Page 58 of Love is an Open Book
I turned off my phone, scared of getting a text making it clear our friendship was over, even though in a way, I want it to be over, traded in for whatever comes next. But if it’s the choice of going back to what we had or losing her, I choose friendship any day. What scares me is knowing I might have cost myself that choice.
Desperate to find an outlet for my jumbled feelings, I set to work on the pergola. By the time I installed the last of therafters it was well past dusk, but my body was still humming from kissing Mia and sleep still didn’t come easy.
With my phone off, I overslept the next morning and had to rush out to the site, glad for a busy day of volunteering to keep my mind off the way I obliterated any doubts Mia might have about my feelings. But she kissed me, too. Passionately, like she wanted nothing more. Has she changed her mind about us? Or was this just the consequence she warned me about—fake dating getting in her head and creating emotions that aren’t real?
She might not ever want to see me again, upset we ended up where we swore we wouldn’t... lost in each other. But when I hustle up to the crew, Mia is there, handing out doughnuts, laughing with Riley. Seeing her here where I least expected, sparkly and radiant, my heart twists.
Walking over, I shove my hands in my pockets to keep from wrapping my arms around her waist, not knowing how to play this, but certain we haven’t made the jump to PDA, whatever her thoughts are on last night’s events. “Didn’t think I’d see you here today.”
She looks up at me with a shy smile that sends my stomach flip-flopping. Our eyes meet, hers a rich oak brown in the sunlight, and something tender takes root in my chest. It’s the look she gives me when we’re sharing a secret, and my heart starts beating again for the first time since I left her place.
“Figured since I couldn’t make it out for day two, I could at least bring breakfast,” she says. Her bandages are gone, and she’s holding the box of doughnuts gingerly, but I resist the urge to check her palms. “Probably more useful than me working anyway.”
“Please, you were a natural,” Riley says. She swipes the apple fritter I had my eye on and takes a big bite. “And you even made it here before Gavin. Late night?” she asks me, brows raised.
I can only imagine what I look like, wrecked after a night of no sleep and hoarding thoughts of Mia’s lips on mine, knowing I might never get the chance to kiss her again.
“Speaking of late, where’s Morris?” I say, to change the topic. His name was on the volunteer sign-up for both days, but he’s nowhere to be seen, which is surprising given I’m pretty sure he could smell fresh doughnuts from a mile away.
Riley finishes chewing and says, “At the other lot. They were doing a shed teardown and asked for his help.”
“Yeah, that’s where he found the kittens,” Mia says.
“The what?”
“Kittens,” she repeats. “Did your phone die or something? He found a mother cat and her kittens at the other lot. You should see the pics. Adorable.” Mia is clearly thrilled about this, but my brain has snagged on a detail, and it’s not kittens.
“Morris texted you?” I drag my phone from my pocket, powering it on.
“He said he couldn’t get ahold of you.”
“He has your number?” I’m not jealous, I’m just... intrigued.
She frowns. “We all exchanged numbers yesterday. I told him and Riley I wanted to take them out for drinks for putting up with me.”
“Putting up with you...” I pinch my forehead. “You did more than your share of work yesterday.”
“Like I keep telling her,” Riley interjects.
“Yeah, yeah,” Mia says, like she doesn’t believe us but is willing to play along. “But kittens. Focus, Gavin.” She reaches down to unzip the belt bag slung over her chest, pinching the tab between thumb and forefinger. She bites her lip to hold off a wince, and without thinking, I step closer.
“Let me.” But in my eagerness to spare her discomfort, I didn’t factor in the placement of the bag. Right in the middle of her chest, which is currently only covered by a thin tank top. Well, and her bra, of course. Though... is she wearing a bra?
Whether or not Mia is wearing a bra isn’t something I ever let myself dwell on, and picturing the possibilities now... Thetiming is inconvenient, to say the least. I yank my hand back. “Sorry. I was just... Sorry.”
I can feel Riley smirking, but don’t dare give her the satisfaction of looking her way.
Meanwhile, Mia has gotten her phone out and shifts closer to show me the screen. On it is a scrawny calico cat with three fluffy kittens nestled alongside her on what looks like a ripped couch cushion with stuffing bursting out of it.
“Morris wanted me to show you. Apparently he thinks I can do a better job than he could of convincing you to keep them.”
“He wantsmeto take them?”
“Well, my place doesn’t allow pets. And Morris says when he was six he killed a goldfish. Accidentally,” she hurries to add. “He overfed it. But he’s worried he doesn’t have what it takes to adopt kittens. I told him maybe that’s something he needs to explore with a therapist, because it’s been over twenty years—”
“These were all texts?” I shouldn’t be gritting my teeth, but geez, how much have they been talking? It’s barely 9:00 a.m.
“I called him on the way over.” She tilts her head, eyes narrowed. “Oh my gosh, are you jealous?”
