Which is why he shouldn’t have looked down my shirt. And even if he got another concussion- god forbid- and thought he wanted to take things with me to another level, I would say no.

Because I was in it for the long haul with him, and letting things get physical would make me instantly dispensable. So I promised myself I would never forget how much it hurt to be that crushed teenager and decided not to waste another minute humoring romantic feelings for him.

He was a friend and nothing more, albeit a hot, funny, smart friend with great hair and lickable arms, but I would keep my hands to myself and not let my heart rule my head because that was a recipe for disaster.

And I’d had enough of that in my life.

What I needed was to keep putting myself out there and going on dates with an open mind, and eventually, I would find someone that gave me that sinking stomach feeling that wasn’t completely off limits.

And then I would live happily ever after with him and Aiden in my life.

I could still have everything. Time was on my side, and I could afford to spend it looking for someone, someone that made me feel as good as he did, someone I wouldn’t be so afraid of losing if things didn’t work out.

Cause god knows I’d lost enough.

I turned around and slipped the key in the lock. As soon as I walked in the apartment, the smell of gooey cheese and fresh dough hit me in the face. I inhaled deeply as I closed the door, wandering through my sitting area to the kitchen.

My eyes zoomed in on the pizza box like a hawk on a mouse and I went straight for it, lifting the lid slowly. I felt weak in the knees when I saw the gorgeous pie and opened the silverware drawer in front of me so I could drag a knife along the perforated edges.

I was surprised Fiona hadn’t already helped herself to a slice. Then again, she often preferred it cold and might’ve treated herself to a calzone or something.

I lifted the pizza to my mouth and took a big bite, closing my eyes while the salt exploded on my tongue, convinced that the rumors about pizza being addictive must be true. Then I grabbed a plate from the cupboard and slid my slice carefully onto it before closing the box tightly to seal in the warmth.

I knew I should sit down, but I figured it might look better when Fiona came out if I was pretending I’d just gotten home as opposed to having my feet up before I even thanked her. So I stayed put, leaning against the counter as I picked up the slice and took another big bite.

It was so good I wasn’t surprised when I heard myself moan.

Until I realized it wasn’t me.

It was coming from down the hall.