Page 44 of Unbearable

“Why mess with a good thing? Imagine how disappointed I would be if I finally ventured out of my comfort zone to try a new flavor and hated it,” she said, her voice light as if ice cream was the cure to all her problems.

I flipped my hat backward before leaning back in the rocking chair. “Next time, you try a new flavor, and I’ll get mint chocolate chip so we can trade if you don’t like it.”

“You don’t like mint chocolate chip,” she said shyly.

“I don’t mind it. It isn’t my favorite, but I don’t hate it.” I shrugged.

“Growing up, you said it tastes like toothpaste!”

“I mean, it does.” I let out a low laugh.

“No, it doesn’t.” She giggled, and I scooped a bite of rocky road into my mouth.

I watched her playful grin as she licked a dribble of ice cream from the corner of her lips when she caught me staring. Without hesitation, I reached to wipe away the straydrop with my thumb, relishing the brief touch of her soft skin against my calloused fingers.

For a fleeting moment, the world seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of us frozen in time beneath the soft glow of the porch light. My thumb subconsciously stroked small circles along her freckles, each touch igniting a quiet intensity.

I wanted so badly to close the distance, to lean in and capture her lips with mine, but we both hesitated, caught in the dance of what could be.

Right as I went to lean in, her phone rang, breaking the spell as reality rushed back in. I instantly felt the loss of her when she backed away.

“It’s Dorian,” she said as she answered.

I could hear his voice through the muffled speakers. “You get home okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry.” She paused. “Trent picked me up. Thanks for checking in.”

“Good, I’m glad. Just wanted to check before I crashed for the night.”

“Yeah, all good. Love you,” Dotty replied.

“Love you too, sis,” he replied. She hung up and looked at me.

“I should probably head to bed. You know… long day today. I’m tired.” She stood up and practically ran away before I could say anything. I let her walk away, knowing she probably needed time to process the day she had.

I walked to my room, closed the door, and called Dorian.

He answered right away. “Hey, man. What’s up? Everything okay with Dotty?” he asked.

“Yeah, I mean kind of. She got a text today. From what looks to be the stalker.”

“Shit, she didn’t say anything.” Dorian’s voice sounded strained.

“Colt’s my next call, but I wanted to talk to you too.” I rubbed my forehead, preparing for the worst.

“Okay…” he drew the word out as a question. “What’s going on?”

“You know what we talked about before? About Dotty?” I asked.

“Shit, it’s happening, isn’t it?” His smile was obvious in his voice.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” I asked.

“You finally admitting to liking my sister.” He chuckled.

My hand rubbed the back of my neck, and I sighed. “Fuck… yes. And while my friendship with you matters to me, I am not going to ask for your permission. But I wanted to talk to you because I don’t want to fuck anything up between you and Dot.” I tried to keep my voice steady, unsure exactly what he would say, especially after our conversation a few weeks ago when he asked what was going on between us.

“Man, you don’t have to ask my blessing. You’ve always had it.” I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

---