Page 50 of Yours, Unexpectedly

I want to break open the fortune cookie conversation, pun intended, but I appease her by adding an extra order of crab wontons to our usual menu items.

There’s nothing she could ask for that I wouldn’t give her.

I underestimated how difficult it would be to get away from Gabe.

Every time I try to find an excuse to pull Bex away, Gabe has some story he has to tell or some interesting fact he found while scrolling TikTok. He is a fount of useless wisdom.

I also underestimated how much I would love these two parts of my life intersecting. I know we’ve all been together at Bardot family dinners, but there’s something special about having my two favorite people together in my domain.

Watching them bicker over which words counted while we played Scattergories has been the highlight of the evening. Bex is a competitive person, I’m coming to find out. The way her face scrunches up in anger made me choke on a laugh more than once tonight, which I’ll need to get better at hiding judging by the daggers she’s metaphorically throwing my direction.

A few hours into the evening, I’m able to pull her away while Gabe is busy making more virgin margaritas.

“Hey, I have that play that you asked about in my room. Want to go grab it with me?” I ask loud enough for Gabe to hear so he doesn’t question why his sister and his best friend disappeared.

“Boo school! None of that here!” he shouts over his shoulder.

Luci just gives us a wink as she walks into the kitchen, hopefully to distract Gabe. I try to convey my gratitude in the small smile and nod I give her as I guide Bex out of the room.

As soon as we round the corner down the hall, Bex is shoving me up against the wall and crushing our mouths together. Her hands roam my body, temporarily distracting me from the fact that her brother is around the corner.

“Are we going to try to get in a quickie?” she whispers between kisses.

I laugh in disbelief, realizing those margaritas hit her harder than I noticed. I peel her hands off me and whisper back, “Okay, my little sex kitten. Didn’t realize we were into that… noted.”

“If that’s not what we are doing, why are you trying to get me alone?” she asks.

“Maybe because I like spending time with you.” I bop her on the nose. “Ever think of that?”

She huffs but before she can say anything else, I pull her into my room and shut the door. This time, I’m the one to pounce on her.

Our lips meet as my hands slide down her waist and over the curve of her hips. I know people think of love handles in a derogatory way, but as I grip harder on Bex’s middle, I can’t help but think of how much I love her body exactly the way it is. She fills my hands perfectly no matter where I touch, and the thought makes me insanely hard.

Annnnddd I’m distracted again. I push away from her hoping that the distance will help. “Wait! Wait. Though it’s one of my favorite activities”—I reach out and cup her cheek—“I actually did want to talk to you and not just make out.”

“Stop teasing me, Anders! Out with it.” She crosses her arms under her chest, pushing her perfect breasts up.

“Fuck. Can I just—Do you mind if I shut my eyes? You are exceedingly distracting.”

Her melodic laugh fills the room. “Sure, killer. Whatever you need.”

I sit on the edge of the bed and pull her down next to me before leaning my forearms onto my knees and covering my face. I’ve learned it helps immensely with my distractibility when having tough conversations.

“First, I want to apologize that that’s how you found out about my sobriety. It’s not necessarily something I was hiding from you. I’m actually really proud of it, I just never found a good time to tell you.”

I feel her hand come to my back as she rubs soothing circles over my shirt. Up to my neck and back down to the waistband of my jeans, a pattern that lulls me, making me lean into her touch and giving silent permission for me to go on.

“It’s a long story, one I’m happy to tell on another night. But it’s part of what led me back here. Back to you.” I look up at her now. She looks much more sober than she did when she was shoving me against the hallway wall a moment ago.

She stays silent but nods slightly for me to continue.

“There’s this gala,” I blurt. “It’s this weekend for a charity that my mom is on the board of. The Kids in the City Foundation? I’m not sure if you’ve heard of it. Anyway, my dad insists that I come. And I’d really like for you to be there with me. Just as friends if that’s what you want.”

“Okay,” she says.

“Okay? Really? It’s in the city, obviously, but I can drive us down on Saturday. There’s already a room booked at the hotel so we wouldn’t have to worry about driving back late at night.”

Bex places her hand over my fidgeting ones. “Okay, Anders. I can go with you if you need me to be there.”

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