Page 63 of Stuck with my Guarded MVP
“That was Nora,” I said.
Just keep it there. Don't say more. Don't say too much.
Claire didn’t reply.
“She was—someone I dated. A while ago.”
I didn’t offer more. I wasn’t lying. But I wasn’t ready to open a door I’d spent years trying to keep shut.
Claire nodded, like she was trying to keep it casual. “You don’t have to tell me anything. I just… wondered.”
No, Claire. I did not invite you to tour my apartment that first day, hoping to resurrect my first love.
“She was nothing like you,” I said too quickly. Claire’s brow lifted, just a little. “I mean, you might look a little alike, sure. But you’re completely different.”
I like you for you. All your color coded quirks. Your quick comebacks when I tease you.
She tilted her head.
“She lived on a farm. Grew her own vegetables. Made soup from scratch barefoot in the yard.” I huffed a quiet laugh. “She wore these gauzy shirts that never really fit right. Always had paint or dirt on her.”
Claire didn’t say anything.
“She couldn’t sit still. Took in every stray she ever met, cats, dogs, people. Anyone who wandered too close. She was a lot.”
I sat back, suddenly hyper-aware of how that all might’ve sounded.
How do I explain why she’s still on my wall of fame….
Same Eyes
Claire
Ididn’t hear the door open. One second, I was carrying my mug toward the kitchen, the next—
“Hi,” he said.
I looked up. Liam stood just inside the door, bag in one hand, looking a little tired. And then he stepped toward me.
He leaned in and kissed my cheek.
Okay. That’s new.
I stood there, holding my mug, pretending I hadn’t just forgotten how to function for a second.
Friends did that. Sometimes. Maybe.
He stepped back, rolled his bag in. I watched him go, doing my best to ignore the lingering warmth where his mouth had been.
It’s good to have him home.
I walked back to my room, sat down at the desk. How is that possible? I left my laptop for five minutes. Twenty-five emails. Really?
My indignation was interrupted by the sound of the front door clicking closed.
Out again.
Probably restocking the fridge or grabbing some new seasoning I wouldn’t know how to use.
