Page 69 of The Way We Fell

“They look killer.” Cam squats for a closer look, lips curved in an envious smile. “Got a little rust spot here on the arch, though.”

“Yeah,” I grumble. “Got a few of those. Whole fucking engine is a rust spot.”

“Pop the hood, lemme take a look. God, she’s gorgeous.”

“Isn’t she? Engine’s a mess but the rest of her is pretty decent. Could use a re-spray, but that’s not a priority.” I hear the pride in my voice as Cam unhooks the clips and I reach behind the bumper, fumbling for the lever to open the engine bay. It feels good to have a project to work on. It feels better to have a guy friend to shoot the shit with while we do it.

“Different colour?”

“Nah,” I successfully release the bonnet and stand, lifting it to its full height. Then, I lean against the car, watching as Cam admires her from every angle. “I love the grey. Took me a while to find a good one in this colour.”

I drag a box of tools to the front of the car, followed by a handful of engine components that are ready to be swapped. Cam and I lapse into a comfortable silence as we select a component each and get to work.

“So, Katy, huh?” Cam leans over the engine bay. “Hand me that wrench?”

“What about her?” I try to keep my voice steady as I wave the requested tool over the vehicle, and when Cam takes it, I dig my hands back into the engine block, grateful for the distraction.

“Don’t play dumb, Jay. You like her.” Cam turns the wrench once before cocking his hip and stopping to look at me.

I like Cam. He’s my sister’s best friend’s boyfriend. He’s my girlfriend’s best friend’s boyfriend too, for that matter. It sounds awfully contrived. The first time we met, at one of Ruth’s dinner parties, we bonded over our love of muscle cars, and he’s been a good friend and a great sounding board ever since. And he’s really useful for getting parts shipped over from the US. But he’s just hit a very uncomfortable nail on its even more uncomfortable head. Katy knows I’d tell the world about us if I could, about how I’m falling head over heels for her, but she’s determined that Ruth can’t find out about us. And hiding the best thing in my life from my sister—my best friend—is hard. I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out, and I close it again dumbly.

“Youmorethan like her.” Cam tries again, pointing the wrench at me and pinning me with an animated green gaze. I used to pride myself on an impassive expression and a great poker face, but now I wonder if all of a sudden, I’m wearing my heart on my sleeve and my emotions on my face. I wonder if that’s Katy’s doing.

“It just… happened,” I say quietly. “Ruth doesn’t know. I don’t think Amie does, either, so don’t yap. Please. I don’t—Katy doesn’t want them to find out.”

“Katy doesn’t? Or you don’t?”

Cam drags a chair over from the side of the garage and throws a leg over it, straddling the seat and resting his arms on the back. He looks up at me with an expression that plainly says he’s not giving up on this line of questioning until he gets answers.

“I’d scream about her from the fucking rooftops if she’d let me. But she doesn’t want to hurt Ruth.”

“It’s gonna end in tears if you keep it from her, man,” Cam warns.

“I know.”

“Katy’s like a sister to me. I’ll say this one time, Jay. If your intentions are anything but honourable—if you have any doubts whatsoever about this being a serious thing—end it right now. If you hurt her, it won’t just be the girls after you. They’ll have my full blessing, and my help.”

I lock eyes with Cam, for once hoping that my feelings are plainly displayed in my expression. He’s become my closest friend, outside of my girlfriend and my sister. Now he’s my confidant, too. He said it’ll all end in tears if Katy and I don’t tell Ruth about us, but I can’t help but feel like it might all end in tears regardless of whether or not we come clean.

And Katy in tears—anything but happy tears—makes me feel sick to my stomach. Loving Katy was never in any of the plans I made for my life, but she’s warm like summer and soft like home, and I’ve never known peace like holding her close. I love my sister, but the way I’m falling for her best friend, that might not be enough anymore.

“I’m serious about her, man.”

After an afternoon of working on the car, Katy shows up on my doorstep with a four-pack of craft beer just as I’m getting out of the shower. The beer is a new one she read about last week, and we’ve both been searching for it to give it a try. Between us, we manage to drink half a can before she’s straddling me on the sofa, grinding against my dick and slipping her tongue into my mouth.

She tastes like beer and chai andKaty, and I’ve been hard since she walked through the door in that low-cut tee and hip-hugging jeans. Now I’m really fucking hard, in a permanent state of arousal for this beautiful woman in my lap. I lift her into my arms as I stand and walk her across the flat to my bed, dropping her in the middle of the mattress and crawling towards her.

“I love a man who crawls,” she breathes.

“Is that what the cowboys in your filthy novels do, Princess?”

She shrugs with a coquettish grin. She’s tearing her jeans off, chest heaving with heavy breaths, and I quickly rid myself of the T-shirt and boxers I threw on after my shower. When I pull her back into my arms, we’re both naked, and skin on skin has my dick twitching between us. I push my thigh between her legs and she circles her hips, desperately seeking friction. She’s fucking soaked; I can smell her arousal, and I need to taste her.

“Do they say things likecome here, sit on my face?” I lift an eyebrow, settling onto my back and gesturing with a nod of my head.

“I’ll suffocate you,” she protests, mewling as I roll a nipple between my thumb and forefinger. The sound travels straight to my dick like a sonic pulse, and it throbs in response, desperate to sink inside her wet heat.

“I can’t think of a better way to go than drowning in that pretty little cunt of yours, Princess,” I hum. Just imagining it is enough to make my dick thicken even further. Her earthen eyes remain anxious until I ghost a finger down her naked torso, brushing it through the soft hair between her thighs, and when I press lightly, she gives in. The concern in her eyes melts away, quickly replaced with desire, and she lifts onto her knees, shuffling forwards and raising her hips to allow me access.

---