Page 56 of Fall Apart

His lips press together into a line. “How’s that supposed to work exactly?”

“I’m going to help you socialize with people.”

“That’s what Kayleigh is for,” he says gruffly.

Rolling my eyes, I grab him by the hands. “No. Apparently, she’s your buffer.” I pull his hands apart, leaving space between his palms. “See? Buffer. You need to learn to socialize, without a buffer.” I press his large, rough palms back together.

“This sounds miserable.” I glare back at him, not putting up with his attitude and his expression softens. “But what else do I have to lose?”

“Good.” I clap my hands together, bringing them to my lips. “I am going to coach you on being more social and nice to people.” I poke him in each of his shoulders. “Who knows, maybe they’ll even like you?”

He snorts another laugh. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

I lean into him, putting my hands in the back pockets of his jeans. “Well, people like me if you haven’t noticed and I like you. So there’s no one better to teach you.”

He hums playfully to himself, cupping my ass with his big hands and bringing me closer to him. “I can’t argue with that. So, when do we start thisdisposition improvement?”

“We start today.”

CHAPTER 26

CLAY

HOW DID I GET HERE?

“Remindme why I agreed to this?” I look at Lizzy, standing in the middle of the fancy athleisure-wear store on Main Street. I’m holding more pink stuff than I’ve ever seen in my life. How did I get here? How is this my Saturday afternoon?

She rubs her fingertip over her lip, both of which are also very pink. She hums, biting her lip. Her eyes meet mine with that look that makes me forget I’m irritated. “Because I want to get some new yoga outfitsandI want to torture you.”

I drop my head and mumble an expletive to myself before looking back at her. “No, that’s whyyouagreed to this.” I shift the fistful of clothing I’m holding in one hand into my other one, freeing it one up to jab myself in the chest. “But this helpsmehow?”

She shakes her head, flicking her ponytail over her shoulder in a distracting flurry of golden blonde. “Because you’re going to go see if they have each one of these in a different size and make small talk with the girl at the counter.”

Fuck my life. What level of hell is the pink one that involves talking to strangers? “There has to be an easier way. Come on.”

She shrugs and hums. “Maybe, but I like this one.” She steps towards me, running a finger down my chest. Even with a hoodie on, the feeling sends blood rushing south. “Now be a good boy, smile, and go get my clothes for me to try on. If you do a good job, maybe I’ll send you some pics from the dressing room.”

Newly motivated to talk to a stranger, I head to the counter with my armfuls of pink. I make small talk with the girl, remembering each of the sizes Lizzy asked for, all the while looking over my shoulder, plastering on a smile and checking in with Lizzy.

She looks back at me, hovering nearby, pretending to sift through a rack of men’s clothing. Or at least I hope she’s pretending. I walk back to her, carrying the requested sports bras, cropped tanks, and leggings in the right sizes. She smiles and I point at her, noticing what’s in her hand. “No.”

She smiles and nods her head frantically. “Oh yes, please.” She bounces up and down, holding a pink athletic shirt up in front of her.

“I don’t wear pink.” I hold her clothing, pointing at the dressing room doors and smirk at her. “Now, go. I believe you have a photoshoot to get to.”

She sighs, grabbing the hangers from my hand and casts me a sidelong glance. “Too bad. You’d look great in pink.” She walks past me, running a fingernail along my jaw, sending a shiver down my spine. “But a deal’s a deal, I guess.”

I stand in the store, feeling like every other idiot wondering what to do while they wait on their girlfriend to try on clothes. Well, not girlfriend. What are we?

I’ve never felt like boyfriend material and I don’t know if that’s what she wants. I know she still has trust issues and I’ve got all my own baggage. I just know I’ve never felt like this with anyone. No one’s ever made me want to try or feel like there could be more for me.

I’m pulled from my thoughts when my phone buzzes in my pocket. I swipe to unlock my phone and feel instant heat crawl up the back of my neck.

Holy shit. There are two topless photos of Lizzy, her hand placement strategically hiding her nipples. I’m so distracted by them that I don’t even see the text message that follows at first.

Princess: Which do you like more?

I look back at the pictures, taking a good minute to realize she has on different leggings in each one.

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