I’ll ask her and get back to you, I write. But I’m pretty sure it’ll be fine.
He’s not making a big deal out of it, so I shouldn’t either. Maybe it was one of those things where he checked an item off a list he made while overseas—try sushi, ride a bull, kiss a friend. And it just got carried away, but now it’s done and his curiosity is sated, and we’ll go back to normal.
After all, if he wanted me that badly, wouldn’t he have let me give him an orgasm too?
The thought of being a one-time checklist item makes my stomach sink. Okay, I admit, more than a small part of me aches to explore the chemistry between us. But instead of overanalyzing it, the way I’ve been doing, I should just let it happen. If nothing comes of tonight, so be it.
But if Cole shows any signs of wanting me…well, we’ll just see, I guess. Still, kinda glad I’m going shopping this afternoon so I can buy something to cute to wear. A girl never knows what’s going to happen, right?
I take a bite of my chocolate brownie. Close my eyes for a moment and savor the thick, fudgy taste. “Oh my God, this is the most amazing brownie I’ve ever had in my life.”
“See?” Christina says in triumph. She shoots me a cocky grin. “Told ya. I’ve never had a bad dessert here.”
My sis and I are at a local Mediterranean café, where we already inhaled our lunches. I ate way too much hummus, and she consumed more stuffed grape leaves than a human is supposed to. Needless to say, the food has been great. In between bites, we’ve talked nonstop about our jobs, her telling me stories of the crazy kids she encounters in pediatrics, me talking about a recent project I worked on with a diva client who changed her mind a hundred times every damn step of the process.
I drop my fork and rub my belly. I don’t know if I can finish the dessert, but I’m no quitter, so I’m going to keep going until I do. I just need a moment to breathe. “So,” I say, “I got a text from Cole earlier—”
“What did he say?” she interrupts. She perks up and eyes me with interest. “You said he’s moved back here, right?”
I nod. “Yeah, and he wants to hang out with us tonight, after we go shopping. That sound okay? We’ll play pool, have some beer, and I’ll school his arrogant ass on the fine art of using a cue.”
Christina sits up straighter now. “Totally. I mean, if you want me to come along…” She pauses, eyeing her food, and I see a faint flush crawl up her throat. Skin so like mine, showing everything she’s feeling. What is she nervous or anxious about? She tucks a strand of red hair behind her ear. “Did…did Cole ask if I wanted to come? How did it come up in the conversation?”
A weird sensation settles in my chest, and I narrow my eyes a touch. “He said he wanted to hang out with us, that it’s been a while since he’s seen you. Why?”
“Oh, I’m just curious, that’s all. We haven’t talked much since he got back to the States. Just a few random emails.”
That pressure in my chest builds. Christina emailed Cole? Since when? Neither one of them ever said anything about that to me. I wonder why. “Oh, really? How long have you guys been talking?”
She waves a delicate hand in the air and reaches for her fork to eat more brownie. The gesture is casual, but the flush spreading across her cheeks and the light in her eyes are anything but. “Oh, just for a little while.” She tries not to smile too widely as her cheeks redden that much more. “It’ll be nice to see him, though.”
My sister hasn’t shown serious interest in a guy in at least a couple of years. Nursing keeps her busy, and she says it’s more fulfilling than going on a series of terrible dates that don’t satisfy the need for connection she really wants.
But I know the true reason she’s been hesitant to settle down all these years. The old guilt flares up in me, and I lose my appetite.
Christina hops out of her chair. “I’m going to run to the restroom. Be back in a sec.” She sounds breathless, and I know it’s because she’s thinking about Cole.
When you’ve known someone your entire life and seen them crushing, falling in love, going through the ups and downs of various relationships—you can practically read their expressions like a book.
“Yeah, sure,” I say in a false jovial tone. “Don’t fall in.” An old joke between us.
She grins and rolls her eyes, then heads down the aisle away from me.