Page 188 of Terms Of Un-Endearment
I sit and shake my head to loosen the grip thoughts of Archie has on me. I grab my sketchbook and pencils and throw myself into reworking a few of my designs into pieces that have a more laid back, beachy, California vibe.
As the ideas grow, I take out my iPad and open the 3D program I use when I’m ready to really design. Sketching gets my creative juices flowing, but I don’t have a lot of time. Even with reworking what I already have, if I want to release a line of boro-inspired clothes before Valente does, I have to create five to ten new designs quickly. What took me an entire semester to do in college, I’ll have to do in a matter of days.
Around midnight, I take a break to make myself some coffee. I don’t want to stop and risk losing my momentum, so I’ll work as long as I can…with a lot of caffeine to help.
When I walk into the kitchen, Archie is at the table, hunched over his laptop. He’s changed into his sweatpants—trackies, he calls them—and out of his shirt.
“Hey, you’re still up?” The answer is as obvious as the way I’m staring at his chest.
“Yeah. You too?” His eyes travel from my face down my legs, which are on full display since I’ve put on sleep shorts.
“Yeah. I got some inspiration and had to get my ideas down.” I take my coffee from the cupboard and hold up the bag. “You want a cup?”
“Sure.” He pushes back his laptop and stretches his arms over his head. “Are you sketching in your book?”
I shake my head. “No. I’ve already made it past that point in the design phase. I’ve got a program I use to bring the sketches to life.”
His brow lifts. “Can I see them?”
“When I’m done, yeah.” I turn to the espresso machine and busy myself prepping our coffee before he can catch my blush. “What are you working on?”
“My proposal.”
My head whips around. “Does that mean you’ve decided to stay?”
He sighs. “I still have some things to work through, but I’m not ready to give up on starting Bombora yet, or the idea of workingwithyou to do it.”
I smile. “Good to know.”
It’s closer to a yes than a no, and I’d rather give him space to make it a solid yes than push him toward something neither one of us is as ready for as we think we are.
He smiles back. “You wanna join me down here for a bit?”
I tip my head. “That depends on what you mean by ‘joining’ you. As your annoying stepsister, the woman you wanted to kiss earlier or your prospective partner?”
He lets out a low laugh. “How about something else?”
“What would that be?”
“A friend?” He shrugs.
“I like the sound of that.” I smile wider.
As much as I wanted to kiss Archie—still do—friendship is the thing I’ve always wanted from him. So, for now, that will do.
But he’s sparked hope for much more. I’m not giving up the idea of being more than friends or business partners.
I want to be Archie’s everything.
Chapter 31
Archie
Piper sets a cup of coffee in front of me, then jogs upstairs for her stuff. When she comes back, her arms are not only filled with her sketchbook, toolbox of supplies, and iPad, but she’s also changed into trackpants. Cheers to that. The more she has on, the easier it will be to think of her as a friend.
As attracted as I am to her—I can’t deny anymore that I am—we have too much rocky history to rush into anything. The truth is, the more time I spend with Piper, the more I want to really get to know her. But we’re still on unsure ground. Like the ocean floor, everything may shift with the next wave of trouble coming.
And yeah, there’s more coming. I’m not goin’ back to Brisbane—I’ve made my call on that. But if I go up against Dad over the house, I’m in for a proper mess. I don’t want to pull Piper into it unless what we have is something more than a passing attraction. I suspect it is. Whether it’s a relationship or a partnership—hopefully both—I want to build on solid foundation.
