Page 36 of Thick & Thin

“Oh, come on. You must know already. I’m sure someone let the cat out of the bag at some point.”

I was genuinely confused.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Seriously?” he asked. “I’m surprised no one ever told you.”

“Oh my God, stop being annoying. Told me what?”

He scratched at the tiny bit of scruff on his cheek and sighed in defeat. “Fine. Every guy in town knows if they fuck with you, they have to deal with me.”

I rolled my eyes. He wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know. Josh had my back. I had always known that.

“Oh. I know you have my back, but I’m not talking about bullshitting and fighting. I thought you meant chasing me because theywantedme.”

He swallowed hard, his thick throat working up and down beneath the leather cord necklace I had given him when we were fifteen. It had a silver Indian feather charm hanging from it. I had gotten it from Cherokee, North Carolina, when I went there with Dad and Devin for an impromptu fishing trip.

“Thatiswhat I’m talking about.” He rubbed at the back of his neck and averted his eyes.

He was acting nervous, which made no sense. I had seen him in his most embarrassing moments, and I didn’t feel like this was one of those moments.

“I’m confused. Why would you do that? Since when do you care about me dating?”

“Since always.”

“That’s not an answer, Josh.”

“It’s my answer. Let’s just drop it, okay? Here,” he said, reaching into his bedside table before tossing me a big bag of gummy bears. “Fill your big mouth with these and shut it. Discussion over for now.”

Hehadgotten me gummies. He knew his leaving was going to be hard on me. Gummy bears were my favorite, and he knew that, as well, which let me know he had gone out and bought them before I had come over to see him off.

Candy was kind of our thing. Especially when we got into an argument. When he pissed me off, he bought me gummy bears, and when I pissed him off, it was Sour Patch Kids or Starburst. It worked for us. It was our way of apologizing to each other.

I palmed the large bag of gummy bears and set them on top of his dresser beside me.

“Did you seriously threaten guys?”

I was still having a hard time understanding him, which was strange for me since I knew him better than I knew myself.

“Yeah, I kind of did.”

Then a thought occurred to me.

“Are you the reason no one ever asks me out? Because I always assumed it was because I wasn’t girlie enough, and guys didn’t notice me.”

He snorted. “They noticed. Trust me.”

His eyes moved over my chest, and heat flared to life in his gaze.

No.

We were doing so well at keeping things normal.

I couldn’t let him switch things so close to his leaving.

“You’re being weird.” I swallowed, feeling as if his room had shrunk around us.

He tossed an extra pair of socks next to his duffel on his bed and moved across the room toward me. I always loved the way Josh moved. It was a stupid thing to admire, but it was the confidence in his steps and the flex of his muscles. It was enough to make a girl sweat.

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