Page 31 of Beautiful Thing

And then, they were done.

And he was gone, off in the military. Almost like he needed a worthy cause to channel his heartbreak into.

I don’t know what exactly happened between the two of them. After all, I was too young to understand the dynamics as I watched their relationship play out. But Idoknow that he looked like he was fighting one hell of a demon when he saw her today.

Maybe I crossed the line when I bulldozed my way into the middle of the situation, offering Archer my help in dealing with Kathryn and her family. But I couldn’t help myself because—even from across the store—I could see that he was struggling to keep his temper under control during the interaction with his ex and her prick of a husband.

And I can’t help but worry that he’s somewhere inside this house, still struggling with that demon right now.

I want to go to him. But he’s a man who likes his privacy. I don’t expect him to go pouring out his guts to me about his feelings for his ex-girlfriend.

Besides, he likes pushing the narrative that he and I are not even friends. I’m just his employee. That’s what he likes to remind me. I’m the woman he’s offering room and board. His sister’s hot mess of a best friend. So I’d better not ruin our living situation by being nosy.

I roll over in bed. Then I adjust the pillow. I adjust it again. I sit up. I sigh.

Now that we’re living in Archer’s house, it’s hard figuring out what to do with myself every night after Sky goes to bed. I try to stay out of Archer’s way as much as possible because I don’t want to be an inconvenience. Plus, as exhausted as I’ve been, I know I should be taking advantage of the opportunity to get as much rest as I can. But instead of catching up on sleep, I just feel restless tonight.

Swiping my phone off the nightstand, I lean against the headboard and notice some messages that came in while I was giving Sky his bedtime routine.

Karli: Hey girlie. Come hang out with us at the North Node tonight?

Then there’s a photo of Karli snuggled up with Mason while Felix, Daphne, Darius and Ziggy grin in the background.

Karli: I know it’s last minute but if you can get a sitter, you should come join us. You could use a break.

Then there’s another message sent a few minutes later.

Karli: Okayyyy…Ignoring me?

Karli: And why is Archer ignoring me too?

Karli: That’s *suspicious*

Karli: On second thought, if you’d rather stay home, loved up on my brother, I’ll give you a pass

I’m hit by a heatwave between the thighs at the sudden image of Archer wrapping me up in those big, strong, bionic arms.Loved up on her brother?Oh, I wish.

Brushing the thought aside, I tap out a reply to my friend.

Me: No loving up on your brother going on over here. Promise. But I’m already cuddled up with my fave little man.

I snap a shadowy picture of my sleeping angel and send it to Karli. She replies with a string of heart-eye emojis.

Me: Sorry, hun. I’ll be staying in tonight.

We text back and forth a little bit, making plans to meet up for coffee later in the week. Then I set my phone on the bedside table.

Snuggling down beneath the blankets, I close my eyes and try to clear my mind. But sleep really isn’t coming easy tonight.

A random thought wanders into my head.Wait—Archer’s family is out tonight and he didn’t join them?Moving stealthily, I slip out of bed and peek through the curtains. Sure enough, his truck is still parked in its spot under the carport in the front yard.

Shit. He must be really upset if he chose to stay home and wallow on his own instead of going to have a drink with his siblings.

Yet still, my heart flutters with a feeling I can only label as ‘relief’. It may be selfish but I’m glad that he’s home. Even if there’s no ‘loving up’ on the menu for us—ever—I like knowing that he’s near.

Ugh. This dead-end crush is really starting to fry my brain.

I decide that I’m a grown woman and 8:17 p.m. is too damn early to ‘go night-night’ anyway. I need to stretch my limbs.

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