Page 4 of Wrapped Around My Heart
“That I’d let him know by tomorrow.”
I watch her for a moment, noting the way my best friend chews her lips and the way her eyes dart everywhere but to me. Dropping my hands to my sides, I cross the room and sit beside her.
“You’ve already made up your mind, haven’t you?”
She nods, finally looking at me with nervous excitement shining in her eyes. “I really like him, Ari. He’s funny and smart. He’s so thoughtful and he cares about me so much. I don’t want to lose him. If I stay back just ’cause we’ve only been dating for three and a half months, I’ll always wonder if it could have worked out.”
Swallowing thickly, I wrap an arm around her shoulders and tug her into my side.
“I’m gonna ask two mother-hen questions and then I’ll be supportive.”
“Damn, only two? You must be holding yourself back,” she teases but pulls away to face me fully.
“Only because we’re on limited time before we need to go. There will be follow-up questions later,” I tell her, grabbing my phone to check the time. “All right, first, are you getting your own place?”
Viv bites the corner of her lip and shakes her head. “Dylan found a really cute house to rent. They do month-by-month leases, so he said we could start with that while we get a feel for living together and being up there. He’s gonna have a bit of a commute to the city, but there’s a small town only ten minutes away that’ll keep me busy.”
I nod but raise a brow. “And what are you gonna do for work?”
“I can find something anywhere. There’s always a restaurant or store that needs cashiers.” She shrugs, causing my anxiety to spike.
I hate that we don’t have time to dig further into this. It’s not that I want to talk her out of anything. I just don’t want her to get hurt or end up in a situation she can’t get out of. Vivian has always been the kind of person who will figure it out as she goes, and that’s worked out for her so far. But the idea of her relying completely on a man she barely knows makes me worry.
At the same time, she’s an adult who needs to make her own choices. I want to support her, but I also worry because I care.
“I hope you know we’re having a girls’ night this weekend so you can show me the house and tell me all about this town.”
This time when she smiles, it seems lighter. “I already have Saturday cleared just for you. Now, are we going or did you not want to see a certain goalie before the game?”
I shove her away playfully, making her fall back onto the bed in a fit of giggles.
“We’re going to support my brother andhisfriend.”
I push to my feet, ignoring the sarcastic snort Vivian lets out, and head out of my room. She’s hot on my heels and won’t let it go that easy, though.
“Come on, Ari. It’s just us. Dean is notjustyour brother’s best friend.”
Frowning, I make my way downstairs and try to find the words.
She’s right. Dean isn’t just Landon’s friend. The moment he brought him to a family dinner night, my mom latched onto Dean like he had always been there. We had always gotten along, and before, I would have said we were friends too.
Then we hooked up and everything changed. I told myself it was a one-time thing. But when it happened again, it was impossible to ignore how he made me feel. And not just in the bedroom…or closet…or car.
Dean is all-consuming and hard to push away.
Even now, after six months of barely seeing him outside of family dinner night, let alone finding any time to sneak off together, my body still lights up at the memory of his touch.
For as much as I told him we needed to make each hookup our last, I never believed my words. I never would have thought that our last time would actually be the one we ended on.
Although was it actually over? Outside of my parents’ summer barbeque they throw every year, I haven’t seen him. He was busy with a training camp, while I’ve been picking up clients faster than ever. After my partnership with SweetHeart Assistance at the beginning of the year, my inquiry form has gotten more action than me.
I love the work. Bringing people’s visions to life, whether that be as character art, a few social media graphics, or a whole cover package, I’m one of those people who truly loves the work I do. It’s just kept me extremely busy lately.
Sighing, I grab my shoes and finally respond to Viv as I put them on.
“You’re right. Dean is my friend too.” From the corner of my eye, I can see her about to protest and cut her off. “We haven’t had sex in months, which is probably for the best. I don’t like sneaking around behind my brother’s back.”
“Look, I get the guilt. But ever since you started sleeping with Dean, something changed. Not majorly, but, girl, it’s me. I can see the way that man makes you feel, even if you don’t want to.”
