Page 46 of Endgame

Lila laughed. “Right. And so they’re talking me up, and Bryan all of a sudden is just singing my praises and saying that he hired me personally, etcetera etcetera.”

“At that point, I casually mentioned that she was moving in with us, and I thought the guy’s head was going to explode,” Knight said as Lila laughed.

“So after they left, I nonchalantly asked Bryan if I could bring home food from time to time on nights when I’m working the closing shift. And also promised that the guys just might tag The Pub on their social media.”

She paused to take a bite of her sandwich and a drink. “He looked like he was about to wet his pants, he was so excited. Then he said I could take whatever I wanted, within reason.” She raised a brow. “So now I get a ton of free food, and I’m getting assigned better sections.” She ended with a raised shoulder.

“And making way better tips,” Knight chimed in.

“Hashtag truth,” Lila agreed. “Which is nice since my rent is exorbitant and my roommates are so hard to live with,” she joked.

“So high maintenance,” Bear teased. To which Lila lovingly gave him her middle finger. King loved seeing her like this, comfortable in her own skin and aware of how fun she was to be around. He’d missed her more than he realized.

Once their food was finished, King shot Knight a look, and he nodded. Knight stretched his arms above his head and yawned. “I think I’m going to call it a night, Li.” Then he not so subtly elbowed Bear.

“Yeah, um, me too.” Bear’s fake yawn was super obvious. “G’night guys!”

Once they’d hustled up the stairs, the awkwardness settled in. Lila seemed unsure of what to do, so King spoke first. “Do you, uh, want to go sit on the couch and chill for a minute?”

“Sure.”

Once they were seated next to each other but far enough apart to be platonic, Lila reached for the remote. “Want to watch something?”

King put his hand over hers lightly. “Actually, I wanted to say something to you first, if that’s okay.”

Lila leaned back, breaking the contact between their hands, and drew her legs up to her chest. “Yeah, of course. What’s up?”

King angled his body so that he was facing her, his elbow hanging over the back of the couch, and she mirrored the movement. “I just wanted to apologize to you for…well…for pretty much everything that happened between us last year.”

Lila’s speechlessness and shocked expression pushed him to continue.

“I was in a pretty bad place mentally and emotionally, and even though that doesn’t excuse my behavior, I’m sorry that you were caught up in that. That you became part of the fallout of my insecurities and poor self-worth.” King sighed. “I’m so sorry, Lila. I’m sorry for hurting you, for saying dickish things to you, and for not treating you like the queen you are. It’s taken a fair amount of self-analysis and counseling to figure all of this out, and I have a long way to go. But I’m really grateful that you’re up for being friends in spite of everything I’ve done.”

King blew out a breath and waited. He’d said what he felt he needed to say and tried to apologize without making excuses. How she chose to receive it was up to her, and frankly, she was entitled to feel however she felt. He’d royally fucked up, after all.

Lila studied his face intently for what seemed like forever before she finally broke the heavy silence. “I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear you apologize to me until you actually said the words. Thank you, King.”

She bit her bottom lip then inhaled another breath and exhaled, seeming to measure her words before speaking again. “Also…I want you to know that I forgive you. I know that you were and are dealing with circumstances that are challenging and were doing the best you knew how to do at the time.” She smiled faintly. “But I can see the change in you. The self-awareness and the confidence. The maturity. It’s a wonderful thing to see. I admire you for seeking help when you realized you couldn’t tackle everything on your own. That takes real courage.”

“Thanks, La. That means a lot coming from you.”

“You’re capable of great things, King Spencer. I’m glad you’re starting to realize it.”

“Back ’atcha, Lila Alexander.”

They were silent for a minute, sizing each other up in a reassessment of sorts. “Your hair’s gotten even longer on top,” Lila mused. “I like it.”

“I’d hope so, since I believe you were the one who suggested it in the first place,” King said with a smirk.

“I did, didn’t I?” Lila smirked right back. “No offense to your old ’do, but you have such a great head of hair, it was a shame you kept it so short all over. Though I like that you kept the shorter sides. You’re lucky you have a friend with such great taste in hair. And a barber that knows how to blend.”

“I am.” King tried to smile, but the word “friend” just felt wrong coming from her lips.

Baby steps. Baby fucking steps.

They ended up turning on a movie, and King could tell Lila was getting tired. She sprawled out so that she was lying on the couch, her feet close to where King was sitting. He reached over to grab a pillow and placed it on his lap. “Feet,” he said, tapping the pillow expectantly.

Lila hesitated, just for a second, then sat up and scooted the couple of extra inches so that she could prop her feet up on his lap. She lay back down and sighed when he rubbed the arch of her left foot.

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