Page 7 of Perfect Convergence

He rolls his eyes. “Let’s get cleaned up.”

CHAPTER FOUR

RHETT

AT HOME, I find Oliver and Elliot curled up in Ell’s bed, still sound asleep. By the time I go on a run and take a quick shower, I can hear them just starting to get up.

So I head downstairs in nothing but a pair of shorts and get some coffee brewing. By the time I have it poured and breakfast almost done, they’re shuffling into the kitchen, hair still damp from their shower.

Oliver grins when he sees me. “Omelettes? You’re the best. I’m keeping you.”

I snort. “Like you could ever get rid of me.”

Yawning, Oliver wraps his arms around me from behind. He presses his face into the bare skin of my back, and his words vibrate down my spine. “Wouldn’t want to.”

My skin crawls, but my chest warms with satisfaction. “I know.”

“How was Wren this morning?”

Elliot pauses after Oliver asks the question, his coffee mug halfway to his mouth. That look of guilt travels across his face for a few seconds before he takes a sip.

“Tired,” I say. “But happy, I think.”

I hesitate to reveal more. Elliot, Oliver, and I have been pretty open with each other when it comes to what we’ve learned about Wren, unless it’s something more personal that she might like to reveal to each of us separately.

But I have no idea what proper period etiquette is.

My sister was killed when she was a child. And when it came to things like periods and sex, my mother was fairly squeamish.

Do I tell them Wren’s on her period? Do I not? Does it matter? What if she doesn’t care if people know she’s on her period, and I’m being weird? What if she does care?

I think it’s probably best I keep my mouth shut.

“You sleep well?” Elliot’s voice is quiet, and he won’t look at anything but his coffee.

“Yeah.” I shove a plate in front of where he’s sitting at the counter. “Really well, actually.”

“Good.”

By the time I’ve made Oliver’s omelette and my own, Elliot has barely picked at his. Oliver is watching him with concern. Omelettes are Elliot’s favorite.

“She seems okay, you know.” I watch him closely.

Elliot sets his fork down before resting his face in his hands. “It doesn’t matter. I can’t take back that I said it was best for us to forget her.”

“Elliot.” I round the counter, grabbing his shoulder and turning him on the stool until he’s facing me. “Mistakes are a part of being human.”

It’s a hard truth I’ve become intimately familiar with over the past few years. One that Ell and Oliver have to remind me of constantly.

He leans his forehead against my chest. “I wish I never said it.”

Oliver runs a hand down his back. “You were trying to protect her, Ell. Being reasonable is what you do best. Hell, it’s the only reason the three of us are still alive.”

It’s true. Oliver and I tend to be more impulsive. Elliot’s patience and reasoning have saved us from running blindly into quite a few bad situations that would’ve gotten us killed otherwise.

“I still hurt her. You guys saw her face.”

“Yeah, I did,” Oliver says. “But I also saw her face when she was saying goodbye to you last night. Wanna know how she looked then?”

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