Page 162 of Bride of Choice

Being platonic friends like this was a bitch.

Truth be told, I was starting to keep our interactions to a minimum. All this together but not together stuff was making my head hurt.

“Jo! Jo eat?” Doogie came jogging up to me, the turn for the bunker just up the way.

“Douglas,” I intoned solemnly, inclining my head towards him, making him smile. “What brings you all the way out here? Don’t you have some family member to torture? Food to snatch from your mama?”

Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he confided excitedly, “Daisy say Doogie come to Daisy’s.”

My smile widened and my eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Really? That’s awesome. Congrats, bub.”

He chuffed at the bub thing but went on. “Likes Doogie drawings. Ask make more for Daisy babies’ rooms.”

“A date and a side job. Sweet deal.” Following along, I nodded at the appropriate parts, distracted as I was to get going. I was happy for him.

“You go?” he blurted suddenly.

“I go… where?” Blinking at him, my face crinkled in confusion.

“Daisy’s, with Doogie,” he elaborated.

“Right now?” I blurted, eyes widening comically.

“No.” Holding up his fingers, he told me in three days.

“Oh, well…” Did I have to?

At the look on my face, he made a plaintive sound and cupped his hands. “Pleases?”

His big, sad puppy dog eyes gave me a good laugh, but I was starting to understand how he’d charmed his way out of some of his stupider moments.

“Fine.” My hand lifted and I waited for him to pause mid, YESS, before I continued. “But you owe me.”

“Owe Jo big!” Picking me up and spinning me around, despite my squawking protests, he set me down, leaving me dizzy, to run off, whooping as he went.

Shaking my head, I couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

Reaching the bunker right on time, I got settled in and waited.

I waited. And waited. Finally, I had to concede they’d probably forgotten all about movie night.

Packing up my things, blowing out a long breath, I was just about to leave when voices issued from above and the hatch flew open.

Expecting Gopher or Booger or both, I stared in surprise as one of the Lo denaii I’d seen once upon a time during one of their after movie guys’ meetings hurried in.

“Jojoknee!” he greeted warmly, patting me on the back, herding me, it felt like, to the front of the room where Boog and Gopher used to hold court.

A pile of furballs came rushing in, until the place was cram packed.

“I don’t mean to barge in on anything, fellas… Let me just leave you to-”

“What mean, female says, fine. All the times fine, Gubarr say what wrong?”

“Uhm… she’s probably definitely not fine.” A short chuckle left me. “Maybe she’s not ready to talk about it with you, though?”

An annoyed grunt left Gubarr. “What do then?”

“Stop doing whatever it is you’re doing that’s pissing her off?” I suggested.

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