Page 38 of The Torment of Two

On the other hand, she’s clever, quick-witted, and clearly talented. I like that she puts up with my bullshit and keeps squaring off with me, no matter how much of a dick I am. It means she’s a worthy adversary. A challenge.

This morning, in class, we actually talked about our project and there was no animosity. Afterward, she even waved and said she’d call me later. My chest tightened and my dick perked.

Finding her attractive is my biggest problem right now.

I just can’t go there with her.

“So sorry I’m late,” Tate cries out as he hops out of his Jeep. “They were out of butterscotch flavoring. I was so upset that they allowed that to happen!”

“You got me something else?”

He nods as he hands me a coffee. “Not butterscotch, but it’s buttered caramel. Probably as close as they could get. I took a sip and it’s tasty. If you don’t want it, I’ll drink it too.”

The man is already buzzing on caffeine. The last thing he needs is an extra helping. Nah, I’ll take one for the team, even if it’s nasty as fuck.

Luckily, I sip it and actually like it.

“It’ll do, donkey.”

Tate sniggers, clearly getting my Shrek reference, and leads the way to his office. Once inside, we do our thing—him setting all his crap down on his desk and me getting the fireplace going. Finally, a few minutes later, we sit down by the fire to chat and enjoy our coffees.

“Update on Golden,” I say, not meeting his stare. “She’s kind of cool.”

Tate chuckles and leans forward, eyebrows lifted in a way that shows he’s delighted about this revelation. “Do tell. I want the tea.”

A smile tugs at my lips and I shrug, hoping I can make it go away. “We went to our project site. Spent a lot of time there. Got kicked out. I took her back to my place and—”

Tate gasps, covering his mouth. “You what? Tell me!”

“Not that,” I say with a chuffed laugh. “We ate dinner and I showed her Cedarwood Mansion. She liked it.”

“It sounds like you’re taking the time to get to know her. I’m proud of you, Two.”

“I don’t know.” I sip my coffee and stare at the fireplace, drifting back to last night. I’d stolen glances of her as she marveled over my model. She really is pretty. “She could just be fucking with me.”

Tate’s lips press together and he sets his coffee down. “Why would she be doing that? What would her motive be?”

“Make me feel stupid?”

“That’s your insecurities talking,” Tate says gently. “Could it be that she’s really just a nice girl and you two got off on the wrong foot?”

“Maybe,” I mutter grumpily.

“Why is it so difficult for you to like her? There’s something I’m missing here.”

Unease sours the coffee in my gut. “Call it intuition.”

“That doesn’t sound like intuition. It sounds like your mind is trying to self-sabotage this relationship for you.” He reaches over and pats my knee. “What makes it so hard to let people in? You let me in and we’re practically best buds now.”

My lips curl into a grin. “Yeah, I guess we are.”

“She could be another friend, you know. You just have to allow her to be. It doesn’t have to be romantic. Having a good, solid, supportive friend is just as important as any romantic relationship. It fills a need your heart aches for. Denying yourself like this is cruel to you, Two.”

“I just…” I bite my tongue. I seriously don’t want to get into the whole ordeal with him. Maybe one day. “I’ll try.”

It sounds vaguely like a lie, but I do mean it.

If I can make nice with Gemma for this project, it’ll make things go a lot smoother. When the semester is over, she’ll be out of my life again, this time for good.

---