Page 67 of Before We Were Us

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Brynnlee

“Someone had themselves a sex filled night,” Taylor announces much too loud as I enter Marco’s in desperate need of coffee.

“Shh.” I narrow my eyes at her and both Marco and Taylor laugh.

“Tell me I’m wrong,” she challenges me and I roll my eyes and walk to the counter, to get my awaiting coffee. We'd planned an eight o’clock coffee date and I may have been a little late.

“It was hot, but you are almost thirty minutes late.” Ignoring Marco I lift the cup and take a sip. It’s not hot, but warm enough and telling them I need it warmed would only give them satisfaction so I ignore it.

“So things seem to be going well.” Marco arches a brow when I join them. “He is completely in awe of you, last night was testament to that. The way he watches you, and smiles when you don’t know he’s got you in his sights. Girl, I’m jealous.”

“Is it wrong that I’m still waiting for something to explode and this bubble I’m in to pop?”

“There is no way that man is going to let anyone or anything get in his way this time.” Taylor says this like she knows something I don’t know. “I’m just saying.” She shrugs and both Marco and I stare at her. I’m not letting her off that easily.

“Taylor.” She quickly looks down. “Mind sharing your thoughts?”

“No thoughts.” She shakes her head, refusing to look at Marco or myself.

“You forget that you can’t lie for shit.” Her eyes narrow, but again she is focusing on the table or her hands wrapped around her cup, versus looking at me. “And you avoid eye contact, which is a dead giveaway.”

“Whatever,” she scoffs, forcing herself to look at me and when she does I can’t help but laugh. Her face is pinched, like she’s concentrating really hard.

“Fine, Connor always puts his phone on speaker when he gets a call. He thought I was sleeping and I wasn’t.”

“And?”

“I had to endure more than thirty minutes of conversation where Jensen may as well have said that you hung the moon, the stars, and all the fucking planets. The guy is head over heels for you. He may not say it aloud, but I swear I’ve never in my life heard a man talk about a woman the way he talks about you. He’s had shit, like capital shit, with Chrissy. The man knows firsthand what it's like to be trapped in hell with no escape. You, my lovely friend, shook his core. Not only is the sex incredible, but you’ve also stopped his heart. I’m not talking infatuation, no guy tells another guy the things Jensen did without the worry of being ridiculed. Jensen didn’t care, he laid it all out. You’ve got him, like really truly got him!”

All I can do is stare at my best friend. My heart feels so tight in my chest that I’m afraid to speak.

“He didn’t have to say the things he said.” Taylor offers me a true genuine smile. “But there he was pouring his heart out to the pig of all men, knowing that it could very well be used against him. Connor isn’t a feelings kind of guy, he doesn’t care about all the love shit, but Jensen bared his soul. For the first time I was literally jealous of what he feels for you. The guy’s in love with you, Brynn.”

I take a slow deep breath.

“You may not admit it, you might be afraid to, but I know you’re in love with him too.”

I bite at my lower lip.

“Let go of the fears, because I can assure you he’s not going anywhere.”

“Even if Sebastian warns him away?”

“What?” Marco interrupts.

“Apparently Sebastian made it a point to tell Jensen to stay away from me.”

“When?” Taylor looks confused.

“I don’t know exactly because Jensen wouldn’t tell me more, but I’m assuming shortly after I found out about Chrissy.”

“Yet here he is, doing all he can to be a part of your life. So I’d have to say with or without Seb’s warning the man is still right at your feet.”

“The wedding may be interesting,” I confess, as my stomach knots. “I invited Jensen as my plus one.”

It’s already been decided that Marco would be joining Taylor and I so I knew she’d be well entertained.

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