Page 195 of Terms Of Un-Endearment
Archie’srules, to be specific.
“A smoothie sounds amazing now that our prank war is over.” I lick my lips and inch close enough that my coffee cup creates the only distance between us. Judging by the look on his face, he’s ready to toss aside my cup, along with any reservations about spending the rest of the day kissing me.
“Quit trying to tempt me, you little menace. Rules are rules. You’ll be grateful I held the line.” Archie slides the mug from my hands, but instead of tossing it, he takes a sip and steps around me. “And the smoothie prank was yours.”
I roll my eyes and steal my coffee back. “Yeah, but leaving smoothiemessesbehind was yours.”
His eyes dart to my face. “That…wasn’t a prank.”
“Oh.” I bite my lip. “Then I apologize for retaliating like it was, but to be fair, the messes you left behind could have been a war zone.”
“Fair.” He turns me around and guides me out of the kitchen. “Now get going. I’ve got a smoothie to make—and to clean up properly—and you need to get ready to burn Valente down.”
“Deal.”
I dash upstairs, smiling the whole way to my room, and get ready faster than I ever have just so I can spend more time with Archie. When I come back downstairs, he has a smoothie ready for me.
“Should I drive you or walk you to the bus stop?” he says as he hands me the metal cup with a lid and straw.
Now that Julia won’t be on the bus, I really want Archie to drive me. But he’s taken off the apron, and I’ve boarded the struggle bus, trying to keep my eyes on his face instead of his chest. So, the actual bus seems like my safest option.
“Let’s walk.” I sling my bag over my shoulder and head for the front door.
Archie grabs a sweatshirt and, disappointingly, puts it on as we walk out the door.
“A hoodie, but no shoes?” I ask as he closes the door behind us.
“I haven’t caught you staring at my feet.” He raises an accusing eyebrow.
I take a sip of my smoothie. “Let me guess. You don’t intentionally go shirtless? It’s an accident; like your messes in the kitchen?”
“Exactly. So, stop retaliating by objectifying me.”
“Hmm… How about the girls in your fan club? Should they quit objectifying you, too?”
Archie laughs. Our shoulders brush, then our fingers, and he hooks his pinkie around mine. We stay like this all the way to the bus stop, and I avoid asking him too many questions about his plans.Ourplans. We’ll talk after work, because he’s not going back to Australia.
The day passes in slow motion. Now that I know what Valente has done to me, Anna, Julia, and who knows how many other people, all I can focus on is beating them at their own game. The boring tasks I’m assigned today are pure torture.
By the end of the day, I’m ready to climb out of my skin to escape the pent-up energy that’s built up all day. The bus ride only adds to the day’s torture, and I wish I would have called Archie to pick me up. I’m at the door ready to jump out before the bus rolls to a stop, and I run-walk home.
I burst through the front door and call Archie’s name.
Then I see the packed suitcases and stacked boxes in the foyer.
Chapter 35
Archie
Ihear Piper call my name and run downstairs, thinking there’s something wrong. When I reach her, she’s staring at my bags.
“You said you were staying.” Her eyes meet mine, and the disappointment there makes me want to undo all the packing I’ve spent the day doing.
But leaving is the right thing.
“I never said I was staying in this house.” I try not to smile at her confused expression. “But I’m staying in LA—with Dex and Britta until I find my own place.”
“So, you’re not going back to Australia?”
