Page 95 of Bound By Words

“Do we know this guy?” I asked Em. He nodded, signaling to Talia to calm down by tapping on the back of her hand where it rested on the table. If you didn’t know them, it looked like he was touching her hand, but as she took a deep breath and straightened her posture, looking down at the table, I watched as she responded to his non-verbal command. Kelly was oblivious, her face impassive as she looked up at me briefly before nervously pulling apart the remaining piece of naan bread on her plate.

“Yeah. He just relocated from upstate New York. He had me do some headshots for his real estate business.”

“Didn’t think you did those anymore,” I frowned. “Are you sure he doesn’t know Grace?”

“He found me through mutual connections from my time at school in Rhode Island. He’s not the type to put up with Grace’s antics. I asked around. He’s a solid guy.”

“Can we go to the party, please?” Talia asked, her gaze still on her lap and her voice calmer.

Kelly’s eyes narrowed at her suddenly subdued behavior, and I could tell she was analyzing the sudden changes. Emory hadn’t tapped another warning on her hand, but something had clearly shifted.

I found myself wondering how Kelly would react if we developed our own form of non-verbal communication. For Talia and Emory, it was something they’d adopted early on, and it was an instinctual part of their behavior now, but they also lived and worked together full-time. While they weren’t a 24/7 couple, they still respected each other’s signals.

“It’s up to Kelly.” Emory nodded, waiting for Kelly to look at him to make eye contact.

She stared at him for a long moment before glancing at me. I raised an eyebrow, giving her a subtle nod. This was her decision. I couldn’t tell her if she was ready or not. This was a choice she needed to make on her own.

“I’d like to go if Nathan is alright with it,” she answered quietly, and Em smiled at her before giving me a subtle nod. He saw the same parts of her natural behavior that had drawn me to her.

“Are you finished?” I asked her quietly, nodding at her plate.

Kelly narrowed her eyes at my sudden change in subject. “Yes, thank you.” She turned toward our guests. “I loved that. Thank you for bringing dinner.”

Talia smiled widely as Emory removed his hand from the back of her hand. He reached down to grab their plates, following me into the kitchen. I glanced back, watching Tal tug Kelly toward the couch.

“You love her.” Emory’s voice was low as he followed me toward the sink.

I nodded. There was no denying how I felt.

“How’s that going to work?” he asked, leaning back against the small island.

“I have no idea,” I sighed, rubbing my hand down my face. “She’s here for at least the next few weeks. She needed to get away from some things at work.”

“She’s got a stalker?” he guessed. I was sure Talia had told him what I asked of her.

“Not exactly. It’s more like a jealous co-worker who she shot down. He’s been harassing her for years and finally pushed things too far. Accused her of sexual harassment to HR.”

“Her?” he asked, nodding toward where Kelly and Tal were seated closely on the couch.

“Yeah, I know, right?” I laughed. “Like she’d ever be capable of that. She’s got a smart mouth sometimes, but she’s not the type to disregard boundaries.”

“Have you told her how you feel?” he asked suddenly, looking past me to the living room.

“No. I don’t know if I should yet. She’s been through a lot in the last few weeks. I’m trying not to pressure her. She has to go back sometime soon, but we don’t know when.”

He nodded, likely remembering how carefully he’d had to tread with Talia at the beginning of their relationship. It’d been hard to watch the two of them resist each other. I couldn’t even imagine what it’d been like to be in the middle of it.

His phone rang, and he frowned, shaking his head with a sigh. “I’ve got to take this, but you should think about telling her you love her. If you feel it, it’s not too soon to tell her. And she probably feels the same way, judging by how she looks at you.”

Emory escaped into the hallway, and I was drawn to Talia sitting with Kelly in the living room. Checking to ensure they weren’t looking, I pulled my phone from my pocket discreetly.

As I slid the bar upward on the screen with my thumb, I watched Kelly’s hand reach out to grab the arm of the couch. Talia didn’t notice as Kelly shifted, slowly crossing and uncrossing her legs before she sat forward. I could see the flush working its way up her neck and lowered the speed, enjoying how she took slow, deep breaths to calm down.

My friend kept talking in her usual animated way. I was sure she was likely telling stories about me and the dumb things I’d done in her presence over the last eight years, but I didn’t care. Kelly could know all my secrets. After a few moments, I slid the bar up again, going further than I had the last time.

Kelly reached for her glass of water from the nearby table, her hand shaking a little as she tilted the glass toward her mouth. I saw the front door opening out of my peripheral vision, so I turned it down to the lowest setting, slipping my phone back into my pocket with the app open.

As Emory joined me, Kelly looked up toward the kitchen, holding my gaze before returning his gaze to Talia.

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