Page 26 of Best Friends
I grimace. “You’re sure you don’t mind if I go home? I don’t know if I can face Amanda right now.”
“I suggested it because I know that about you,” he says quietly. “I’m better about faking shit than you are. If you show up at the table, guilt will make you blurt everything out.”
I laugh sheepishly. “You’re probably not wrong.”
“How are you ever going to keep us a secret, C.?” he murmurs. “You’re not good at secrets”
“It won’t be forever. I promise.” I grab his hand, squeezing.
He nods, but he looks uncertain. “Okay. I suppose I just have to trust you. It’s not like I can just walk away from you.”
I can’t help the feeling there’s an unspoken “Yet” in there somewhere. But I push away the uneasiness and force a smile. “I’ll see you later at my house.”
“Yep. See you then.” He turns and leaves the bathroom.
I feel guilty asking him to hide what we are now. But it’s only temporary. Once I know our feelings are real, I’ll be willing to come out as a couple. I certainly hope I’m brave enough. I know Malcolm well enough to know he won’t wait forever.
Chapter Five
I wait for Malcolm to come to my place, but he doesn’t come as soon as I’d hoped. By the time he does arrive, it’s almost 2:00 a.m. When I open the door to him, he’s grinning and he smells of booze.
“Did you drive drunk?” I rasp, trying to shove down my irritation at how late he is. I told him I’d wait up, so I shouldn’t be mad at him.
He shakes his head. “Nah, I took an Uber here. I figured we could pick up my car tomorrow.” He slips past me into my house. “Besides, I figured you wouldn’t want anyone to see my car parked outside your house all night.” There’s a hint of resentment in his voice. “People might get the wrong idea.”
I shut the door, sighing. “Come on, Malcolm.”
“What?” He looks innocent. “I’m your dirty little secret, right?”
I ignore his question. “Why are you so late?”
“Well, I had to soothe poor Amanda’s ego because you left.” He makes an unsteady line into the living room where he slumps down on the couch. “She really likes you, dude.”
I perch on the arm of the couch. “What am I supposed to say to that?”
He shrugs. “I just feel bad for her.”
I narrow my eyes. “Are you sad that I didn’t take her back to your place and fuck her or something?”
He blanches. “No, not at all. It’s just that she’s a nice girl and she was sad. I’m trying to explain why I stayed out so late. Cecilia and her were bummed that the evening didn’t go as planned.”
Guilt flutters through me. “True. Sorry. I did kind of leave you holding the bag.”
“Meh. I told you to go.” He shrugs. “It was fine. They’re both great girls.”
I study him and then an ugly thought comes to me. “Did they try to have a threesome with you?”
He avoids my gaze. “What does it matter? I wasn’t about to do that.”
“They did, didn’t they?” I laugh although jealousy nudges me. “So much for Amanda missing me.”
“She did miss you. They were drunk, that’s all. Amanda especially needed her ego stroked after you left.”
“Were you tempted?” I attempt to sound casual, but I don’t think I pull it off because he looks annoyed.
“What? Hell no.” He scowls at me. “That’s a shit thing to say to me, C. I was stuck entertaining them alone and that’s the thanks I get?”
I grimace. “Sorry.”
