Page 72 of Hiding for the Holidays
Iflex my fingers to try and stop myself from balling my hands into fists as I watch Callum’s friend try to flirt with Rosie.
“Bro, what’s gotten into you?” Callum asks. I look down at him on the weight bench and try to relax my face.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
He laughs as he places his hands back on the bar above him. “So you don’t have a thing for Clara?” I spot him as he starts his set, reminding myself that we decided to try to keep her real name to ourselves for now, for Rosie’s safety.
I just grunt in reply, not really sure how to tell my little brother that my two best friends and I are dating the same woman.
“You know, if you don't make a move soon, you might be too late.” He racks the bar and I glance up at her.
She’s trying to look busy behind the front counter, but I can see the unease in her posture as Matt leans on the counter with a flirtatious smile. I can’t hear what he’s saying from across the gym, but I can see her placating smile in response.
I look around for Grant or Asher. If I hadn’t agreed to spot Callum I’d be over there saving him from that idiot right now.
“Could you pine any harder?” he asks with a laugh.
“I’m not pining, asshole,” I give him a halfhearted kick to the calf as I catch Asher’s eye and gesture towards Rosie. He sees the problem and instantly heads over there.
“Interesting.” I glance down and see Callum caught my gesture. “Aren’t you afraid she’ll start dating Asher? They seem pretty close. Wasn’t he giving her rides to work on his bike?”
I let out a long breath of frustration. I don’t like lying, and so far I’ve just been omitting the truth, but this feels like it’s starting to cross that line.
“I’m not worried because I have a date with her today.”
“No shit?!”
“And Asher gets her next. Grant took her out a couple days ago.”
There’s a long stretch of silence, so I finally turn to look at my brother who’s sitting up, looking at me like I have my head screwed on backwards.
“Are you guys running a train on her or something? I thought you actuallyliked her,liked her.”
I scowl as I punch him in the shoulder. “It’s not like that.”
“Then explain it to me, cause it sounds like you’re sharing her. You gonna let Matt have a go next.”
He stands, and I shove my finger in his face as anger starts to course through my body. “Don’t you ever talk about her like that again.” I lower my hand and take a step back as I try to talk to him calmly. “The three of us are exclusive with her, and she with us.”
He frowns, looking over at her, where she’s now smiling happily as Asher talks to her. “She has a golden pus?—”
I slap my hand over his mouth, cuttinghim off. “If you’d like to keep yourself from a round with Asher, then I suggest you never repeat that.”
I lower my hand and he shakes his head slowly. “Man, you really have a thing for her, don’t you?”
“Yeah. She’s different. Special.”
“Special enough to share?”
I watch her light up when Asher whispers something in her ear and it warms my heart to see her happy. I know I wouldn’t feel that way if she was with someone else, like Matt. But for some reason, when it’s Asher or Grant, I didn’t mind it.
“With those two, yeah, she is.”
“Well, good luck with that. I hope none of you mind sloppy seconds or tattered thirds.” I swipe my arm at him but he jumps back with a laugh as he runs through the gym.
I start to follow him but then I get a better idea. I head towards the front where Asher and Rosie are, and when I get close enough for them to hear me, I call out, “Hey Asher, Callum wants to do a round of sparring with you.”
I glance over my shoulder and see the look of horror on Callum’s face. Nobody likes fighting with Asher, he’s brutal.
