Page 51 of The Grumpy Vet
My breath hitches in my throat as we stare at each other. The noise, the smells, the crazy women fighting over chicken parmy… All of that fades away to nothing.
This is real, and yet, it's sounreal.
Ryde knows I'm in love with him. I get to have scorching hot sex with him and Linus. And neither of those two things have scared him off or affected our friendship in any negative way. And him giving me permission to stay close to him is a sign that this is really happening. I'm not making it up or simply seeing what I want to see.
We may not have revisited the topic of how we're feeling in the past few weeks, but it's becoming increasingly clear that Ryde's affection for me is moving past the friend zone into something more. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, trying not to assume that this thing between him, me, and Linus could be leading to a relationship. But so far, all the signs seem to indicate that it is.
"Come on." His voice is quiet when he finally speaks, lifting the drinks. "Better not keep the guys waiting."
"Of course."
We reach the table, dole out the drinks, and settle down on either side of Linus. Wilby's telling the gang about his grandmother's latest obsession—hand-grinding coffee beans, which gives the eighty-something-year-old woman even more energy than she already had—and as the guys talk, I feel the warm press of Linus's hand on my thigh.
I take a sip of my drink and discreetly glance his way. The corner of his mouth is ticked up. On the other side of him, Ryde is trying as discreetly as he can to do what I'm doing—checking that Linus hasn't had a stroke and is indeed touching us bothin public, in a packed place, in front of his friends. Even if it is under the table, it's still a bold move.
Then again, so was kissing us out in public a few weeks ago when we surprised him at the hospice. Linus is starting to mellow out a bit. Which is a good thing. As much as I personally think it's hot when he's all frazzled and broody, I've come to learn that his grumpiness is often a facade, a mask to hide what's really going on with him. The dad situation is affecting him, maybe even more than he realises. He's always working. And hearing from the guys about how tight funds are and how he's sometimes forced to pay us from his own pocket, it's little wonder the guy is worn out.
Good thing he's got two naughty little sex demons looking out for him. Even if it's becoming increasingly obvious that what's going on between us has moved way past being merely a fun and filthy sex thing.
I'll never forget the look on his face when he saw us waiting for him outside the hospice. And when I handed him the bouquet of edible flowers, amazement flooded his features, like we'd just told him we were taking him to Disneyland when, really, it was just a small gesture to show him we're thinking of him as he goes through a hard time.
This all may have started with Ryde crushing on Linus and me having secret feelings for Ryde, but it's clear that the emotional loop is filling out, that lines are joining the dots of previously unjoined parties. As strong as my feelings for Ryde are, I'm developing feelings for Linus, too. Feelings that I pray don't jeopardise my relationship with Ryde or threaten his with Linus. Feelings that are confusing but somehow make sense at the same time.
"So…" Wilby claps his hands, cutting through the noise like a whip. "What's going on with the three of you?"
Linus's face doesn't move. He doesn't react in any visible way, but he does press down on my leg a little harder. "What do you mean?" he asks.
Wilby rolls his eyes. "Come on, mate. I heard about you guys in the hospice car park."
How? I thought enough time had passed that we'd gotten away with it. I don't remember anyone seeing us, but then again, I wasn't exactly focused on checking out my surroundings.
Linus, to his credit, remains cool as a cucumber. He raises one eyebrow slowly. "What about the hospice?" he asks in an even tone.
"Richo says he saw you guys."
"Who's Richo?" I ask.
"Constipated goats," Fitz says.
"Ah. I remember now."
Wilby keeps talking. "Saw you guys in the car park doing something very unusual."
My chest tightens with secondhand worry on Linus's behalf. We've successfully managed to keep things under wraps all this time. The worst thing to happen was Oakey somehow figuring out I'd been harbouring feelings for his son when he visited. But no one's ever suspected anything going on between the three of us. Until now.
Instead of tensing up or going on the defensive, Linus seems calm. Oddly calm. I glance past him to Ryde who's gnawing at his bottom lip. How is it that he and I are more freaked out right now than Linus? We were all happy keeping this quiet, but he's the one who really insisted on it. He values his privacy more than anyone I've ever met.
Linus straightens his spine. "And by something very unusual, you mean he saw us kissing?"
Wilby chokes on his beer, spraying it across the table. "What? Kissing?" he splutters as the others scramble to keep theirphones dry. "Richo told me that when he went to visit his sick aunt, he saw you guys pissing yourselves laughing in the car park. He never said anything about kissing."
Oopsie.
Fucking.
Daisy.
A look of horror briefly passes over Linus's face, but then he squares his shoulders. "It is what it is, guys." He turns to Ryde and then to me. "Sorry for giving it away."
