Page 102 of Suck My Puck

I chuckle. “Yes. Braden is very…” I fight yet another giddy smile. “Generous in bed. And bossy. But in a good way.”

They all squeal, then hi-five me. I laugh while hi-fiving them back.

“What are we hi-fiving about it?” Dakota asks. I turn and see her standing next to us, wearing cat-eye glasses, a long blonde wig, pink cardigan, and a floral print sundress.

Sophie pulls her into a hug. “We just found out that Bella and Blomdahl are hooking up.”

Dakota smiles at me. “Nice.”

I laugh and introduce her to Lauren. “Who are you dressed as? You look so cute,” I say to Dakota.

“Bernadette fromThe Big Bang Theory.”

“Oh, I love it!” I say.

“Thanks,” Dakota says. “But back to the juicy stuff. You and Braden are a thing?” She wiggles her eyebrows.

“They live together too,” Maya says.

“Wow. You guys move fast,” Dakota says.

I explain how my aunt’s tenants moved in early to her apartment, which meant that I had to move out, and that’s when Braden offered up his place.

“Oh, he’s so into you,” Ingrid says, her tone teasing. Maya, Sophie, and Dakota all nod along.

“Well, I mean, yeah. We’re hooking up. I know he likes me.” I chuckle.

Ingrid shakes her head. “No, I’d bet anything he has serious feelings for you.”

“Yeah, Blomdahl isn’t the kind of guy who would do something like that off the cuff,” Sophie says. “I overheard the guys talking about him a few times and he hasn’t been with anyone in a while. Like over a year.”

Maya nods. “So the fact that he wanted you to move in with him means that he must care about you a lot.”

“Yeah, you’re definitely not just a hookup if he wants you to live with him,” Ingrid says. “That’s girlfriend territory.”

My belly flutters at what they’ve all said. That Braden could have feelings for me. That he could care about me more than just a friend with benefits. That he could want me to be his girlfriend.

I wait for my nerves to take over, for the panic to woosh through me at the thought of things getting serious between us. That’s exactly what I didn’t want after all the heartache I went through with Matt.

But it never comes. Instead, a warm, fuzzy feeling pools in my chest.

The thought of things getting serious with Braden doesn’t freak me out. It actually makes me feel giddy. And happy. So happy.

And I’m not sure how to handle that.

Chapter 36

Bella

Dakota’s boyfriend Jake walks up to us and says hi, pulling me out of my thoughts. I refocus on the moment and say hello. He’s wearing a plaid shirt and Dickies. His shaggy light brown hair is combed to the side, almost hanging in his eyes.

She holds his hand and smiles. “And here’s the Howard half of my couples costume.”

We all say how great they look. Jake smiles, but it looks forced. He lets go of Dakota’s hand pretty quickly.

“This is such a cute costume,” Sophie says to Dakota before turning to me and Lauren. “Dakota started watchingThe Big Bang Theoryin middle school. She got me hooked on it too.” She looks back at Dakota. “Remember how we’d sing along to the theme song to annoy your brother?”

We all laugh.

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