Page 25 of Love Thy Neighbor

I curl my lip. “Nobody says hot man chest.”

“But am I wrong?” he counters, still grinning.

“Yes!”

“What really happened?” River asks.

I explain to her the events from last night, and she’s a good enough friend to not laugh until I finish telling the story.

Then she can’tstoplaughing.

“It’s not that funny,” I grumble.

She gets her giggles under control, fanning her face. “It really is though.”

“She has a point,” Dean says, chuckling. “I mean, what are the odds of all that happening?”

“You two don’t even know what a klutz I am.”

“Especially when she gets all flustered. It’s awful. One time in college we were in the dining hall and some guy she’d been crushing on winked at her. She flipped out, sprung from the table, ran smack into some kid carrying a tray of spaghetti. She was apologizing like a maniac but in so much of a hurry to get out of there when she realized everyone was staring at her that she slid on the noodles and busted her ass in front of the whole cafeteria.”

Oh hell. I remember that. It wasawful. Not just because I fell, but because I pulled a muscle in my back and my butt was bruised from the impact. I walked to all my classes with a limp for days.

I get so flustered and my heart gets to racing so hard my brain just short-circuits and chaos ensues. Last night won’t be the last time it happens, I’m sure.

“What’d you guys do after it happened?”

“Had wild,wildsex, of course.”

“Cooper!” I scold for what feels like the millionth time this morning. “Stop it! I feel like you’re just trying to embarrass me now.”

“Well, duh.” He shrugs, grinning. “That’s what best friends do.”

I actually love that he’s been teasing me about last night.

I think it helps pull the seriousness away from it. Makes me feel like it truly wasn’t such a catastrophic event, like we’re going to be just fine and things will be back to normal in no time.

“We just went to bed,” I tell them. “It’s not a big deal.”

I don’t miss the way River and Dean look at each other, their eyes saying something I can’t quite decipher but want to so badly.

Luckily, I’m saved from any other line of questioning by Darlene. She sets my cup of coffee down on the table and places a glass of water in front of Cooper.

“On the house,” she says sarcastically.

He tosses her a wink, taking a big gulp from his glass. “Thanks, beautiful.”

She shakes her head at him, waltzing away and muttering about him being an ass but a cute one.

When she’s far enough away, Cooper reaches over and snags my coffee from me, swapping it for his water, knowing intuitively I won’t want another cup today.

“So,” I say, pressing on and away from the subject of last night, “what are you two doing tonight?”

“Well, I’ll probably be groveling for at least the next three days, so we’ll likely be having—what was it, Coop?” Dean snaps his fingers. “Ah, yes. Wild,wildsex.”

River ignores him but also doesn’t bother denying it. “Why? What’s up?” Her eyes spark. “Are you going out with one of those guys from Dud or Stud?”

“Ew.” Dean wrinkles his nose. “You’re on that app? That place is a breeding ground for creeps.”

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