bring a change of clothes to work and we can be those classy bitches who hang out in the Mayhew’s front bar on a Friday night?” She waggled her eyebrows at me encouragingly.
I nodded as I laughed. “Sounds great.”
“Okay. Gimme your number so I can text you when I’m off.”
We exchanged numbers and she hugged me before I left. There was an actual spring in my step as I strolled back towards the Mayhew. And, for once in my life, I actually enjoyed being out in a slight drizzle because I was in such a good mood.
My good mood lasted about fifteen minutes because Kit was home by the time I got back up to the penthouse. And it wasn’t like the sight of him made me unhappy. It didn’t. It made me happy. Just in less of an I’m-getting-my-life-together kind of way and more of a wow-look-at-the-way-he-looks-at-me, maybe-I-am-in-love-with-him kind of way.
When he saw me stepping off the elevator, he smiled warmly and I fooled myself for a second into thinking we were perfect as just friends. I fooled myself into thinking we could easily talk about each other’s day or battle it out in Street Fighter without me ever wanting anything more than his friendship. But a second was all I needed to feel better about it. A second I could work on.
“Hey,” he said as he loosened his tie.
“Hey.”
“I’m surprised and impressed. You actually left the penthouse without coercion.”
“I had an errand to run.”
He was looking at his cuffs as he undid them but spared me a sideways half-smirk. “I had half a mind to send out a search party.”
I grinned. “A text might have been a little less drastic.”
He nodded. “It might have.”
“I was only down the road after all.”
“Oh?” He was aiming for nonchalant, but I heard the almost-jealous question in his voice.
“Mm,” I replied. “I had to see a girl about a drink.”
I could see he was trying not to frown and failing. “Dannie doesn’t deserve–”
“No,” I interrupted, practically giddy that he cared. “Not Dannie. If I see her in a million years, it’ll be too soon.”
“Good. You deserve better than her, Amber.”
I tried not to flush at the sound of my name on his lips, especially when I was trying harder to forget the way it had sounded while he was inside me.
“Would you say Petra was better…?” I hedged.
He looked at me quickly. “You’re hanging out with Petra?”
“It is, thus far, only a plan. Would it be a problem if I followed through?” Why was I sounding so weird? We were almost managing this normal thing and I had to go and be weird about it.
He nodded quickly and cleared his throat. “No. Of course not. It’s not up to me who you hang out with.”
It was a testament to my newfound feelings that I had a moment where I wanted it to be up to him. I wanted to impress him. I wanted him to think I made good decisions, decisions he agreed with. Then I remembered that was stupid and making decisions for a boy was stupid. Although how different really was it than making decisions we thought a friend or our family would think well of us for?
Not the point, I told myself sternly.
“So, it’s okay I’m hanging out with her and it’s okay if I happen to maybe leak a few secrets to her after a couple of drinks?” I pressed.
He smiled at me, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Petra’s good people, Amber. And she knows exactly what the boys and I will do to her if she hurts you.”
I smiled and tried for a joke. “Oh, I’m so uninterested in even thinking about a boyfriend right now.” Which came out so well.
Kit coughed. “Ever?”
When any thought of ‘boyfriend’ currently had me believing no one could ever measure up to Kit and, even if we made a go of it, it couldn’t last? Not really, no. Not that I was going to tell him the express details.
“Outlook not good,” I told him.
He nodded. “Fair enough. Uh, what…? What plans did you and Petra make?”
“She said something about classy bitches at the Mayhew’s front bar on a Friday.”
Kit’s smile was nostalgic. “Yeah. She would.”
“What about you? Plans for tomorrow night?”
He looked at me uncertainly. “Uh. No. Not… Not at the moment. There has been some talk of trashing your high scores, though.”
“Ah. Rollie, I presume?”
“Yep.”
“Well, tell him to have at it.”
Kit blinked. “No. Sure. I will. Permission kind