Page 79 of We Can't Be Friends

Her cheeks turn the lightest shade of pink, and her nose scrunches, and I don’t think she notices.

I pull her coffee to me and take a sip. Disgusting. I’ll be sticking to tea. She snatches it back, one eye pierced like a cat at me.

“That’s what you get. I hope the aftertaste lingers on your tongue all day.”

I lick her palm. “Now, it’ll be you.”

She rolls her eyes, and jaw tweaks. Chloe annoyed, Chloe angry, Chloe happy, Chloe anyway you can imagine is hot, and unfortunately does it for me. “You’re so annoying.”

There’s a knock at the door. Gently, three times.

I look in the direction of the hallway that leads to the front door. Tucker’s already on alert, barking at whoever is on the other side. I run through a list of who it could potentially be before getting up to answer it.

A few people have accidentally knocked on our door before. Either I don’t answer and they leave, or they realize for themselves and go away.

“Are you expecting someone?” I ask Chloe over my cuppa. She’s sipping on her latte, brows arched in thought.

Chloe shakes her head no. Whoever it is knocks again.

“You sure?”

I can tell by how her brows raise and the corners of her mouth tick up that a light bulb went off in her head. “Shit, he’s early.” She stands up, downing the rest of her coffee and turning to the sink. “That’s Miller.”

I scoff quietly—or so I thought.

Chloe spins back to me.

“My brother?” She roves over my body, adding up my body language. “Wait. Were you jealous?”

“No. . .”

“Oh my gosh. You are.”

“No,” I say firmer, shaking my head to enhance my point.

“You totally are.” She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, eyes narrowing. Chloe releases her lip with a pop. “I can’t believe you werejealous.” One of her fingers, the one with a star-like diamond tattoo on the upper knuckle, swirls in my direction. “Are you?”

“Of your brother? N-no. No. There’s nothing to be jealous of.”

“Uh-huh.” She washes out her cup and places it on the top row in the dishwasher. Shrugging a shoulder as she heads toward thedoor, she taunts me. “Admit it. You were jealous of the idea that there was someone else besides you. Definitely bummed you out, yeah?”

“Thought it was strange my fake girlfriend would have another boyfriend.”

“Ah.” She bites her lip again.

I was jealous. Am jealous.

The idea of her dating—truly dating—someone else—you don’t want to date.You don’t date, Callum.

But we didn’t agree that she couldn’t see anyone else. If she is or wants to, I have zero reason to stop her. Except for that, I want her.

“I wouldn’t, Pretty Boy. Just so you know. One pain in the ass is all I can handle at a time.”

There’s another knock. I watch as she walks to the door, happy.

“Chlo, open up. It’s me.”

I can hear the door swinging open.

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