Page 38 of Give Me Love

“What are you, a shrink?” he says distastefully.

“No. Just a girl who’s been down that road before, and I know firsthand how lonely it can be.” I have Austin and Claire. Who do you have?

We stare at each other, neither saying anything else, and then I hear the door open down the hall as both of our heads turn.

Claire comes out in yoga pants and a tank top. She narrows her eyes when she sees us and I stand up from the wall. “Well, I’m glad to see he didn’t chop you up and throw your body parts in a ditch somewhere.”

I laugh and Bryce steps back, clearing the air between us.

“I’m in one piece.”

She rolls her eyes, and when she gets close enough, she slaps me on the arm. “Ow!” I say, rubbing the sting.

“That’s for not calling me and making me worry.”

She goes to do it again, but I stop her hand. “Dude, I’m sorry. Can we talk about this later?” I ask, looking from her to him.

She goes slack, and I squeeze her hand in apology, because I know I did make her worry.

“I’m over it. Bryce, good to see you again. I’m going for a run. Decide what you want for supper,” she says to me as she heads for the stairs. “I’ll pick it up on my way back.”

“Love you,” I call out to her.

“Yeah, yeah.” She waves her hand before pushing the door open.

“You two been friends long?” Bryce asks quietly.

“Ever since I moved to Atlanta.” I begin to walk toward our apartment.

“What made you move to Atlanta?”

I shrug, removing my keys from my clutch. “Nearest big city.”

I slide the key in and turn the knob, opening the door as I do. Looking back at him, I sigh as he slides his hands into his front pockets.

“Well… This has been…” I search for the word.

He chuckles. “That good, huh?”

I smile, because damn, that laugh. It’s deep, and like smiling, I’m sure he doesn’t do it often, but he should.

We don’t say anything for a moment, and then I do. “It’s been interesting.” He lifts a brow. “That’s the word I was looking for.”

He tastes it on his tongue. “Interesting.”

I lift my right shoulder. “Bryce,” I say. “How about we be friends?”You seem like you need one, I want to say but don’t.

“Friends?” he asks skeptically.

“Yeah, I mean, you don’t do girlfriends or whatever, and I’m not interested in a romantic relationship at all, so why not friends?”

He looks at me with a slight narrow of his eyes as he thinks it over. “I think I can live with that.”

I smile. “Good.”

“So, can friends exchange numbers?”

I laugh. “That’s like the number one thing they can do.”

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