Page 53 of Stick Work

He goes quiet for a second, his gaze flickering to the street, clearly lost in thought like he’s trying to puzzle something out.

“Not weird,” he finally murmurs, his eyes locking onto mine with a serious look. “It’s just…we do stuff together, right? Share rides, hang out…” Heck, who is he trying to convince here? “I mean, if we walk in there, what if one of the guys is there? Or Gina? That’s not weird, right?”

I shrug. “Normally it wouldn’t be weird. Maybe we’re just overthinking this.”

“Probably,” he says with a smirk. “Or maybe it is weird because we’re…well…sleeping together.”

The words hang in the air for a second, and then unable to help myself, a laugh bubbles out of my throat and it surprises even me. “Yeah. Very true. Do you think we can make it not weird?”

“I don’t know.” He starts the car. “I guess we’re going to find out.”

“Yeah?”

“Chicken pot pie,” he says simply and I know exactly what he means. It’s the best in the city. “Besides, we don’t have a lot of time before your class.”

“True and it’s late. I doubt Gina is there, and you guys just got home from a road trip. I’m sure the guys are busy with their families or crashed.” I grin at him to lighten things up. “Let’s face it, the first thing you wanted to do was go to bed.

That brings on a laugh. He reaches across the seat and puts his hand on my leg as he pulls into traffic. We make our way to the Nook, and he finds us a parking spot. We hurry down the sidewalk as the streetlights turn on. I glance through the big window as we approach the door and feel a measure of relief when I don’t see any of the guys.

The only ones who know about the ruse are my brother, and Roman, and honestly if anyone else sees us, they’ll probably just see two friends hanging out. It’s not like we’re anything more. We’re roommates and he’s my brother’s best friend, right?

Except...

You’re sleeping with him, girlfriend.

Right.

We find a cozy table in the corner, and I shrug out of my coat, doing another quick sweep of the room. “Coast is clear,” I tease.

Just as I say that, a girl around my age emerges from the back, menus in hand. I glance at her nametag—Avery. Why does she look so familiar? I’m pretty sure Gina’s hired a few more servers recently since the place has been busy, but I swear I’ve seen her somewhere else before.

Her eyes are locked on Elias, and it’s not hard to see she’s trying really hard not to have a total fan moment. She does a decent job of it—barely. Elias catches my eye, raising an eyebrow. “Coffee?” I nod, still distracted, and Elias says, “Yeah, we’ll both have coffee—and chicken pot pie.”

She scribbles it down and starts to walk away, but then freezes for a second, her gaze shifting to me. I watch as she narrows her eyes, looking me over as she tucks the notepad into her apron.

“Wait,” she says slowly. “Do you go to Boston College?”

I nod, curious. “Yeah, I do.”

“I thought you looked familiar,” she says, her face lighting up. “I’ve seen you around campus. Your brother is Kalen Coolidge, right?”

I can’t help but laugh. “He is. That’s him.”

Avery’s smile grows. “I’ve seen him pick you up a few times.”

“Nice to meet you, Avery,” I reply, glancing over at Elias. “This is Elias?—”

“I know who you are,” she announces quickly, her eyes widening with recognition. “Elias Ariti.”

I grin as I watch Avery’s face light up like a Christmas tree. She’s practically glowing. A moment later, she shakes her head, snapping out of it. “Sorry,” she laughs, a little embarrassed. “I’m not supposed to fangirl over customers. When I was hired here, Gina warned me about the Boston Bucks players eating here. She said I have to act normal, but...”

I can’t help but smile. “I get it. Hard to keep it cool when you're around Elias.”

“Very hard,” she agrees with a little laugh. Her eyes dart between the two of us, and I can see the curiosity in her gaze. “Wait, are you two?—”

“No,” I interrupt quickly, glancing at Elias, half-expecting him to protest, but he stays silent, just watching with a faint smile on his lips. Before I can say more, the bell above the door jingles, and I look up to see Gina walking in. Avery leans in, lowering her voice like we’re about to share a secret.

“Please don’t tell her I fangirled,” she whispers with a sheepish grin.

---