Page 27 of The Viking Blues

His name escaped her on a shuddering gasp. “Ollie….”

“If you truly feel nothing for me, tell me now and I’ll never mention it again.” His heart cracked even thinking the words, let alone saying them out loud. “We’ll go back to the way things were. We’ll go back to being just friends.”

But then a slow smile spread across her face and she stared at him the way she used, like he was an overgrown puppy she didn’t know what to do with. That’s when he knew for sure.

He wasn’t alone in this.

“I never said I didn’t feel it,” she said, and reached out to unfasten his man-bun, ran her fingers through his long hair. He leaned into her touch. It felt so good. “Only that we’re moving too fast.” She sighed softly. “I’ve missed you too. I’ve missed my friend.”

“Only your friend?”

Sinking her teeth into her bottom lip, she frowned, but it wasn’t aimed at him. “One thing I’ve learned over time, contrary to popular belief, is that friendscanbe lovers, and Ollie, I don’t just mean friends with benefits.” She continued playing with his hair, as though it gave her something to focus on while she sorted through her thoughts. She used to do the same thing when they were teens, and he would rest his head in her lap. “I think the main reason I broke off my engagement—”

Wait, what?“You were engaged?”Why didn’t I know that?

“Yes. After mum passed away I finally agreed to marry my boyfriend, but I broke it off a month later.” She shook her head and huffed a laugh. “There’d always been something missing between us, something I thought getting married would fix. But after attending a friend’s wedding, after I saw what she shared with her husband, I finally understood.”

“Understood what?”

“The main reason I broke it off with Josh was because we weren’t friends. Outside of the bedroom, we had nothing to talk about. It wasn’t that we had nothing in common, because we did, but there was a disconnect between us. We may as well have led separate lives for all we truly knew about each other.” She stared down at him again, her gaze narrowed under a stern brow. “For instance, what’s my favourite colour?”

“You don’t have one,” Ollie said, smiling up at her. “It wouldn’t be fair to all the other colours.”

Tears welled in Mia’s eyes, even as she smiled, too. Ollie wanted to reach up and wipe her tears away, but kept his hands firmly by his side. He would wait until she was ready for his touch.

“What’s my favourite food?”

“Barbeque beef ribs with blue cheese sauce.” He laughed. “Jane cooked it once for a family barbie and you declared it was the best thing you’d ever put in your mouth.”

“My ex didn’t know any of that. And he didn’t want to know. He used to say we were a power couple, both working our way to the top, but the truth was we were only together because it was convenient. I honestly couldn’t tell you what his favourite anything is either. Neither of us cared about that stuff because we weren’t friends.”

Levering himself to his feet, Ollie cupped Mia’s face. Stroked his thumbs over the soft curve of her cheeks and wiped away the silent tears tracking down her face. “What’s my favourite colour?”

“Blue,” she said, then hiccoughed a laugh. “The other colours can all suck it.”

Ollie grinned and asked, “My favourite food?”

“Chilli mud crab.”

“Coke or Pepsi?” he asked.

“Coke. Duh. Peanut butter or Nutella?”

“Both at the same time, but only if the peanut butter is smooth. If it’s just peanut butter, you prefer crunchy.” Gently, he tilted her face higher, leaned his forehead against hers and breathed her in. She smelled like frangipanis. “Did you really think I’d forget how you take your tea?” Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled Mia close, sighed softly, content when she did the same.

“I should have known better, huh?”

“Yes, you should have,” he teased, then leaned back so he could look at her again. “So, what exactly have we decided here?”

“That friendship is a good foundation for a relationship,” Mia said with a decisive nod of her head.

“And we agree that we are still best friends?”

“Obviously.”

“Then can we also agree to skip over any more awkwardness and just start having a relationship already?”

Mia chuckled. “I’d forgotten how bossy you can be when you really want something.”

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