Page 40 of Scoring with my Bestie's Ex

I loosen my fingers, waiting to see if she will pull away.

She does, and we continue our walk.

As we walk, Bella asks me how the event planning is proceeding. I describe all the things I have planned.

The conversation is easy. That’s what I love about talking with Bella. It’s just so easy to be with her.

When we come to a small pond, I take a deep breath. “There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

A guardedness comes over her expression. “What’s that?”

“I made assumptions about what you meant when we talked in Castleton. So I want to be clear about what you need from me,” I tell her. “Whether that means I need to keep my distance, or if I need to wait for you to always make the first move, or if you want me to be only a friend.”

She bites her lip and looks away.

I want to kiss her so badly.

And that’s a problem—for me. I turn my face away as well, relaxing my shoulders. “I want to be here for you, whatever that looks like. Even if it means I need to not be here.”

“Thank you, Aaron.” She gives me a vague smile, but it still seems sad. “To be honest, I don’t know what I need. I don’t want to string you along. I just know that I need time.”

I nod. “Do you know what that looks like?”

Bella shakes her head slowly. “I suppose it means that I need to figure out what I mean… I know that doesn’t give you any answers.”

“It does, though. It means I need to make sure I’m not accidentally pressuring you. It means that you want me as a friend, nothing else until you have time to figure this out.”

“That’s the problem,” she whispers. “I want much more than friendship. But I can’t.”

“I understand,” I tell her softly.

She laughs. “Can you explain it to me, then?”

I chuckle with her. “I understand that it means that we aren’t dating. It means that I have commitments, too, ones that have to take precedence. It means,” I grin at her, “that we’re going for dinner to keep talking. But we’re each paying for ourselves.”

Bella laughs again, the sound musical. “Alright,” she agrees. “I can work with that.”

Chapter fifteen

Bella

I don’t want this evening to end.

When I’m with Aaron, all my outside pressures seem to slip away. I feel more energized, more like myself.

He’s wonderful to be with.

And that’s what makes him so dangerous.

After dinner, we walk back to the apartment I share with Ellen. I dawdle, wanting this night to go on longer.

“When I spend time with you, it’s easy to forget about everything else,” I tell him.

One of his brows raises. “You mean work?”

I shake my head. “I mean how recently things ended with Steven. How I need to take things slow and figure out who I am.”

Aaron laughs. “So I do need to keep my distance, then?”

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