Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76006 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76006 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
“Yeah.” Audrey blushed profusely. “I…well, I sort of like him.”
Emerson tried like hell to keep his lips in a neat, straight line. He did not want to blow it. “Ah, okay. So…”
“So, I get where you’re coming from. Like, if I told Kevin I liked him and he didn’t like me back, it would be so awkward.” Her blush deepened. “And then it might change things.”
“Like your friendship?” he asked, and she nodded. He felt relief that she seemed to understand the crux of the problem.
A worry line appeared between her brows. “Except, how will you ever know?”
“It’s definitely hard to read the signs.”
“And what if you end up being wrong?”
“Exactly why matters of the heart are so tricky.”
“Maddy said sometimes you just have to go for it,” Audrey said. Maddy was one of her friends, who was always talking about one boy or another. At least that was what he noticed when he sneaked a peek at her texts. Aunt Janice said it was a safety measure parents needed to take, but he still felt guilty about it.
“You’ll have to let me know how it goes,” he replied with a smile, hoping this was the start of something new for them. Maybe she’d actually confide in him more. Wishful thinking.
“I’m sorry I got mad.” She averted her gaze. “But I still think when it comes to Rhys—”
“That he’s been through a lot?” Emerson countered. “So he really needs our support right now? There will be time for other decisions later.”
She huffed out an impatient breath. “Are you going to see Neil again?”
“Well, I see him every day at work, silly.” Which was a whole other tricky thing. He playfully knocked her shoulder. “But he did ask if I wanted to catch the next game with him too, so we’ll see.”
“I better go before the bell rings.” Conversation over, she slid from the car and was engulfed by a group of friends, led by Maddy, who whispered furtively in her ear.
Emerson couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief as he pulled into traffic and drove straight to work. He had a busy day of Excel reports and phone calls ahead of him, which meant he didn’t really have an opportunity to talk to Neil. The one time he passed him in the hall on the way to the break room, they smiled and high-fived about the game.
He was glad Neil was acting normal because even though the evening was fun, there was one awkward moment when Neil asked about Rhys and pointed out how handsome he was. It made Emerson feel possessive of Rhys, which was just ridiculous. But Neil also seemed to have a question in his eyes as he asked about their friendship, and maybe it was because he saw the tension radiating off Emerson as he ushered them quickly out the door.
Had Emerson not still been getting over that kiss—Christ, why the hell couldn’t he shake it already?—he might’ve given Neil a shot. Or at least told him about his sexuality.
That night he and Rhys made dinner together—with Rhys on vegetable-chopping duty—and they made such a good team that Emerson couldn’t help wondering… Fuck. He’d made such a concerted effort not to go there, which wasn’t easy, especially since he felt Rhys staring at him a little too long when he thought Emerson wouldn’t notice. Then at the dinner table, he felt under Audrey’s scrutiny too, though he couldn’t be sure if it was about Rhys or their conversation about Kevin.
Later, once she’d gotten herself to bed, she motioned him closer in the room. “Maddy dared me to ask Kevin for his phone number so we could talk about the art project over the weekend,” she said in a dreamy voice.
“And?”
“And I did and he said yes!” She giggled like it was the best thing in the world, and he loved seeing her so light and happy.
“So, what does this mean?” he asked, trying so hard not to step into parenting mode but failing miserably, if her eye roll was any indication.
“That we’ll text each other?” she responded in a sarcastic tone, and he could feel her pulling away.
“Awesome,” he replied, then shut off the light, already ticking through a list of worries where that situation was concerned. It’s only a phone number.
He headed downstairs, where Rhys was waiting on the couch with the remote in his hand.
“Are we okay?” Rhys asked as soon as he sat down, his eyes full of worry.
“I think so… But you tell me.”
Rhys briefly searched for something in Emerson’s eyes—maybe a flicker of the person he’d always known—before he nodded. “I’m sorry if I’m acting strange. I’m just trying to get used to stuff.”
“That’s the going theme around here,” Emerson replied with a smirk.
He sighed. “Too true.”
They settled into a new Netflix show—well, new to Rhys, but he’d never tell, because it felt just like old times as they shared the blanket, with their knees touching and warmth enveloping them.