Page 31 of Drop Three

I wanted to have a chill night with Tenley, have some drinks, chat, and gossip until our cheeks hurt from laughing so much.

Is it so difficult to ask?

Evidently so, because not only did Briggs make my drinks so fatally strong they’re likely toxic, butheis here.

Heis someone I have been training my brain not to think about.

Who the hell invited him?

I don’t realize I said that out loud until I notice Tenley’s frightened stare. Her brows are raised questionably at me as if I should start explaining the reason for my impulsive reaction to Bodhi’s appearance here tonight.

“Um…is there a reason we’re so upset Bodhi and Gus are here?”

She’s playing the good friend, nonchalantly asking me what my issue is so she can best support me.

I love her for that.

One slight problem, though: Tenley knows nothing about Fiji and what happened between Bodhi and me. From her point of view, Bodhi and I have always been friends, and there’s zero explanation as to why it bothers me to be in the same room as him.

I’d be confused, too.

“I…was really looking forward to this being a girls’ night. No boys are allowed at girls’ night from now on. New rule.”

Tenley seems to accept my excuse as she giggles under her breath. “Okay, I’m good with that. But I think he’s here for Briggs, Navy, not us.”

Shit. She’s right.

I may have gotten ahead of myself there. That’s slightly embarrassing, but if anything, at least my impulse established some new nonnegotiables for girls’ night.

I’m not sure what suddenly puts me on edge around Bodhi. I’m used to seeing him at work every day, and last month, I was at his house for a movie night with our group of friends.

Maybe it’s because of the conversation we had.

He made it clear he wanted us to be friends, and I chose to go along with it because I’d much rather have Bodhi as a friend than not have Bodhi in my life at all.

Then, at his house, when I specifically said I was thereas his friend, he shut down on me and checked out of our conversation.

He’s the most infuriating and confusing man I’ve ever met.

If I could wish on a damn shooting star right now, I’d wish away these hopeless feelings I have for him still lingering in my heart.

There’s nothing worse than feeling something more than friendship for someone so deeply while your feelings aren’t reciprocated. It’s unfair to be the one deep in the pits of heartbreak as the other person carries on without a care in the world.

There’s got to be a way to make these feelings disappear for good.

Unfortunately, not one idea comes to mind, as the sight of Bodhi walking toward me quite literally steals my breath away.

God, has he always been this delectable, or am I seeing him with new eyes? The eyes of someone who can’t have something she very clearly wants.

For being as quiet and simple as Bodhi is, he has every straight woman in this bar breaking her neck to steal a glance at his handsomeness.

The confidence he has is contagious and only exemplifies his attractiveness.

Doing my best not to let him see me blatantly checking him out, I subtly run my gaze up and down him in my peripherals—I’ve always been good at not being obvious in my feasting.

It’s a skill I’ve mastered beautifully.

Bodhi’s tall and muscular frame is hard to miss. How the hell does one man get to be so damn tall? He must have drunk all the milk growing up. My mom used to say to me as a child, “Milk makes you big and strong.” That’s likely the reason I hate it with a burning passion and poured it into our family dog’s bowl when she wasn’t looking.

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