Page 13 of Bachelor

“I’ll go with you.” Bill rose and followed Jessica into the kitchen. He paused at the threshold. “Tyler, get in here.”

Tyler popped up and squeezed past Rhys, disappearing into the kitchen.

Silence settled between us as muffled conversation drifted from the kitchen into the loft.

Rhys stood up and glanced at the empty seat beside me. I shrugged, and he sat down with a sigh.

“You’re thinking you wish I weren’t here right now.”

“No, I’m not,” I lied. I took a sip from my wine and held it in my lap.

“It’s written all over your face—”

“Well, why are you here? Especially knowing I’d be here, since this was Jessica’s idea, and she’s my best friend.”

“Bill’s my friend, and he invited me. And I don’t think what happened between us means we can’t occasionally be in each other’s presence.”

“And how does it feel, Rhys, being in my presence?”

Was it easy for him? Did his stomach not tie into knots every time he looked at me?

He was looking at me now, and his shoulders slumped a fraction of an inch. “It doesn’t feel great.”

“Maybe we should just stop running into each other then, right?”

“Is that what you want?”

I bit down on my lower lip while I held his gaze. “We were never friends, Rhys. I was your student. Now I’m not even that. I can’t be your friend now.”

If I hurt him with my words, he didn’t show it. He simply leaned back, his head resting on the railing. “I don’t think I can be your friend either.”

“It’s settled then,” I breathed, giving him a smile. “We’re not friends.”

“Definitely not,” he agreed, matching my playful smile with one of his own. “Does this mean we’re enemies?”

I frowned, considering it. “No, not necessarily, unless you keep following me around like a lost puppy.”

“Oh, you wish,” he laughed, and hearing his laugh again sent my heart racing. “What if I told you I came here at Tyler’s urging because he read the book after I mentioned it and wanted nothing more than to discuss it with like-minded people?”

“I would say you’re lying.”

“I’m not. He begged me to come.”

“Let me guess.” I smiled, leaning forward and turning to face him. “You didn’t want to come and listen to everyone talking about fairies and fated mates and love that transcends time itself, and you got into a physical altercation over it.”

He cocked his head, a rough laugh leaving his lips. “What?”

I motioned to my mouth. “His split lip? Ring any bells?”

The playful look in Rhys’s eyes vanished in a heartbeat. That caused me great concern.

“Rhys?”

“It wasn’t me,” he said on a breath, shaking his head. “Uh, it was Christian. I was there.”

“What?”

He nodded, shrugging off my exclamation. “Christian was mouthing off in the gym and Tyler put an end to it, and then I put an end to their fight when they got physical.”

---