Page 23 of Hands off his Dudette

"Then why won't you take our word for it? It's possible for men and women to be friends!"

"It is. It's also possible for friends to be in love with each other and be too chickenshit to admit it." She sighed. "Look, it's none of my business. I'll butt out. Seriously. You're an adult, and it's your decision. Just tell me you're going to think about what I said."

Anna was already thinking about it. Lucy's words were too reasonable for her to completely dismiss her out of hand. She was willing to make that commitment with Finn, although buying the apartment would mean not being able to afford another place for a decade or more. And the very thought of falling in love with anyone and wanting to move away seemed ridiculous to her.

Did she love Finn? The answer was yes, of course she did. Was she in love with him? She'd always said no. Even back when it had been a lie.

Of course she'd had a crush on the guy, the beautiful, funny jock who was an asshole to everyone, but kind and thoughtful toward her. As a teen, she'd had many, many fantasies about him. But she'd hidden it, and eventually, grown out of it. And a good thing, too. Nothing was worth losing their friendship. She didn't even know who she would have become, had it not been for her relationship with the man. It defined her; he defined her. And she also defined him.

"You're my anchor," he'd told her. It was more than that, though—it felt like they were the flip side of the same coin.

Anna cleared her throat."Thanks. I will think things though."

"Good. Now, about the wedding registry. Our place has a lot of red and dark wood, so if you could just avoid cold colors..."

Anna grasped the change of subject with both hands and ran with it, discussing vases, tables, footstools, and rugs for the next half an hour.

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