Page 3 of The One for Me
She nods. “Yup. S-T-U-P-I-D. And dumb.”
“They mean the same thing.”
“It required the extra punctuation at the end.”
God, I love the side of her that is smart-mouthed, fearless, and relaxed. She’s only this way with me. Or at least, that’s what I’d like to think.
The last ten years have been hard on our friendship. We both went off to college, I had baseball and she was studying. We’d see each other on breaks, but after the accident that changed the trajectory of my life, I stayed in Maine, and we rarely saw each other.
However, when I had a series in New York, Devney came. If I was in Philly, she would find a way to meet me, and I flew her down to Tampa a few times.
Now, though, I’ll be around her so much more, and I know these feelings aren’t going to go away, they’ll get stronger.
Yeah, I guess I really am stupid.
“Well, I may be stupid, but at least I’m not settling.”
She sits up, slapping her hand on the couch cushion. “Settling?”
“Yeah. You may love Oliver, but he doesn’t make you crazy.”
Devney shifts back. “You’re making me crazy right now.”
“Good.”
“You’re infuriating!”
I shrug. “You love me.”
“It helps that you’re hot.” Devney quickly covers her hand over her mouth. “I did not mean it like that.”
I grin and lean toward her. “You think I’m hot?”
“I think you’re mediocre. God knows your harem of . . . whatever you call them . . . think you are.”
For so long I’ve fought against telling her anything about how I feel. How those women are faceless and mean nothing to me. It’s always her. Always a brunette who I seek out, hoping to find just a piece of something like her that I can cling to, but I never say it.
Then I wonder, maybe this is the perfect time. Oliver is going to propose. Oliver will marry her, and I won’t have a goddamn thing to say about it because I will have never told her.
Plus, she’s drunk.
Maybe she won’t remember it.
“Maybe so, but I’m not asking them. Plus, all the girls I’m attracted to look like you.”
Devney laughs while shaking her head. “Well, it has to be tough kissing your best friend, right?”
And in that moment, I know what I’m going to do. It doesn’t matter that it’s stupid or wrong. I no longer care about her boyfriend or how this moment will undoubtedly change everything between us because she will marry him when he asks. Devney won’t falter. She’ll cling to the safe, and I am not that, but I love her.
I lean closer and her eyes study my movement. With a trembling hand, I cup her face and brush my thumb against her soft skin. Everything freezes around us as I feel the warmth emanating from her. Our breaths mingle as the distance closes. “I don’t know, but I’d like to see if it’s tough to kiss you.”
I wait, giving her one last chance to push me away, but instead, her tongue moves against her pink lips, which is all the invitation I need.
I lean in, my lips touch hers, and I know my life hasn’t just changed, it’s been completely upended.
Chapter Two
Devney
