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“I’m starting to think I miss you being grumpy,” I chide while Rory snickers next to me.

“Sorry, dude,” he says, wrapping an arm around Harlow’s shoulder and kissing her temple. “Your sister took all of that out of me.”

Harlow blushes and turns her face into Knox’s chest.

“At least you two finally got together,” Rory says, speaking for the first time since I entered the hall.

“And now I’m all moved in with him, too,” Lo replies, turning her face but still pressed against Knox’s chest.

“You already got everything moved in?” I ask in surprise. “Didn’t he just ask you to move in last week?”

“Yes,” she smiles, “but my tiny ass shoebox apartment didn’t have many things that I needed to move. I just brought the last box over to his place this morning.”

“Which means it’s now officiallyourplace, baby.”

Suddenly, they seem to forget that Rory and I are here. That they have an audience for a moment that shouldreallyjust be the two of them.

Harlow gathers Knox’s shirt in her hands. “Ooh, I like hearing that. Say it again.”

“Our place.”

“Mmm… you’re giving me some bad ideas, Slick.”

Wow, I could not be more fucking uncomfortable right now.

I open my mouth to say something, but Rory beats me to it. “Jesus, go home before you fuck each other right in front of us.”

Harlow turns bright red as Knox just laughs his ass off. “Oh, I definitely need to get her home. Season’s over now. Nowhere I need to be other than beside her.”

“More like inside her,” Rory mutters, low enough that neither Knox nor Harlow notice, but I hear it. Funny as it is, though, I still cringe because, ew, that’s my fucking sister.

“Take me home then, Knox,” Harlow says, standing on her tiptoes and pecking him.

“With fucking pleasure,” he replies, hauling my sister over his shoulder as she laughs. “Probably gonna be a littlebusythe next few days,” he says, turning down the hall as he walks them away from us. “We’ll see you… eventually.”

And they disappear around the corner.

Just like that, all of our awkward tension fills the air as it’s now just Rory and me standing here.

“So, that…” I stammer, turning to face Rory. “That was… awkward.”

“Yeah.”

I sigh. “Can we not be awkward, though?”

“I don’t know why you’d need to feel awkward around me at all, Cole,” she replies, shrugging her shoulders.

“Come on, Rory,” I say, letting out a breath. “We should talk about it.”

“Talk about what?” She fidgets with her shirt sleeves, clearly uncomfortable. “Nothing happened.”

“You know that’s not completely true.”

“I-” Rory sighs. “I know. Can we find somewhere private, then? Better to make sure there aren’t any prying ears.”

“Yeah,” I nod. “Come on. My car’s in the lot over here.”

Rory sits in the passenger seat of my Range Rover, awkwardly fidgeting with her hands. She’s clearly uncomfortable, but even then, she still looks so fucking good.

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