Page 54 of Little Do You Know

“Thanks.” I return the smile politely, remembering the conversation Thalia and I had. It made sense after she explained what happened that first night back, but now I don’t know how to act around Vera. Vera’s been a good friend, but I’m hoping I’m wrong about what might be going on with her and Thalia.

A bartender comes our way with Vera’s drink, and I order a shot of whiskey. “How are you feeling?” Vera asks, leaning against the counter next to me.

“Fine?” I look at her, confused, unsure what she’s getting at.

She puts her hand on my arm, and simultaneously, my brain connects the dots. I was right. “You took a hard hit today. I didn’t know if you wanted any help cleaning up later.” Vera bats her lashes flirtatiously, and I freeze.

“Vera, no,” I say, pulling my arm out of her grasp.

Her almond-shaped eyes widen in surprise, clearly not expecting me to turn her down. “You didn’t say that last time.”

Fuck, I knew that would come back to bite me in the ass. “You’re right. I didn’t, but I should have. Last time was the only time anything will ever happen between us,” I reply, trying to maintain a calm tone. I’ve only ever seen her as a friend. It was a mistake. She caught me on an awful day after visiting Mimi, and I was drinking. We haven’t spoken about it since it happened, and I suppose it was wishful thinking to pretend it never happened.

The bartender sets the shot in front of me as I pass him cash, quickly taking it. The burn feels good.

“It doesn’t have to be,” she says, not letting it go. “Just let me know if you ever change your mind. We had fun.”

My brain turns quickly. What can I say to fix this? “I’m sorry, but no. I won’t change my mind because I’m seeing someone.” I try to let her down gently, but I still feel guilty when her face falls. “We’re friends, Vera, and we have been for a long time. Don’t let one mistake ruin all of that.”

“Right,” Vera says, taking a sip of her drink.

Did I take it too far by calling what happened between us a mistake? That’s what it was, but I’m not trying to hurt her. At the same time, I don’t want to lead Vera on any further than I guess I already have.

Neither of us can speak again before Thalia and Penelope, chattering in what I now recognize as French, interrupts the conversation. I try to hide my smile as Thalia’s arm brushes against my back.

Penelope smiles widely at Vera. “Ravi de te revoir salope.”

Thalia giggles at whatever she said. I’ll have to remember to ask her about it later. “What’s up? You want to do shots?” she asks, smiling playfully.

“I’m not, but Bash is. Watch out, Thalia, he’s not in the best mood,” Vera says bluntly. Yeah, I definitely hurt her feelings. I hope she doesn’t make everything worse by taking this out on Thalia.

“I’m fine. Just tired,” I correct, trying to cut her slack because no one likes being rejected. Vera ignores me and smiles at them, unintentionally poking the bear further.

“Well, have fun with him. Maybe tonight you can try not to piss him off, Thalia. I know you’re good at it, but I think he’s had a rough enough day without you making things worse.” Great, now she’s set the bear on fire! I am so stupid.

“Vera—” I scold her immediately, but what scares me is how Thalia only smiles in response.

“Heard you loud and clear,” Thalia says, refusing to give her a different reaction. It surprises me when Vera walks away, rolling her eyes. “Je ne pense pas qu’il faille me dire de faire attention à mon propre petit-ami.”

“Will you translate that?” I ask Penelope, who only shrugs. I feel like I should be very afraid right now.

“No, if you want to know, learn French.”

All right then.

Thalia’s blonde hair is curled and hanging over her shoulders. I want to tangle my fingers in it and kiss her senselessly. I hate not being able to touch her. This was the stupidest idea ever. It’s not quite as stupid as sleeping with Vera over the summer, but it’s still very stupid. “Are you okay?” She looks me over, concern etched across her face.

“Sore, but I’ll be fine.”

A gleeful smile crosses her face, and I hold my breath, knowing it can’t be anything good. “Does that mean I’ll find you shirtless again in the kitchen, attempting to ice yourself before I offer a massage?”

I lean forward to whisper in her ear. “Depends on what you’re offering to massage.” I would kill to have her hands on me right now. I feel my cock strain against my zipper at the thought.

She laughs and hits my arm. “Bash! What’s wrong with you?”

Penelope wanders back to the makeshift dance floor as Thalia takes a step back from me. It’s probably a good idea; I’m losing my self-restraint. “What’s wrong? I have to watch you dance with Landon and Cody instead of getting you all to myself.”

“One more week,” she reminds me. “You know that you can come dance with me, right? You can tell Owen whatever you want, but I swear I could feel you staring at me all night.”

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