“Good,” she said with a grin that turned more thoughtful. “Have you thought of going exclusive with any of them? Or how you feel about any of them in particular?”
“I have no idea,” I said, shrugging. “When I first saw them, it was honestly like sensory overload. Then, after Adam kissed me on Christmas Eve, I figured that we should try together. He’s amazing and gorgeous, and I never expected to fall for my best friend the way I have. And then Andy and I were together at New Year’s Eve, and I couldn’t resist him. He smelled so good, and I’ve always found it so easy to be around him. Aaron grounds me, and I can’t remember a time when I haven’t had a huge crush on him, and apparently makes me come like a train. Austin gets my competitive edge going.” I shrugged. “Each one of them seems to meet a different need in me, and it’s the craziest thing. I’ve never experienced anything like it.”
She grinned. “Right now, I don’t think there’s any reason to try to choose between them, since none of them have asked you to make it exclusive and you clearly need more time to make your decision. Again, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with taking some time to make your choice. Just lean into this and have fun with it, okay?”
I nodded, pulling out my phone again and opening up the thread with Adam.
Does seven PM work for you?
His reply came back within seconds, and the speed at which he sent it made me smile once more.
That’s perfect. I’ll see you there and then :)
I tucked my phone away and looked back at Molly with a sigh. “So much for the rest of my relaxing day at home,” I said. “No nap for me.”
“Thank God,” she said, getting to her feet and stretching her hand down to me so that she could help me up. “You’re too young and hot to be acting geriatric. Now go home and get dressed up for your date.”
I rolled my eyes at her, but I couldn’t help the speed of my heart as we walked out to her car once more.
23
ANDY
“What time is it?” I asked, rubbing my hands against my jeans anxiously. I was freaked out by the prospect that my hands would be too sweaty, and Lucy would cringe away from me in disgust.
Adam looked down at his phone, snorted, and looked back at me, rolling his eyes. “It’s two minutes since the last time you asked me. Just relax. She’ll be here soon.”
I sighed, leaning back in my chair before reaching out and grabbing my glass of beer. In my haste to gulp it down, I accidentally inhaled a little bit of it, beginning to cough and sputter all over myself. I quickly set the glass back down on the table, dragging my hand back across my mouth as I attempted to calm down. Adam smacked me on the back, handing me napkins and a glass of water as he hurried to calm me down.
“You okay there?” he asked, his hand making soothing circles on my back as he leaned forward, his dark hair flopping into his eyes.
I nodded, wheezing just a little bit as I sipped at the water, looking up at the lights and letting the little blinking lights fade away from behind my eyes.
“So much for relaxing,” he said, biting down hard on the inside of his cheek as he did his best to keep from laughing. “You’re about as chill as the Sahara Desert.”
It took more energy than I had to glare at him as I reached for a napkin to wipe at my eyes, clearing out the fog that had accrued there as I’d tried to clear out the beer that I’d been choking on.
I turned to face the front of the bar again, thinking that I would look out for Lucy, and sucked in a breath as I saw her walk in.
Her long hair was out of its usual ponytail, instead hanging loose and straight down over her shoulders and halfway down her back. It seemed as though that golden waterfall drew the lights to it like a magnet, reflecting little glowing orbs of red and blue from the old stained-glass pendants that hung from the ceiling. She was still in jeans, but rather than wearing the usual plaid shirt, she was in a forest-green sweater that perfectly matched the clear green of her eyes. It came down past her hips, covering the perfect shape of her ass, but that didn’t change the fact that I knew exactly what was sitting under the soft fabric that made up her top.
The perfect skin on her face shone under the lights of the bar, and I genuinely felt as though my breaths were starting to come a bit more shallowly as I saw her tuck a piece of her soft hair behind her ear, pulling out her phone to check something briefly.