Page 42 of A Little Bit Extra

So, that’s what I’ve been doing. Except, I may have changed her request a bit.

She told me to write about my days: what happens at work, how I’m feeling, who I talk to, what my favorite moments are. What she doesn’t know is my journaling just happens to be about her: when I see her at work, what we talk about, how I feel about her, what my favorite things about her are.

It’s working too. I’ve written a few beginnings to some of my ideas and it’s been freeing to be this creative again. All thanks to Cassie.

“What’s got you down, birthday boy?” A voice comes from behind me.

I jump, spilling coffee all over the counter.

“Shit!” I grab a towel and start wiping it up as it drips on the floor.

I look to my left to find Tyler standing by the island, watching me clean up the mess that he caused.

“Your fault you didn’t hear the door. I could have been a robber.” Tyler smirks. He takes a seat at the island, still not offering to help.

“You’re early.”

“It’s nice to see you too, lover-boy.”

“The nickname is sticking, huh?” I glance at Tyler as I turn to the island and rinse off the towel in the sink to get the coffee out of it.

“Mhm. Sure is. Is she coming over today?”

“Who? Cassie?”

It’s Tyler’s turn to roll his eyes at me. “Yes,” he says, exaggerating the ‘s’ like a snake. “I thought you two made it official or something based on the article I saw this morning.”

I give him my best side-eye and choose to ignore the comment. He knows I’m not allowed to be with Cassie, and he’s trying to annoy me. I also don’t want to talk about the article just yet. I’d rather it get buried in the rest of the news from today.

“I haven’t thought to ask her,” I respond instead. It’s the truth, after all.

“Well, you should text her and ask. Lucy told me they have to work at the diner tonight, but I’m sure they would stop by before then,” Tyler says with ease, as if he and Lucy are best friends after last night.

“Lucy, huh?”

“Nothing happened, before you ask me that.” He points a finger at me in a warning. “We just talked and when I asked her what she was doing today, that’s what she told me.”

“Hmm.” I nod. “Sure. Well, if you wanted something to happen, at least it could. With Cassie, I can’t cross that line.”

“Was it not crossing the line when you were grinding her ass?” Tyler smirks, grabbing a donut from a box I hadn’t noticed. He must have brought it with him.

“I’m not answering that question.” I grab a glazed donut and take a bite. “But I’ll text her and ask.” I’d use any reason as an excuse to see Cassie today.

I pull out my phone to text Cassie when the front door opens. I quickly type my message and hit send and when I look up, Max and Lane are walking toward the island holding a giant pizza. Tyler and I both wave hello.

I glance at my phone again and am surprised to see it’s already time to eat lunch.

Max sets the pizza on the island and sits on a stool next to Tyler, who has not moved once since being here. Lane walks past the island and goes straight for the fridge, grabs a drink, and moves to lean on the counter behind me.

“So, Emmett, did papa Davis call you about the article?” Max asks, taking a bite of the pizza.

I groan. “You saw it too?”

“Dude, it’s everywhere. People are obsessed with you.” Tyler glances up from his phone to interject before quickly refocusing on his screen, the sound of an irrelevant video playing on.

I bring my hand up to my face and rub my temple, closing my eyes for a quick moment while I let out a big sigh. When I open my eyes, my phone buzzes, but before I have the chance to look at it, Lane decides to add to the current conversation.

“Wait, I didn’t see it!” I wait a few seconds for Lane to look it up. “Oh shit, man!” he says to me. Then, looking at Max, he adds, “He definitely called about this photo. Look!” He holds his phone out, pointing to Cassie and I’s interlocked hands. “They’re holding hands! Definitely screams relationship.” He pulls his phone back, zooming in and out, laughing.

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