Page 65 of Shared By my Ex's Best Friends
I get out of bed as gently as I can, not wanting to wake either of them. Jake shifts, murmuring something unintelligible, and Liam’s fingers tighten slightly before going slack.
I pull on one of their T-shirts from the floor, the hem brushing my thighs, and pad barefoot into the hall and down the stairs.
Ethan’s at the stove in the kitchen, shirtless, boxers slung low on his hips, a spatula in one hand and a mug in the other. Scrambled eggs hiss in the pan as he moves with casual ease, like this is something he’s done a thousand times.
Like this is home.
“You’re humming,” I tease, leaning against the doorframe.
He glances over his shoulder, flashing that familiar, crooked grin. “You’re glowing.”
I snort, but my cheeks warm. “Am not.”
He shrugs. “If you say so. But I stand by it.”
I walk over, brushing past him to steal a piece of egg straight from the pan. He makes a half-hearted attempt to slap my hand away. Our shoulders bump.
A few minutes later, I hear the creak of the stairs and Liam wanders in, shirtless, hair an absolute mess, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He heads straight to me, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind and pressing a kiss to the crook of my neck.
“Mornin’,” he murmurs, voice rough with sleep.
“Morning,” I whisper back, leaning into him.
Jake arrives not long after, bleary-eyed and clearly still half-asleep.
He mutters something about murder and caffeine, grabs a mug, and pours himself coffee before acknowledging anyone. Ethan pushes him the sugar like he’s done it a dozen times.
We all end up crammed around my tiny kitchen table—knees bumping, legs tangled, plates overlapping, a chaotic collection of coffee mugs and egg crumbs and shared smiles. Liam eats directly from the pan. Jake keeps stealing toast off Ethan’s plate.
I can’t stop watching them, each of them, like I still don’t quite believe this is real. Like it might disappear if I blink too hard.
It’s shockingly easy. Natural, even.
No one says anything about last night. Maybe we’re all trying to pretend this is just a normal morning, just friends sharing breakfast. Maybe we don’t want to break the spell.
But then Liam sets his fork down, his expression softer than usual, more serious. He looks across the table at me.
“You still okay?” he asks.
The question lands gently, but I feel it in my chest, wrapping around my heart and making it ache.
I meet his gaze, then glance at Ethan, then Jake. All of them watching me, waiting for the answer.
I nod, my voice quiet but certain. “More than okay.”
Jake reaches under the table and bumps his knee against mine. “We meant what we said. This isn’t just some wild thing we forget about once the sun comes up.”
Ethan leans forward, forearms resting on the table. “But if it gets to be too much, if something feels wrong, say so. We’re not going to pretend this is simple. We’re figuring it out. Together.”
I nod again, blinking fast as that warmth builds in my chest. The kind of warmth that makes me want to cry and laugh and hold all of them at once.
Jake catches the emotion in my eyes and smiles faintly. “God, you’re such a sap.”
“Shut up,” I shoot back, grinning through the tears threatening to rise.
Liam smiles and steals another forkful of egg. “Pretty surehe’sthe sap.”
Ethan raises his mug. “To being saps.”
