Page 15 of Best Friends
I groan, but secretly, I’m so fucking happy. “No. You always forget to mute the commercials.”
“Hey, that’s how I discovered Freddy’s Spicy Wings, which you love. So don’t even start.”
When I enter the room, he’s perched in the middle of the sofa. That means I’m forced to sit closer to him than I probablywould have. But I’m just happy to have him around, so I just settle next to him, setting the pizza on the coffee table.
I hand him a paper plate and a napkin and open the pizza box. The fragrant scent of tomato sauce and pepperoni fills my nostrils. “Oh, man. I haven’t had Tony’s Pizza in ages.”
He smiles at me, looking content as he helps himself to three big slices. “Me neither. I didn’t want to have it without you.”
I laugh. “Why not?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. It’s kind of our thing.”
My stomach tightens, but I can’t deny I love hearing he was thinking of me. “I guess it is.”
He smiles at me. “It’s been too long since we’ve done this.”
“Yeah.” I bite into my pizza as the game starts. It doesn’t take long before we fall back into our usual routine of joking around and yelling at the TV. The beer gives me a nice buzz and my belly is full of delicious pizza.
At one point, Malcolm looks over at me. “Hey, C.?”
“Yeah?” I meet his gaze and the warmth and affection I see there makes my chest hurt.
“I’ve missed you,” he says softly. “You wouldn’t believe how much.”
I smile back at him, feeling relief that he still wants to be my friend. Usually I’d say something snarky, but I don’t feel snarky right now. I feel happy and grateful to have Malcolm sitting on my couch. “I missed you too, Malc.”
We go back to watching the game and are jazzed when our team wins. We crack open more beers and talk about work fora long while. When the clock strikes midnight, Malcolm helps me take the plates and empty cans into the kitchen. Once the kitchen and living room are clean, we stand near the sink, watching each other. In the past, Malcolm would have stayed this late without a second thought. But now the atmosphere is charged with something different, and I know he feels it too.
Eventually, he says quietly, “Do you want to talk about what happened at the fishing convention?”
I inhale sharply. “No.”
He furrows his brow. “I think we should.”
“Why?”
“Because after that happened is when things changed with us.” He bites his bottom lip. “Ever since then, you’ve seemed different toward me.”
“I don’t think I’ve been different,” I lie.
“Come on,” he says softly. “That’s not true and you know it. You’ve been strange since that weekend. I… I can feel you pulling away from me, and I hate it.”
I’m conflicted. Part of me wants to talk about what happened so we can move past it. But a bigger part of me wants to pretend it never happened. I’m still confused about my new feelings for Malcolm, but scared that if I fully acknowledge them, it’ll blow up our friendship.
“I just want to go back to how it was,” I mumble because ultimately, that truly is what I want.
He nods slowly. “Me too. I’m hoping that talking will help us get there.”
I groan. “Talking about it is too awkward.”
He shrugs. “Pretending it didn’t happen is what’s making it awkward.”
I narrow my eyes. “No, I think sucking each other’s cocks is what’s making it awkward.”
His cheeks flush. “Okay, fair enough. But we were just horny. It was no big deal. If a strange girl can suck my dick and it not be weird, why’s it worse when my friend does it? At least we know each other and care about each other.”
“I don’t think it’s as simple as just replacing a stranger’s mouth with a friend’s,” I grumble. “We crossed a line in our friendship, and itfeelslike it was a big deal. To me, at least.”
