Austin’s smile seems a lot more genuine.
“That was tomorrow, Carly,” Ally lies, giving me big eyes and a sneaky smile as she pours sugar from a packet into her coffee.
“We weren’t doing the girls night out tonight?” I ask.
“Nope. Definitely tomorrow,” she lies some more.
“Oh…”
“Then we’re on,” Austin says with a big smile.
My face goes a little flushed. “Yeah, I guess we are.”
So, I’ve said yes, that I’ll go out with him. But, I’m thinking it’s a terrible idea. Why did I say yes?
The three of us finish eating lunch together and walk back to the office together. Austin walks me directly to my cubicle and puts my number into his phone then recites his to me, so I can put it in my phone before he’s turning to leave, saying he’ll pick me up at seven thirty, if that’s not too late, since he has to work late.
“7:30 sounds good,” I say, smiling at him.
“Yo!” I hear.
Aiden’s in his office and his eyes are on his brother, who’s casually leaned against the full wall on the non-Ally side of my cubicle, his back to Aiden’s office. Austin looks over his shoulder.
“Here,” Aiden orders.
“Be right back, Carly,” Austin winks at me and my heart flip-flops. That wink just changed his demeanor from kind of wholesome to… something else.
Oh my.
I watch as he goes into Aiden’s office. Aiden shuts the door and is standing there; they’re facing off, kind of, because Aiden looks… alpha. Aggressive. Sort of sexy. Who am I kidding? Aiden always looks sexy. Austin has walked in there like he doesn’t have a care in the world. He’s not acting intimidated at all. He’s the same height as Aiden. Austin’s hair is a little shorter, a bit fairer, and he’s got blue eyes instead of chocolate brown like Aiden’s. They have a similar build. Or so it seems with them both being fully clothed. I’d have to see Austin in his underwear to be able to properly compare. Or a pair of grey sweatpants. My mind wanders to that potential image. No. Stop, Carly.
I turn sideways and call Ally’s name in a stage whisper. She pops up like a colorful jack-in-the-box, smiling at me.
“Did you hear all that?” I ask.
She nods rapidly, and her eyes are wide and shiny. She’s loving the drama.
“Pretend to talk to me,” I urge, jerking my head to the side toward Aiden’s office to direct her attention there. I want to have a pretend convo so that I can sort of keep my eyes peeled on what’s happening there. Other than the door, the whole office is windows so it’s easy to see what’s happening from this angle.
She pops back down and then up again, notebook and pen in hand. She clicks the pink pen. “Do you have any idea what font you’d like for that infographic I’m helping you with?” She is on the ball.
18
AIDEN
“What’re you doin’?” I demand, standing there, looking at my brother.
He gives me a confused look. “What do you mean?”
“You’re sniffing around my employee. My roommate.”
“Uh…” He looks over his shoulder at her.
She and Ally are both looking toward my office. Ally’s looking with her mouth open. They can’t hear us, but they’re watching.
Carly’s looking on with wide-eyed horror while both Austin and I are looking at her.
It couldn’t be more obvious that I’m confronting him about her. Fuck.