Page 30 of Don't Puck His Best Friend
He has a point. I grab my phone and type quickly before I can overthink it.
Hey, it’s Cole. How about I take you on a proper date without your cousin this time?
I hit send before I can second-guess myself.
“Done,” I tell Sirus.
“See? Easy.” He grins. “Did you talk to Liam?”
I nod. “Yeah, he should be coming over soon actually.”
Sirus laughs. “Butt buddies.”
“Fuck off.”
“What’d he say?”
“You’re in the clear. It’s not your sister.”
“You’re sure?”
I nod. “Yeah, man. I’m positive. I remember what he was like when he was with her and it’s not like that this time.”
Sirus takes a moment to think and then sighs of relief. “Thank fuck.”
Then Liam rolls up to my house and gets out of the truck, walking over to the front door. Rex starts barking. Liam let’s himself in and pets Rex.
“What’s up,” Sirus says.
Liam walks over and says, “I’m not fucking your sister.”
I shake my head as Sirus stares at him.
“You better not be.”
Liam laughs. “Don’t worry, big guy.” And then he looks around and points at the stick. “Look at who finally brought back what he borrowed.”
“Don’t be a dick,” I say to Liam, but he just laughs.
Sirus says, “I’m gonna head out. Let me know if she texts back.”
“Will do.”
When Sirus leaves, Liam turns to me and says, “I didn’t think I’d live to see the day where Sirus hooks you up with someone.”
“Yeah, well… I’m gonna kick your ass in Call of Duty.”
“You’re not.”
13
The Text
Harper
Iwakeupfroma Sunday late morning nap and reach for my phone on the nightstand, not quite ready to face whatever notifications accumulated while I was napping. My body still feels warm and languid from last night—the memory of Liam’s laugh, the way those elevator doors closed and everything went sharp and hot between us, the way he looked at me like I was the only thing in the world.
But underneath the satisfaction is this nagging feeling that whatever’s happening between us is temporary. Liam Murphy doesn’t do relationships. He does hookups and charm and moving on to the next shiny thing that catches his attention. I’m just enjoying the ride while it lasts, telling myself I can handle it when it inevitably ends.
