Page 76 of A Little Complicated

My eyes fall to my half-eaten bowl of food, and he chuckles.

“Okay, perfect forme,” he clarifies, completely misreading my discomfort. “She was my best friend before we started dating, and…I don't know. I guess I’m trying to give her space and shit, but sometimes it feels…off.”

“Why?” I ask.

“It’s complicated,” he mutters. “Remember how I took her to prom a few months back?”

I nod, barely restraining my snarl as I scoop another heaping spoonful of oatmeal. Shoving it into my mouth, I mutter, “How could I forget?”

“Yeah, but here’s the thing. She wasn’t ditched by some random dick. Apparently, she’d been hooking up with the guy for a while, and he bailed on her for no reason.”

I swallow the acid coating my throat but stay quiet.

“It messed with her,” Archer continues. “Ever since, I feel like she’s holding back. I don’t blame her. It’s gotta be hard to hand over your heart again after the first guy you ever dated tore it to shreds, ya know?”

I wipe my mouth and nod again.

“Exactly,” he agrees. “So I’ve been trying to give her the space and time she needs to trust me and give me a real chance.”

“Who says she isn’t giving you a real chance?” I ask.

“Just…stuff,” he deflects. “But I don’t want to scare her away by being all possessive and shit.”

“So you’re hiding that youarepossessive and shit?”

“I’ve cared about her for so long, of course, I feel possessive of her. But, do you really think I’m gonna waste my chance by scaring her away just because she might not be over the guy she was with before me?”

The pounding in my chest skips like a broken record, and I throttle my spoon to keep from rubbing at the ache. “Who says she isn’t over him?”

“No one.” His brows dip. “I guess I just feel it. Sometimes she’s fine, and other times? She goes all quiet and…I dunno.” He reaches for his cup again but hesitates before taking a sip. “Like she’s lost in her own head or…like she’s still thinking about him.” He shakes his head and takes a long swallow of caffeine, licking his lips. “Like I said, her mystery man messed her up. Fuck, she can’t even say his name. Won’t even tell me who he is.” He pauses. “But it doesn't really matter because I’m not gonna push her on it, and I'm okay with being patient. The problem is I don’t know how to show her I care without making her feel like I’m smothering her. I dunno. Being in a relationship with Lia, it’s…it’s harder than I thought it would be.”

I stay quiet, unsure what to say as I rub my tongue along my teeth.

The man looks lost. Like he’s overthinking and overanalyzing in a way only my brother can. There isn’t an easy answer. Not for Lia. Not for Archer. And there sure as fuck isn’t one for me. But seeing him like this? Lost and shit? It sucks. This is why he’s a better fit for Ophelia than I’ll ever be. Because he’s here. He’ll always be here. He’ll always look out for her in a way I can’t.

The familiar defeat I’ve grown accustomed to makes me slump a little farther in my chair, but I force my vocal cords to work. “You’re not gonna smother her, man.”

A flash of hope ignites in his eyes. “You sure?”

I nod. “Yeah, I’m, uh, I’m sure. She just wants to know you care.”

“You think?”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks.” He smiles. “Keep up what you’re doing with Lia, all right? I need you on my side.”

My muscles coil in my gut, making it hard to breathe as I force a nod, staring blankly into my bowl. “Sure thing, man.”

“Speaking of,” he adds. “Any chance you can pick her up from practice today?”

I don’t even bother hiding my groan as I drop my head back and stare at the ceiling. “Arch.”

“I don’t want her walking back on her own, and I have a meeting I can’t miss.”

“What about Griffin or—”

“Mav.”

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