Page 4 of The Third Wheel
I could feel the weight of Gunnar's glare on me, but I refused to look at him. Instead, I focused on dipping fries in the swirls of ketchup on my plate.
"Okay guys. Let's table the discussion of OnlyGrans and of the Central Coast Social Club." Mira reached across the table to touch my hand. Her skin was warm and soft against mine, and my heart skipped a beat. "Please, let's not ruin dinner over this. We're all celebrating!"
"Sorry," I said, squeezing her hand. The last thing I wanted was to upset her, but it was getting harder and harder to keep my feelings in check. Every time I saw them together, a part of me wanted to scream at the injustice of it all.
"Gunnar, apologize too." Mira stared at him, her gaze unwavering. And though I didn't want to, I knew she was right.
"Sorry, man," Gunnar said, reaching for his drink. "It's been a long day. Let's just fucking eat."
Mira
The sound of Colbyand Gunnar bickering echoed through the bookstore, their voices rising in intensity. I didn't even know what the argument was about this time. All I knew was that the two of them were getting on my last nerve.
I had reached my limit. I needed a break from their constant arguing. With a heavy sigh, I left them to it and wandered into the back office, looking for some peace and quiet. I dug through my pocket for my phone and dialed my friend Nori, who still lived in Portland. Nori was the only person I could vent to about this ridiculous situation because my other best friend was Colby, who was in some kind of aggressive stand-off with my husband.
She picked up on the fourth ring and sounded tired enough that I checked the time to make sure I hadn't called too early. She wasa chef, and her evening work hours meant she tended to sleep in, but she should have been awake by two in the afternoon.
"Ugh, Mira, you have no idea how much I hate my job right now," she groaned. "Fucking Max Stanton thinks he's the only person on Earth who understands French cuisine."
"I wish you were here," I confessed, pushing some papers around on my desk. "You'd be able to knock some sense into these two. Colby and Gunnar haven't stopped fighting since we had dinner three days ago with Gunnar's grandmother."
"You're kidding! What are they arguing about now?" Nori asked, her interest piqued.
"Colby thinks Gunnar needs to loosen up on the dominant alpha-hole bullshit, and Gunnar thinks Colby is overstepping," I replied, rubbing my temples.
"Which he is," Nori pointed out.
"But he means well, and he's my best friend. It's exhausting. And to make matters worse, Wanda is trying to start a porn site called OnlyGrans, and Colby helped her get it going."
"God. I want to be her when I grow up," Nori said, laughing. "That woman is living her best life."
I chuckled. "She and Daisy are calling their OnlyGrans channel 'hot chicks on trikes' and filming motorcycle footage with thecustom Harley trikes Gunnar and Jay built for them. And Wanda keeps telling me about how she once posed for a biker chick's calendar back in the 80s, so she's an expert at draping herself provocatively over a motorcycle."
"Living her best life," Nori repeated. "What's so wrong with Colby helping her do that? Seems harmless enough."
"Gunnar will come around, I'm sure, but you know. It's not every day your grandmother tells you she's considering a porn career."
"Oh god! I just imagined my grandma doing porn and now I feel for him!"
"In a related note, they do have a Chinese granny from Portland on board. Hopefully not yours. Wanda says she's going to steam buns in more ways than one. I'm afraid to ask her what that means."
Nori barked a laugh. "Hey, give the girl a break. She might mean they're making bao!"
There was a shout, and a crash from the sales floor of the bookstore, and I groaned. "I think things are escalating. I swear, they spend all of their time trying to one-up each other with their idiocy."
"Sounds like a lot of pent-up tension between them." Nori went quiet for a moment, then gasped. "You know what pent-up tension means."
"They hate each other?"
"No! Attraction!" Nori said. "Those two want to bang. They're both hot as hell, Gunnar with his man bun and biker bad boy thing, and Colby with those intense hazel eyes and golden retriever looks. It's an opposites-attract story waiting to happen."
"Not you, too! Wanda keeps saying weird stuff about their attraction, but it's so absurd I can't even respond. Gunnar and Colby? They can't stand to be in the same room with each other. There is no attraction between them. And even if there was, Gunnar is taken. I think you remember that, since you were part of our wedding party."
"Hey, I'm only saying," Nori said with a giggle. "Maybe starting arguments helps them let off some sexual tension?"
"No!" I snorted, picturing Colby's lean, handsome form pressed against Gunnar's muscular tattooed body. The image sent an illicit thrill through me, but I shook it off. I did not want to watch Colby suck my husband's cock.
That much.
