Page 125 of Brittle Heart

I blush hard.

Did he have to say it like that?

“Oh, really?” Clay grins at me, taking a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

When he turns again to close it, I can’t help but notice another droplet of sweat running down his back. I quickly shake my head and look down at my plate.

“There are some eggs and bacon for you in the pan, and Sophia should be here in a minute with some bagels, coffee, and tea,” Joshua explains just as the front door opens.

“Hello, hello,” Sophia singsongs as she enters the kitchen, setting down a cup holder with to-go cups and two white bags.

She places a mug in front of Joshua, saying, “Black tea…” then takes out the next one in front of herself, “… green tea,” and gestures to the three mugs on the counter, “… and coffee, black.”

“How do you drink your coffee?” Joshua asks, but Clay has already taken out a mug and opens the lid, filling it with just the right amount of sugar before stirring it and handing it to me.

Joshua shoots him a furrowed look, but I whisper a quick “Thank you.”

“So, it’s already after lunchtime. What are our plans for today?” Sophia asks, pulling out a bagel and taking a bite.

I eat a forkful of eggs and close my eyes, savoring the delicious taste. “Good?” Joshua whispers, smiling down at me.

“So good,” I smile back.

“Since it’s snowing outside, we could watch that new Christmas movie,” Clay suggests.

“That looked so cringy.” Sophia pouts.

“That’s the whole point. Christmas movies need to be cringy, right, kitten?” Clay asks, and I just shrug.

“Are you joining us?” Sophia asks me.

“Sure, I just need to head home in a couple of hours to change before my shift,” I say.

“I hate that you have to work on Sundays, even if it’s just in the evening,” Joshua says.

“Why don’t we all go and hang out at the bar tonight?” Clay suggests.

Xander looks at me, “Would that get you in trouble?”

I shrug. “Not if you drink something and don’t show up in your cop uniforms.”

Xander huffs a laugh.

“If it’s slow, I can hang out for a bit, but if not, I can’t really talk to you,” I add.

“That’s okay. We haven’t been in a bar for a while now, and I think it would be fun seeing you work,” Joshua says.

“Okay,” I say, taking a bite of bacon.

CHAPTERFORTY-NINE

Carolina

It all feels so unreal.

As I head back to Harlem, there is a smile on my face the whole way. Hanging out with them, cuddling with Joshua on the big couch while we all watched that cringy movie, it was like I belonged somewhere for the first time in what feels like forever.

Joshua said he loves me, and I think I found real friends in Xander, Clay, and Sophia. The weight on my shoulders has lightened a bit. I think if the rest of my life turns out this livable, I might endure the next two years and come out of it whole.

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