Page 8 of Fall Hard

He spoke so flatly that my stomach dropped, a familiar anxiety clawing its way inside as I tried to work out if I was just being overly sensitive or if he’d definitely sounded mad at me. Was this still about Bryn?

“What’s crawled up your ass?” Jamie glared at him and I felt my shoulders relax. Okay, so it hadn’t just been me who’d noticed Kit’s weird behavior.

Kit said nothing, simply stood up from his spot on the end of the bench opposite me and walked out, leaving us staring after him in shock.

Bryn sighed. “Don’t mind him, there’s some stuff going on with him and Leo but he won’t tell me what it is. It’s had him in a foul mood for days though.”

I was fairly confident that Kit was in love with Leo, and vice versa. Especially because Kat had once tried to flirt with him and Leo had been both completely oblivious and entirely disinterested. If it hadn’t upset Kat so much, it would have been funny.

If I hadn't been desperate for Kat to turn up before, I was more so now. Bryn was looking at me strangely, like she was trying to decide whether or not to bring up some likely embarrassing memory from the other night, so I downed my drink and stood quickly, pressing my hands together in front of my body.

“I’m, ah, going to see what’s keeping Kat and get another drink.” I laughed nervously, practically a squeak, and then spun around in the direction of the bar. I waited there patiently for a few moments before noticing Bryn moving towards me in my periphery. Crap. There were too many people in front of me waiting to get served. I would have to escape another way.

I stood on my toes for a moment, searching for the sign for the restroom to see how long the queue was and breathed a sigh of relief that there was nobody there waiting. Without much of a crowd, Bryn could probably spot where I was headed but if I was quick enough maybe I could get in a stall and stand on the seat so she couldn’t find me?

The ridiculousness of the thought made me pause before I decided,fuck it,and set off for the restroom at a pace even Bryn’s long legs would struggle to match. Or so I thought.

A hand caught my elbow just as I stepped into the shadowy nook that precluded the ladies—so close, yet so far. Bryn gently tugged to turn me around and our chests rested against one another, mine moving at a much more rapid pace than hers as my breaths came fast.

“Olivia—”

I kissed her. Why? I had no idea. Her lips were soft, a detail I’d forgotten the other night, and her delicate perfume smelled pleasant as it filled the air around us.

She pulled back, blinking rapidly and looking more than a bit shocked. “What the hell did you do that for?”

“I don’t know?” I practically shoved away from her as I tugged harshly on my ponytail. “I panicked! It just seemed like the right thing to do?”

Bryn snorted, her dimple flashing out at me and I scowled at it. “Well, I was trying to talk to you and make sure you were okay because I thought you were being weird back there, but that’s nothing to how weird you were just then.”

“I’m sorry,” I groaned. “Everything’s just felt so messy since the other night and I haven’t known whether I should thank you or apologize or pretend that nothing happened at all.” Bryn raised an eyebrow and I tried to read the expression on her face and failed. “Um, sorry? Thank you? I—”

I kissed her again and reared back when the door to the restroom flew open and Kat’s wide green eyes met mine.

“You need to stop doing that,” Bryn said dryly and I threw my hands up in the air.

“I’m sorry, I panicked!”

Kat looked between us, a hint of a smile playing around her full lips as she tucked her curly brown hair behind her ear. “When did this happen?”

I shook my head frantically. “No. It’s not. This,” I gestured between myself and Bryn and then looked at my hand in horror when it touched her boob. “You know what, I’m just going to go.”

“Wait, Liv.” Bryn took my arm again and I blinked away the tears beginning to wet my eyes. What was wrong with me? Was this some kind of two-day come down? Was I still drunk? Or high? I’d kissed Bryntwiceand Kat had seen. There was no way she would be able to keep this secret, she already looked fit to burst with questions. “It’s okay. Just, I don’t know, breathe. It’s not a big deal. What’s a kiss between friends, right?” Bryn grabbed Kat and kissed her full on the mouth, leaving her wide-eyed a second later when Bryn pulled back. “See? Not weird at all, right, Kat?”

“Um, yeah,” Kat said, cheeks slightly pink. “Your lips are really soft.”

“They totally are,” I agreed. Bryn started laughing and I couldn’t help but join in, some of that odd tension finally flowing away. “I’m sorry. I’m okay.”

Bryn nodded. “Good.” Kat looked a little confused but nodded along with us and Bryn shot me a puzzled look as I turned away from the ladies room. “Don’t you need to go in there?”

“What? Oh. No.”

“Then why—”

“I was going to climb onto one of the toilet seats to hide from you.” Kat and Bryn stared at me and, admittedly, it sounded ten-times worse when I said it aloud. “Next round’s on me?”

“Damn right.” Bryn grinned and I couldn’t help but smile back. Somehow, it felt like things might finally be okay.

CHAPTERTHREE

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