Page 94 of Unforgettable

Josh was already unloading groceries when I joined him in the kitchen. Setting my bag down next to his, we methodically worked to unload everything into the pantry and the fridge.

Amanda slid into a barstool across the island and eyed us both curiously like she couldn’t totally believe we were actually there. Or was at least uncertain what our intentions were.

She propped her elbows on the granite countertop and rested her chin on her intertwined hands. Only the tips of her fingers were exposed under the sleeves of her oversized gray sweatshirt, and she looked relaxed with her hair precariously sitting on top of her head and her black-framed glasses balanced on her nose.

“Did you say you were coming over?” she finally asked.

“No,” Josh and I said in unison.

“So, this is a surprise visit?”

“Yup,” Josh answered for the both of us. “Great surprise, right, babe?” The wink he threw her barely melted the tough, icy exterior she’d developed. But I could see a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

“It’s definitely a surprise. But, great? I’m not so sure about that. Did you both just come over to restock my fridge and my pantry? Not sure if you can tell now with all ofyourfood shoved in there, but Ididgo grocery shopping yesterday. I’m not completely unprepared for this winter apocalypse.”

“We needed to see for ourselves,” I said, tossing one of the empty bags at the bottom of the pantry.

“What kind of men would we be,” Josh added, “if we didn’t ensure our girl was taken care of during a time like this?”

He’d said it so easily and casually, “our girl,” yet the possessiveness was evident in the two little words. But not possession for himself, he’d declared that she wasours. Together. The both of us.

My stomach clenched at the thought, and rather than look at Josh, Amanda’s eyes found mine across the kitchen. There was a silent question there, and I assumed she was waiting for my reaction.

But I didn’t know how to react. There were a myriad of emotions and thoughts and concerns spinning so fast in my head that I couldn’t figure out which made the most sense or felt the most right. None of my thoughts had been clear since Josh and I had both decided to pursue Amanda. And every day, they seemed to grow more and more uncertain.

Amanda was waiting for a reaction, and so was I—one that would help me understand exactly how I was feeling and what I wanted to do. Because I couldn’t decipher it any more than they could.

So, I decided not to react at all.

“It’s supposed to be pretty bad. Possible power outages throughout the city and state. You’ve got to remember Texas isn’t built for this weather. You only had enough water for maybe a day or two.”

Josh chuckled to himself and shook his head. I didn’t want to know what he was thinking.

“Well, I wasn’t preparing to be an extra inThe Day After Tomorrow 2.”

“Isn’t that the one with Jake Gyllenhaal?” Josh asked, tossing the flashlights, tea lights and other candles on the counter.

“Yes, such a good movie,” Amanda commented.

“We should watch that one tonight, and then maybe that other apocalypse movie with Dwayne Johnson?”

“Umm…” Amanda hesitated, looking between Josh and me and then eyeing our bags with suspicion. “I don’t remember inviting the two of you to stay.”

“Well, good thing we don’t always wait for an invitation.”

“Right, because you wouldn’t have gotten one,” she muttered. “You’re both staying here?”

“Yes,” we both said simultaneously.

“Together?”

We nodded.

“And that’s going to be okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be okay?” I asked, and Amanda raised her eyebrows. She darted her attention to Josh, who was conveniently reorganizing the food in the pantry and had stopped participating in our conversation.

“Who’s going to take the couch?” Amanda added, and I tried to suppress my chuckle. Always stirring the pot.

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