Page 11 of Just Friends

Alex smooths his finger over the rim of his empty glass. “Okay, what else?”

“How does one date per week sound?”

“That’s fine.”

My shoulders slump at his tone. “We don’t have to do this. I don’twantto do this if you’re not on board.”

He holds my gaze for a long moment before saying, “No, I’m on board.” He scruffs his hand over the dark stubble on his chin, his eyes focused on the ceiling as if he’s thinking. “What if we get ice cream after and debrief?”

“You and me and ice cream,” I say, a smile tilting my lips. Everything feels right again when Alex returns it, nudging my foot with his under the table.

“And how about if we end up liking the person we get set up with, we can choose to take them out again the next week to see if they have potential?” I ask.

His shoulders tense, the muscles contracting under the stiff white fabric of his dress shirt. “Okay.”

I scrunch my nose. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he says, and I think his voice may be a little more gruff than before. “Where do we want to do the dates?”

I shrug. “Maybe just dinner for the first one? And then we can alternate picking out the dates after that.”

His head bobs in a nod.

“Does this all sound good to you? We really don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.”

Alex hesitates for a moment, drumming his fingers on the vinyl tabletop. “No, I do. Let’s do it. Let’s set each other up.”

“You’reanidiot,”Adam,my older brother, tells me the Monday after our sister’s wedding.

It’s a bold thing to say, considering I’m currently spotting him as he bench presses. The bar slams onto the rack after Adam’s last rep, and he sits up, spinning around on the bench to face me.

“You’re actually an idiot,” he repeats, his cool blue eyes wide and disbelieving.

“That’s super helpful. Thanks so much,” I deadpan, fixing him with a flat glare as I push my hand through my sweaty hair.

“Hazelfinallysaid she’s ready to date again, and you told her you would set her up on blind dates?”

His tone scrapes on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. I knew telling him was a mistake, but I also knew he was likely to find out somehow. From me. Because I’m terrible at keeping my mouth shut. How I’ve gone over a year without admitting my feelings to Hazel astounds me.

Instead of answering him, I spin on my heel and walk in the direction of the line of treadmills on the other side of the gym. Adam follows silently, a panther waiting for the perfect moment to pounce on his prey.

“So,” he says, right as I’m switching from a walk to an easy jog. “Blind dates?”

I flash him an annoyed look. “I didn’t know what else to do. Was I supposed to just tell her I have feelings for her over stale fries and melting milkshakes?”

“Anything seems better than setting her up with other people,” he says, his voice drier than burnt toast.

I increase the speed on the treadmill, pushing myself into a hard run. At least then I’ll have a valid reason for my increased heart rate. “I have a plan.”

Adam, calmly walking next to me, arches his eyebrows. Sometimes I really want to punch him. “Oh, do tell.”

My footfalls pound against the rubber beneath my feet as I run faster. “I’ve given it a lot of thought,” I huff out.

“Exactly what you’re known for.”

Maybe I should try the punching bags after this run.

“I’m just going to set her up with crappy dates so that being with me at the end of it is the best part of her night.”

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