Page 121 of All of Me

Taylor rolls her eyes, but she’s fighting a grin. “You two are the worst.”

Brooke grins, plopping down in her seat. “Please. If I’m going to be the worst, I at least want the official title. Like, Duchess of Distraction or something.”

I snort. “More like the Duchess of Destruction.”

Brooke gasps, clutching her chest. “That’s rich coming from you Chaos Callie. Besides, I love that. So regal. So fitting,” she jabs playfully before turning back to my sister. “Taylor, what do you think?”

Taylor shakes her head, reaching for her coffee. “I think you both need supervision.”

Brooke beams. “That’s what makes us fun.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “You two are ridiculous.” I lean back in my seat, stirring my coffee absently. “Honestly, I’d love to be around more for this kind of nonsense, but Owen’s been busy with work. I feel like I barely see him.”

Taylor snorts, shaking her head. “At least you’ve got something good going on. Meanwhile, I’m over here trying to figure out whether I should move on or just accept that relationships are a scam.”

I blink at her, frowning. “Wait—move on? I thought you and Nick were done. You told me a couple months ago that you felt like you were forcing it. I assumed that door was closed.”

Taylor exhales, stirring her coffee like it personally offended her. “I thought it was, but it’s not always that simple. We were seeing each other again last year, and it felt like we were trying to force something that just wasn’t working. But now that I’m actually stepping away from it, I don’t know if it’s for good or just… another off phase.”

I exchange a quick glance with Brooke before leaning in. “Taylor, I love you, but I feel like I can’t keep up. One minute, you’re telling me you’re done with him, and now you’re not sure? I don’t want to see you stuck in something that just makes you miserable.”

Taylor sighs, rubbing her temple. “I know. I don’t want that either.”

Brooke tilts her head, considering. “That’s tricky. You don’t want to be the person who jumps into something new just because you’re frustrated with the old.”

I nod but add gently, “You also don’t want to stay in something just because it’s familiar.”

Taylor hesitates before shrugging. “I mean… maybe? I did meet someone. It’s way too soon to tell if it’s even a thing, though.”

Brooke gasps dramatically, clutching her chest like she’s been personally betrayed. “Excuse me? You met someone and didn’t tell us?”

I raise an eyebrow. “Yeah, what the hell, Taylor? This is major news.”

Taylor waves a hand dismissively. “It’s really not. We’ve only gone out a couple of times, and I don’t even know if I’m ready for something new.”

I exhale, torn between relief and concern. “Honestly? I’m glad you met someone else. I just—” I hesitate, glancing at her. “I worry about you. You’ve been stuck in this loop with Nick for so long, and I want you to be happy. Really happy. And I don’t want you to settle just because it’s comfortable.”

Taylor offers me a small smile. “I know, Cal. And I appreciate that.”

Brooke sighs dramatically, leaning back in her chair. “Fine. We’ll allow it—for now. But you will be providing updates.”

Taylor rolls her eyes but smirks. “Yeah, yeah.”

Brooke suddenly leans forward, her expression shifting from playful to mischievous. “Speaking of people who are stupidly attractive,” she says, tapping her fingers against her coffee cup, “have you two seen Vince lately?”

I watch Brooke as she says it, and I can’t help but think how different she’s been over the past year. Not in a bad way—just… lighter. More like herself again. After everything with Lexi’s dad, she’d spent years just surviving, never really looking at anyone, never letting herself have fun. But lately, she’s been laughing more, flirting more, finally stepping back into her own life. I love seeing her happy, but I also know she’s been burned before. I don’t want to see her hurt again.

Taylor groans immediately. “Brooke…”

“What?” Brooke asks, feigning innocence. “The man is a sexy hunk of man meat, and I’m only human.”

I nearly choke on my coffee. “Did you just say hunk of man meat?”

Brooke grins. “I sure did. And I stand by it.”

Taylor pinches the bridge of her nose. “You really cannot keep referring to people as ‘man meat.’”

Brooke shrugs. “It’s accurate. I mean, have you seen him? The tattoos, the muscles, that ‘I could build you a house with my bare hands’ energy—ridiculous.”

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