by L. S. Pullen
When I get to the gym, it’s packed with people. Some of the guys I haven’t seen for a while, so we shoot the breeze between spotting. They keep hassling me about going away on a lad’s holiday, but I decline. Been there, done that.
“Well, if you change your mind,” Henry says. This guy always has a smile on his face.
“He won’t,” Nathan says from his spot on the bench, letting out a grunt, veins protruding from his neck.
They’re competing bodybuilders, and I’m pretty sure they could break me like a twig. They used to work security with Jase before he came to work for me.
“Why do you say that?” I ask.
“A little birdy told me you have your eye on someone.”
I flip him off. “Jase, I take it?”
He shrugs, a glint of mischief in his eyes.
“So, what if I do?”
Nathan strains, his arms stiff from the weight or maybe it’s from my admission. Henry takes hold of it and drops it back on the bar. He sits up, swiping up his towel from the end of the stool and wipes his face. “Well, I’ll be damned,” Henry says with a laugh. “You left Nathan speechless.”
“No, I was working out how many more women there is for me with him off the market,” Nathan says, flinging his thumb over his shoulder.
“You’re such a dick,” I reply, in jest. I do not deny he’s a player, but he wouldn’t dare talk like that in front of his sisters. He’s the youngest of six and one of three triplets—the only boy.
“Don’t let your sisters hear you were running your mouth like that,” Henry says, and he should know—they’re cousins.
He winks and lays back on the bench when Henry lets out a low whistle, his eyes roaming over my shoulder. I turn my head in the same direction. Here comes trouble.
“Hi, boys,” says Meghan, tightening her ponytail as she approaches. Her clothing becomes even more scarce each time she’s here. But it’s hard not to give her credit, her workout sessions are fierce, and I swear she has more muscle than I do. Not to mention the most prominent hazel coloured doe eyes I’ve ever seen. But she is trouble. She may be twenty-two, but she’s the daughter of the owner here, and there’s an unspoken rule about being off-limits.
But try telling that to poor Henry.
“Meghan, looking mighty fine,” Nathan says with a grunt, still lifting his weight.
Someone had their protein shake this morning.
I nod at her. She’s not phased at all by Nathan’s greeting, but it’s Henry I can’t help staring at. He hasn’t uttered a word. She’s the only woman I’ve ever seen him clam up around and it would be amusing if it weren’t so pitiful. She eyes him for a moment, and her cheeks flush as she bites on her lip softly as she passes us.
“As is Henry,” she says, throwing a wink in his direction before she makes her way to one of the rowing machines.
I slap Henry on the back. “Dude, what gives?”
“I’ll be fucked if I know, man,” he says with a shrug, his eyes still fixated on her.
“Just go talk to her, already,” I say.
He shakes his head. “Nah, it’s cool. I have a competition to get ready for, and she’s the kind of distraction I don’t need.”
I know he’s only saying that to avoid the truth. Something’s been sizzling between them for months. Only she’s started to throw comments his way, and I’m pretty sure soon he’ll take the bait. But for now, I leave him be.
“What or who’s a distraction?” Olly asks when he comes over. His baby blues follow Henry’s line of sight, and he lets out a laugh.
“Dude, you’ve dribbled a little,” he says, reaching out to wipe at Henry’s lip.
Henry playfully swats him away and gives him the middle finger, while Olly mimics kissing noises. Sometimes he’s such a delinquent, but you’ve got to love him… Unless he’s flirting with Sophie, that is.
It’s laughable. I’m the one who was writing off the possibility of Sophie and me, but now I’ve decided to go after what I want—and I want her.
I’m not ready to give her up, not yet. I wonder if that’s what she’s come to expect from the ones she’s loved the most. All I know is I want the chance to prove her wrong—to expect the unexpected.
Chapter 16
Sophie
I still haven’t been able to wrap my head around what transpired between Charlie and me. My stomach’s in knots. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this clammy as I smooth my damp palms over my jeans. The thing is, I know I was the one who said I wanted to act like it never happened and go back to being friends. But I can’t stop thinking about him.
My nervous energy is in overdrive right now. I arrived early, hoping to calm my anxiety. And granted, drinking isn’t the answer, but it’s not like I’m going on a bender. Flick sees me and comes my way, pulling me in for a big hug. I haven’t seen her since she returned from her honeymoon. And even then, while she was gushing over what a fantastic time she had, I was trapped in my head, listening but not hearing. What kind of friend does that make me? I squeeze her back tightly.
Letting go, she says, “I’m sorry your meeting didn’t go well.”
“It wasn’t meant to be, I guess.” My application was unsuccessful. I’m not a sound investment as far as they were concerned. I don’t have enough positive equity.
Rachel’s seated at the bar, and I double-take. It’s weird seeing her without Molly. She stands when she sees me.
“Wow, you came. How did you manage that?” I ask.
“Marcus said he’d take her for a couple of hours,” she says with a raised brow. This was a surprise to her, too. They broke up when she was three months pregnant but chose to co-parent. It’s been trial and error. But somehow, they make it work.
“Well, it’s good to see you,” I say and mean it.
“Thank you, I was going stir crazy,” she says just as the barman brings over a bottle of wine and pours us three glasses. We thank her and raise them.
“To making these precious hours count,” she says.
“Here, here,” says Flick and we all clink our glasses.
Nate joins us with Ben and Malcolm, his friends from college, and their girlfriends, Melissa and Josie. I acknowledge them all before reaching out to hug Nate.
“You good?” he asks into my ear.
“I’m fine,” I reply before pulling back. He nods and leaves it at that.
We chit chat amongst ourselves as we wait for our table reservation.
“I’ll be right back,” Nate says and kisses Flick on the tip of her nose.
“So, what will you do now? What other options do you have?” Flick asks.
I sip my wine and then shake my head. “I’m not sure. It’ll just take a little longer to get there, I guess.”
Rachel rests her elbow on the bar, chin in her hand. “What’s that then?”
“I was trying to secure a business loan so I could open a little café.”
She takes a sip of her wine before saying, “You’ll figure it out.” Her eyes track the people around us, and I can’t help but smile. She loves to people watch.
I clink my glass with hers. “Let’s hope so.”
“Anywho,” says Flick, with a gleam in her eye as she moves in closer so only we can hear. “Are we going to talk about you and Charlie? He came to see you, right?”
And now Rachel is back with her full attention.
“Nothing. He was passing and stopped by.” I wave my hand dismissively. “He caught me completely unaware. And I may have dropped the entire contents of my tote all over the pavement.”
Flick says nothing. She already knows how clumsy I can be.
“Boring, I know there must be more to this story. I saw the two of you at the wedding undressing each other with your eyes,” Rachel says.
She’ll find out eventually. I swear she has these weird spidey-senses.
“Fine. We slept together. But we’ve agreed to forget about it and just be friends,” I say.
“What?” She
pulls her head back. “What a waste. Not even friends with benefits?” she asks and immediately blanches. “Shit, I didn’t mean anything by that,” she says to Flick.
“Rachel, it’s fine. I’m actually with you on this one.”
Great, they are tag-teaming on me now.
“All I’m saying is, if the opportunity’s there, why not take advantage?” She lets go of a heavy sigh. “God, I miss sex. I even considered asking Marcus if he fancied, you know, for old times’ sake?” She wiggles her eyebrows exaggeratedly.
“You didn’t?”
“Oh, believe me, I did, but we’re not talking about me. As you were,” she says.
I shake my head and finish off my glass of wine. “Nothing. As I said, we agreed to be friends.”
Rachel swirls her drink and huffs out her disapproval. It’s funny, there was a time I thought maybe she liked Charlie, but it turns out it is just harmless flirting. They’re quite amusing to watch, actually.
“Oh, come on, Soph. Friends make the best couples. Look at Nate and me.”
I actually roll my eyes, twisting on the stool. “That’s different. Besides, I don’t want to keep repeating past mistakes. And Charlie is, well, Charlie.”
And deep down, I don’t know how worthy I am. All I know is what I do and don’t want. I know that when I’m with Charlie, he makes me feel like a better version of myself. But I don’t feel good enough for him.
Nate returns, pulling Flick back into his chest and kisses her neck. She can’t hide her blush. It’s a good colour on her.
“What I miss?” he asks with a smirk. Like he doesn’t know she was quizzing me about Charlie. She shakes her head and excuses herself to pop to the ladies, Rachel hot on her heels.
And that’s when I see him—Charlie.
Giving myself a moment, I discreetly take him in. His presence isn’t arrogant, and yet, he demands attention. He’s oblivious to the effect he has on people, specifically women.
Heads turn as he passes tables. One woman catches his arm and draws him towards her with her index finger. He leans down as she asks him something. But he shakes his head and laughs as he walks away.
My pulse thumps heavy in my ears, and my insides become jittery. I try in vain not to stare, but I can’t help it. Flick must have seen him as she returns from the toilet. She approaches him, and at that moment, his eyes find me. I fumble and turn back, knocking my glass, and it spills down my hand and up my arm.
“Fudge.”
Nate laughs as he grabs some napkins out of the holder. I have to remind myself to breathe. I want to run, be anywhere but here. How am I supposed to keep myself impartial when he appears completely composed and unaffected by me…by us?
Charlie
I laugh off the woman who just asked me for my number. A pull in my stomach catches my attention, and I scan the area in front of me. I sense her before I find her—Sophie, staring back at me.
“Caught ya,” Flick says from beside me and jabs me in my ribs.
“Hey, gorgeous.” I kiss her on the cheek and pull back.
“Why don’t you just tell her?”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “And scare her away? Nah, it’s too…complicated.”
We both direct our sight towards Sophie as she soaks up a spill while Rachel slides onto the stool beside her.
“What was this appointment she had anyway? The one with the loan?” I ask as she wraps her arm around the crook of my elbow.
Her head tilts up. “How do you know about that?” she asks.
“Well, I don’t, not really. I caught her as she was heading there the other day.”
She wiggles her eyebrows. “Yeah, Nate mentioned it.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Wow, does he tell you everything now?”
Her faraway look answers my question. She laughs off my comment and steers us towards our friends without answering. I’ll speak to her about it another time.
I nod to Nate when Sophie turns to face me, whether she intends to or not. She straightens her shoulders as if to ready herself. But it’s there, the shift in the air, everything else a dim echo—a backdrop. I lean in and kiss her on the cheek.
“You look beautiful,” I whisper, the compliment slipping from my lips without warning. I’ve said it to her before, but it holds more weight now. Now that I’ve been with her.
“Thank you,” she croaks out.
I quickly turn my attention to the rest of the group until we’re told our table is ready.
I end up sitting opposite her, and I can’t say I’m disappointed. It gives me an excuse to watch her without it being ridiculously obvious. The chatter around the table flows as cutlery clanks on our plates, and sporadic laughter fills the space.
For the first time in what seems like forever, I relax with my friends, no stilted silences or awkward eye contact between Sophie and me. I’ve never spent as much time with a woman as I did with her while Flick and Nate were away. It makes me wonder what it’s like to have someone, a significant other. And now I find myself longing to know what it would be like with her.
Desserts finished and another cocktail later, Rachel has to excuse herself. Molly’s still teething, and Marcus was pulling his hair out.
“I’m going stir crazy. I swear trying to find a part-time job to earn a little money is harder than it looks.”
“I’m sure something will come up,” Sophie says, kissing her goodbye.
“Let’s hope so.”
Felicity walks her outside to wait for her cab, while Ben and Malcolm try in vain to get me to join them at a club.
“Not happening,” I say, laughing at them when Melissa and Josie come back from the toilets.
“Well, if you change your mind, you know where we’ll be,” Ben says before they all make to leave.
Left alone with Soph, I slide into the booth next to her. My leg brushes up against hers, but she doesn’t pull back.
“You don’t want to go with them?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “I’m still jet-lagged.”
“Fair enough, so how did the meeting go with the bank?” I ask, desperate to get some insight into the cloak and dagger stuff.
She shakes her head, fiddling with the corner of a napkin. “Not good. It was a long shot anyway.” She tries to shrug it off, but I see the disappointment in her eyes even though she’s trying to hide it.
“Why was it a long shot?”
She takes a sip from her wine before her eyes meet mine. “You want to know?”
I do. I want to know everything there is to know about her. Her dreams, her fears—everything.
I smile and nod. “Yes.”
“I wanted to open a small café. It’s just a pipe dream. But it’s something I enjoy, and I’m good with food.” She shrugs it off, but it’s obvious this is important to her.
“You are, and if I’d known, I would’ve used you for your culinary skills a lot sooner.” If anyone deserves for their dreams to come to fruition, it’s her.
She smiles unabashed, and I know at this moment, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to have her smile like that. Every. Damn. Day.
“Stop buttering me up. You know I’ll cook for you anytime, right?”
“What did I miss?” Flick asks as she scoots in opposite us, smiling enigmatically.
“Sophie here just agreed to cook me dinner.” I elbow Soph, who lets out a laugh. The sound warms me from the inside out.
Nate slides in next to Flick and passes her an overzealous-sized cocktail.
“I hate to bail, but I do have a busy day tomorrow. I’m seeing my dad first thing, and God only knows I’ll need all my wits about me. He’s only gone and gotten engaged, again.”
Nate hisses through his teeth. “Oh, blimey. Sorry, mate.” He shakes his head. “Hey, you never know, this one might stick.”
I very much doubt that, but anything is possible… I guess.
“One can only hope. And truth be told, I do want him to be happy.” It’s what my mum wou
ld’ve wanted.
Sophie squeezes my thigh with a reassuring smile before letting go. She knows enough about Dad and me, and her silent support doesn’t go unnoticed.
“If you’re getting a cab, can we share?” she asks.
“Of course. What about you two?” I ask Nate who glances at Flick. She shrugs in response.
“No, you go ahead. I want some quality time with my wife. God, I love calling you that,” he says, leaning in to kiss her.
“Okay then, and on that note.” I stand and hold out my hand to Soph. Smiling, she accepts it and slides out of the booth. I glance to Flick who has a devilish grin on her face. Cocking an eyebrow, I mouth, “What?” She shakes her head and winks, saying goodbye before we leave.
Chapter 17
Charlie
Sophie doesn’t say much in the cab on the way to hers. She rests her head back and stares out the window. I watch as her eyes become heavy. She fights the pull and keeps trying to force them open, but it’s not long before she succumbs and drifts off.
I haven’t taken my eyes off her for the past twenty minutes, but when I see we are approaching her road, I gently tap her arm.
“We’re almost at yours,” I say.
She opens her eyes and stifles a yawn, giving me a grateful smile. She digs in her bag, trying to pass me some money. I shake my head.
“Just here is fine,” she tells the driver, who pulls over.
Reaching for the door handle, she pauses and peeps back to me. “Don’t suppose I could tempt you to a coffee?” she asks.
The question ignites my smile. “Yeah, if you’re sure?” I agree without any expectations. It’s comfortable being with her again like this.
“Of course.” She steps out, I settle the fair, then follow her up to her house.
As we approach, something seems off. Light is streaming out from a crack in her door. She stares back to me, as puzzled as I am.
“Why is my front door open?” she asks out loud.
Why the fuck, indeed. Instinctively, I move in front of her and push her behind me. “Wait here.”