Page 62 of The Goat in the Bedroom
“About the fact that you're in love with Artie and you're sitting here like a sad puppy who lost his last brain cell watching her with Tyson.”
I nearly choked on my water and looked around to make sure the cameras weren’t on us. “What?”
“Don't what me. I'm your twin. I know you better than anyone, and you've been pining over her since you moved in together and now she's letting another guy make goo-goo eyes at her, and you aren't doing shit.”
Before I could respond, Tempest appeared at Flynn's elbow with a look that meant I was about to get a lecture.
“Please tell me you're talking sense into him,” she said.
“I'm trying, but he's a stubborn ass.”
“Of course he is. They always are in these situations.” Tempest fixed me with the kind of stare that probably helped her write believable relationship conflicts. “Gryff, cariño, you're being an idiot.”
“Thanks, but that's super not helpful.”
“I'm serious.” Flynn poked me right in the heart. “And before you give me some speech about not wanting to ruin your friendship, let me point out that you're already ruining it by pretending you don't have feelings for her.”
Before I could defend myself, I heard Artie laugh at something Tyson had said. The sound made me look over automatically, just in time to see him lean closer to her.
“Artie,” Tyson was saying, “I know this might be fast, but want to get coffee sometime? Maybe explore some more of LA together?”
My stomach dropped to my flip-flops and buried itself in the sand.
“Oh… uh, yeah, I'd love that,” Artie said with a smile. “I've been meaning to find a good coffee shop in the neighborhood.”
“Perfect. How about tomorrow afternoon?” Tyson was grinning and I wanted to slap it off his face. “I found a place in Venice Beach that has great coffee and an amazing view.”
“It's a date.”
“You okay?” Flynn asked quietly.
“I'm fine.”
“You're not fine.”
“I'm fine enough.”
He followed my gaze to where Tyson was making her laugh. “You could tell her.”
“Tell her what? That I'm in love with her? That I think about her every second? That watching her with him makes me want to punch something?” I shook my head. “She's happy. That's what matters.”
“You matter too, dumbass.”
I might be dumb, and I was definitely an ass because I was not going to just stand by and watch the love of my life fall for another guy.
ALPHA WEIRDO
ARTEMIS
Iwas excited about my coffee date with Tyson. I was also terrified.
Not because Tyson wasn't great. He absolutely was. Sweet, funny, athletic, the kind of guy who remembered details about conversations and asked thoughtful follow-up questions. Exactly the type of person I should be thrilled to go out with.
Which was exactly the problem.
At the beach on Tuesday, everything had been perfect. Natural. Easy. I'd been confident and flirty and completely myself. But that was with everyone around, with Gryff right there beside me, his familiar presence making everything feel safe.
Now it was just going to be Tyson and me. No buffer. No safety net. No Gryff.
