Page 24 of Just Friends

“What?” Alex asks, snapping me back into the moment.

I shake my head, turning to face the road as the light changes to green. I’m almost back to my apartment when lights from a fast-food restaurant catch my attention.

“Where are we going?” Alex asks when I turn in the opposite direction of my apartment.

“Milkshakes,” I tell him. “I think we need milkshakes.”

The grin he gives me is bright enough to light the night sky.

I pull into the drive-thru and stare at the menu, checking out all my options.

A voice crackles through the intercom. “Hey, what can I get you?”

“One cotton candy milkshake and…” I trail off, looking through the menu once more. “A mint chocolate chip milkshake with Oreo crumbles and hot fudge drizzle.”

Alex’s snort prompts me to add another topping. “And whipped cream.”

“Sounds delicious,” Alex says, a wry tone lacing his voice. Without fail, Alex always teases me about my ice cream order. The man orderscotton candyevery single time and has the gall to tease my impeccable taste.

“Keep it up and I’ll steal your peas.”

His chuckle is light and lilting as I retrieve our milkshakes and pass them to him so I can pull into a parking spot.

“Here’s your sugar coma in a cup,” Alex says, handing me a milkshake. Hot fudge is leaking down the side, and I drag my tongue across it, tasting the rich, warm chocolate.

When I look at Alex, his expression is unreadable. “What?”

He shakes his head and punches a straw through the top of his shake before handing me a spoon.

In the semi-darkness, I can see faint swelling around his nose. Without thinking, I reach out and trail my finger down the slope, checking for lumps. A low hiss escapes between Alex’s teeth when I make contact, and I snatch my hand back. “I’m so sorry. Did that hurt?”

His lips hitch up in a grin, light sparking behind his eyes, and I shove him in the shoulder. “You’re the worst. I thought I hurt you, you idiot.”

“It’s fine,” he tells me and takes a sip of his shake. I watch the pink and blue ice cream inch up the straw and disappear.

Scooping out a bit of my ice cream, I flip the spoon over and lick it off, tasting rich chocolate and cool mint. “It doesn’t hurt?”

Alex’s nose scrunches. “No, it definitely hurts, but I’ll be fine.”

I take another bite of my ice cream and meet his gaze. “I’m sorry. I feel like this is my fault.”

“Youslammed the door in my face?”

“No,” I say, rolling my eyes. “But I did charge into the bathroom after you like a bat out of hell.”

A light dusting of pink colors his cheeks, like sunrise cresting over the horizon. “I guess I deserved that for setting you up withDickin. I like the nickname, by the way. I was thinking I could buy him new business cards and replace all of his old ones with those.”

A laugh shoots out of me. “Please do. It’s the least he deserves. When I stopped to tell him we were leaving, he asked if I wanted to meet at his place or mine.”

“So I guess you’re not wanting to go out with him again next week?” Alex asks, his lips quirking into a smile that makes the lingering tension of seeing him hurt earlier dissolve like mist.

“Hmm, let me see—no.”

“I kind of figured that was the case, what with you ambushing me in the bathroom and all.”

“Ambushing?” My voice rises in incredulity.

Alex raises his hands in a placating gesture. “You’re right, you’re right.” He’s quiet for a moment, then says, “You just attacked me.”

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