that.
But I’m also curious about these two boys. They truly fascinate me, no matter how hard I try to deny it. Their confidence and charisma call to me. Their dynamic is an enigma. And I really want to understand their relationship.
“Sure,” I acquiesce. “I probably need to make more friends.” I look over my shoulder one last time at Ryder who is still watching me. “What about him?”
“He will be fine. Trust me.”
Heaven
A few days later, I get a message from Maddox asking if I’d like to hang out with them. And I want to say yes. Unfortunately, school and work are uncompromising and always come first, so I ask for a rain check.
That evening after my shift at the diner, I walk out to find one incredibly intense man leaning next to the door. My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“Heard you had to work late. Thought you would like some company home.” The corner of his mouth twitches despite the hardness in his eyes.
I give him my own shy smile with a shake of my head. “You came here to ride the bus with me?” My disbelief is not well hidden.
He jerks back like I’ve shoved worms in his face. “Fuck no! We’ll take my car.”
“You have a car?” I ask. Then I remember who I’m talking to. “Of course, you have a car. Why wouldn’t you?”
I actually have one too. Just not here. It’s back home because I wasn’t sure about the parking situation at the school. Though I’m sure my little foreign coupe is nothing compared to whatever he’s driving.
“Well, most people in New York do choose other means of transportation,” he grins. “Parking is a bitch in most places.”
I nod, my own smile spreading. “All right, I’ll let you drive me.”
“This way.” He jerks his head for me to follow. He places his hand on the small of my back, and a shiver escapes me. “Cold?” he asks me.
Thank God, it is cold, and I forgot my coat. I don’t want to explain the effect he has on me. “Yeah, a little.”
