Page 15 of Friend Zone to End Zone

We made a great pair. I loved to cook and Cole loved to eat, and when we found a good recipe, I always shared it on social media since good recipes deserved to be shared.

By the end of the episode, Cole had helped me finish off over half of the pan of enchiladas and then even helped me wash the dishes before he headed home for the evening.

“You should add to your online profile that you’re a good help in the kitchen,” I said to Cole when he started the dishwasher. “Girls can’t resist a guy who helps out in the kitchen.”

His whole face lit up as he smiled. “You don’t think listing all my amazing qualities might overwhelm the ladies, do you?”

And I couldn’t help but grin back. “Well, since you have so many amazing qualities to list, you might as well put them out there.”

“I guess I better take some new photos with this new haircut of mine and see what happens.” He winked.

“Just don’t agree to too many dates this week,” I said. “You already said you were going with me to Hannah’s party tomorrow, and then we have our practice run at the club on Tuesday.”

“Of course,” he said. “Even though your dating coach tips are bound to be worth their weight in gold, I’ll always have time for my best friend.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders to give me a squeeze, and I took that moment to breathe in his fresh clean scent. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow around six. Good luck with your live video tonight.” He gave me a quick kiss on the forehead—something he’d just started doing more recently—and then went out the door to where his red Land Rover was parked in the driveway.

As I watched him walk away, I allowed myself to take in the work I’d done this afternoon. His haircut really did do great things for him. With the way it showed off his strong jawline, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a girlfriend by the end of the week.

And as I watched him pull out of the driveway, I felt a pang in my chest when I realized that depending on what he decided at the end of the month, I might have to watch him drive away from Denver soon.

He waved one more time before disappearing down the road, and the pang hit me in the chest again.

I needed to find a way to convince him that Denver was better than San Francisco.

Obviously, losing our friendship wasn’t enough to keep him from leaving, but if I could just figure out something else to keep him here, I might not have to find a new best friend.

Would helping him find his own soulmate make him want to stay?

I didn’t know. But it was probably the only card I had left in my bag of tricks at the moment.

Which meant I needed to focus all my energy on finding him the perfect girlfriend who would make him never want to leave.

8

Arianna

I quickly freshenedup my hair and makeup after Cole left, and then got the lighting in my bedroom just the way I liked it for my live videos. The doorbell rang just as I was positioning my phone in the middle of my ring light, so once it was in place, I wiped my hands on my jeans and went to answer the door.

“Hey.” I smiled when I opened the door and found Chad looking as handsome as ever in a light-blue polo shirt that brought out the color of his eyes. “You made it just in time.”

“Hey,” he said, stepping in and pulling me against him for a quick hug. “You’re looking beautiful today.”

And when he kissed me sweetly on the forehead, any reservations I’d had from our uncomfortable interaction last night melted away.

His warm greeting told me that this evening was going to go well.

I pulled back from his embrace and led him down the hall toward my bedroom where everything was all set up. “We have just a few minutes before we go live. Want me to grab you a glass of water before we start?”

“I just had some at the restaurant.” His footsteps followed behind me on the laminate wood floor. “So I’m good to go.”

“You went to a restaurant?” I furrowed my brow and looked back at him, confused at how he had time for a sit-down meal on his way over when he’d said yesterday he didn’t have time to eat enchiladas with me.

He followed me into my room. “Harry ended up with a stomach bug, so the rest of us finished up early and ate dinner at the club after the game.”

Oh.

He’d chosen to eat with the guys he worked with instead of taking advantage of the opportunity he could have had to eat with me.

“Well, you missed out on a great enchilada recipe,” I said, unable to resist reminding him that last night I’d offered him a homecooked meal with his girlfriend.

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