Page 41 of I'm Not in Love (I Promise)

“I take it that’s a yes?” I yell.

“I’ll never deny my body the sweet thrill of breakfast foods. Ohh, bacon. It’s been so long since I’ve crunched into a nice thick piece. Or do I want sausages, spicy with maple syrup drizzled over them. Help, I can’t choose!”

He can’t be serious? One peek from my doorway and I see that yes, he is serious. He’s standing there idling about bacon or sausages.

“Throw on some clean clothes and I’ll get you both,” I say. “And run a brush through that hair, you look like you’re building a nest up there.” I guess getting shot and being laid up in bed did a number on a guy’s hygiene routine.

“It’s not that bad,” he says, making me scoff.

“I guess your mirror was injured too?” I love fucking with Jasper’s fragile ego. Almost as much as I love picking on Leon for being a boring British bastard.

Cleaned up and smelling fresh, thanks to me reminding Jasper that deodorant exists, we pull up to the local diner. I’ve only ever had takeout from here, but the guys love the place. It’s got the retro feel with the jukebox, red and white booths, and neon signs. Reminds me of the places we’d stop in our travels from town to town when I was a kid.

We grab a booth in the back and settle in. I watch Jasper shift around with a grimace on his face. “How are you feeling? You’re up and around a lot more. Still on pain meds?”

He scans the menu and answers without looking up. “It’s not as bad as it was. Honestly, I feel like I’m more sore from not working out than from the healing. Oh, stuffed French toast!”

“Get whatever you want, it’s my treat,” I say. Am I kissing ass so he’ll back me up with Leon later? Maybe. Even so, it’s nice to get some time out of the apartment together.

“You’re not getting in my pants later, even if I order the most expensive shit on the menu.” He cracks a Jasper, mega-watt grin while I toss a piece of ice from my water glass at his head.

“I draw the line at lobster,” I say. “While we’re on the subject of your pants, no sane woman will wanna get in those pants again unless you start showering more. We share a bathroom. I know that it hasn’t been used as much.”

Our waitress comes to take our order. Black coffee and a breakfast sandwich for me, and half the menu for Jas. Jasper calls the older woman sweetheart and flashes another grin. I’m pretty sure she floated back to the kitchen.

“Lining up more cougars for the back burner?” I tease, tapping my fingers on the table. “Dolores not enough woman for you?”

“Blasphemy,” he says. “Dolores is enough woman for the three of us. I don’t know how her old man handled her.”

Shaking my head, I picture a younger Dolores. “She was probably hot back in the day.”

Jasper leans in conspiratorially. “Don’t tell Leon this or I swear I’ll key your car.” I choke on a sip of water—he’d never. “Dolores posed for Playboy back in the 70s. She pulled it out to show me when we first moved in.”

“I bet that wasn’t all she pulled out.” He kicks me under the table. “So… how was it?”

“Tasteful yet erotic. Chub inducing. Mr. Langston was a lucky man.” We laugh as the waitress returns to fill my mug with steaming hot coffee. I take a sip and feel it scald my throat on the way down, adding to the warmth in my chest. I didn’t realize how much I needed this. No stress, just me and Jas being dumb like we always have. The solid six hours of sleep might have helped too.

Jasper stretches his neck from side to side, rubbing his injured shoulder. “You take your meds this morning?”

“No, I gotta take them with food or I’ll barf. I’m worried it’s not healing right. You think you can get Blake to come back over and take a look soon?”

I’ve purposely kept Blake away from the guys since that night. I’ve told myself it was to keep her safe from retaliation but a part of me wanted her to myself. It’s always been dog eat dog with the three of us when it came to girls. Jasper would be drowning in more pussy than he could ever need. He’s a 6’4” jock with blue eyes and sandy blond hair. The prick went through puberty and turned into Charlie Hunnam. Next to him, I never stood a chance.

Then there was Leon, with his tan skin, dark hair, hazel eyes, and British accent. He might have played the quiet one, but the second he opened his mouth he had them. The hot, smart girls with their secret Dom kinks were his thing in college.

And for me, I did alright. I’ve always been a one woman guy though which never worked well for me in those days.

Our plates come, distracting Jasper from his question. I can’t hide Blake from them for long. Not with how serious I intend our relationship to be. “I’ll see if she can stop by after class this week.”

He cuts into his French toast like he’s never seen food before, shoveling monster bites into his mouth. With a mouthful he says, “Thanks, man.”

Speaking of Blake, I haven’t checked in on her yet this morning. I grab my phone and pull up my GPS app. Blake’s in class, exactly where I knew she’d be. My shoulders relax as I drink more of my coffee. I wish she was here in the booth beside me. I’d love to rest my palm on her thigh, drag my fingers up along the length until she squirms.

Me: Sleep okay, Angel?

Jasper finishes chewing and looks up from his plate. “So you really like this girl, huh?”

I glance at my phone screen on the table and wait for a response like a lovesick puppy. “Yeah, she’s incredible. So fucking smart and gorgeous. She makes me laugh.”

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