Page 101 of The Thorne at My Side
"I do, now that we're not competing, I think we have everything we need for a storybook friendship."
"You might have to work a little harder than that," I reply as my hand floats up to his bicep. Might as well own it; I am flirting with him. I didn't mean for it to happen but the eyes, the scent, the muscles, just the proximity to him is doing things to my brain.
"I plan to," he says and then he pulls a bouquet of flowers out from behind his back. "I'll see you around, MC."
I take the soft white and pink tulips wrapped in kraft paper and twine and look up at him as he takes a step backwards and turns.
He's just going to walk away? Suggest we become friends and then leave?
"Okay, sure," I mutter mostly to myself because Austin is already halfway down the hall.
There’s a bench outside of the building and I sit down in a daze. It isn’t even afternoon and my day has been one surprise after another. I reach for my phone and dial.
“Hey, big sis!” Liz answers on speaker phone, I hear a dog bark in the background. “Do you mind chatting while I take Mitsy’s portrait?”
“Uh, no, that’s fine.”
“What’s wrong?” Liz asks. She is becoming more and more like Mom. The way she can read into my mental state immediately is unsettling but incredibly helpful.
“He texted.”
“Foxy man?!”
“Yes, he texted and asked if I was in,” Honestly I could recite the entire message for her, it is imprinted on my brain.
“So, are you?”
“Well, I was, I mean, I am, I,” I exhale and regroup. “Austin showed up after class with flowers and asked to be my friend.”
“Wow, good for you!”
“Liz, that’s not helpful, what do I do?!”
“Why not say yes to both? Does Austin want to be friends orfriends?”
“I think just regular friends, we kinda flirted but that’s just how he is.” I admit. But, do I want to be more than friends with him?
“Okay, and would you give DCFox another chance if he asked to meet again?”
“Yeah, I’m still drawn to him and wildly curious about who he is.”
“Then reply and say you’re in and let friendship with Austin be whatever it is.”
“You make it sound so clear cut,” I tell her.
“Well, it can be. You don’t have to pick between them, yet.” I hear Liz’s little giggle. “Seriously how do you go from being the pickiest dater in history to having two guys falling at your feet?!”
“If I knew I’d tell you,” I mutter as I twirl the SMS Connect phone in my hand.
“Dang it, no Mitsy, no!” Liz yells out. I hear rustling in the background. “I gotta go.”
And the line goes dead.
I stop spinning thelittle device and open the thread.
TalkShopGirl:I’m in.
???
