Page 28 of Lessons in Forgiving
Henry followed my subtle nod in her direction, looking across his shoulder to find her at the register.
“Oh.” He glanced at the watch around his wrist. “Makes sense. It’s eleven on a Saturday. She does this sometimes.”
His voice raised slightly with the next words, making sure his sister could pick up on them a few feet away. “Probably just woke up, instead of getting an early start on the thesis she has to hand in next week.” A pointed tone edged into his voice, and although they were twins, Henry slipped into big-brother mode. I didn’t remember him doing much of that.
When she found him in his seat, Athalia gave her brother a wide, teasing smile. Like she knew he had a point, and she was ignoring it on purpose.
As far as I had been able to tell, the twins hadn’t been particularly close.
I only knew Athalia because her best friend was dating one of mine—not because Henry had introduced us. That would’ve meant opening up. To her and to me. It would’ve also meant showing me parts of his life he couldn’t control.Unthinkable.
Her gaze slid to me, and she almost dropped the coffee Jack had just handed her. Henry turned with an eye roll.
She mouthed a ‘What?’ in my direction so dramatically, I almost laughed. In the few seconds of silent conversation between us, I’d tried my best to let my expression conveyNo, I’m not dating your brother. Again.
Miraculously, she must’ve understood.
Her hands raised in mock surrender, in sync with the smirk on her lips. With a wink, she paid and left.
I focused on the man in front of me again.
Who was already looking at me, and only snapped out of whatever daydream he’d been in when our eyes connected. He spoke before I could start asking the first of many wonderfully prepared questions.
“You know, she asks about you an unsettling number of times,” Henry said, driving a hand through his hair casually.
Somehow, it looked better after the fact, which made no sense. His brown hair stood in every which way before he tamed it by sliding another hand down both sides. The perfect middle part was back, andhow was it fair that I had to stand in front of a mirror for hours to get my hair decent, meanwhile men could just… ruffle through it once?
His next words were paired with an amused huff. “One might think she misses us together more than I do.”
Which made me wonder: since when had they been close enough to talk about things as personal as our relationship?Me?
“Oh,” I offered. Then managed to squeeze at least one question into our allocated time slot. Henry was a busy man, now more than ever. “How are you guys, anyway?”
“We’re like we’ve always been.” He said it so quickly, the answer must’ve been prepared. Like people asked him about their relationship a lot, and he got used to saying exactly that.We’re like we’ve always been.
Except that now, he hesitated. His brows drew together, and he scrunched his nose in thought. “Better, actually. We’re muchbetter. Even if she’s still… hanging out with McCarthy, and I try not to tear him apart every time I see him.”
Which was every day, I added in my head.
I snickered a laugh. “Hanging out?”
His eyes fixed mine, and a scowl formed on those beautiful lips. “Someone’s in denial,” I added in a sing-song voice, kind of hoping he would snap at me, so I could stop enjoying our conversation on a personal level. Dangerous territory.
“I call it self-preservation.” Unfortunately, he did not snap the words at me. “I’m better off not thinking about them together.He’sbetter off that way, definitely.”
I barked a laugh. I couldn’t help it. “I wish I could’ve been there to see your reaction. Maeve said she would’ve paid good money for it. The rest of the girls, too.” My nose crinkled in further amusement, and it seemed he couldn’t hold it off any better than I did.
The corners of his lips tipped up, and behind his lips, his tongue traced along his teeth to keep himself from smiling. Failed attempt.
“How is she?” he rasped, a glimmer of nostalgia in his eyes. “All of them, actually?”
I didn’t mean to go on a tangent about my friends. Really, I was here to talk abouthim.
Though with graduation looming, I couldn’t help it. Bragging about that major fashion house internship Maeve had lined up in New York, or Riley’s junior role at one of the biggest event planners, which she’d accepted just last week. Laila wanted to open her own animal shelter, for God’s sake! They were all making it big out there, and I just couldn’t help myself.
“Laila and Wren, though. Huh?” Henry muttered absentmindedly, a smile playing on his face.
“The world is so small.”
