Page 25 of The Best Friend Problem
“I’m on shift starting the day after tomorrow, but shoot me a text whenever.”
“Will do.”
There was a moment. A pause in their goodbye that normally didn’t happen. Under ordinary circumstances she would wave, turn, and head inside. But last night had been anything but ordinary. It seemed they were still trying to find their new footing, even though they’d agreed not to let what happened change their friendship.
You dummy! her brain screamed. Sex always changes everything.
It didn’t have to. They could be two mature adults about this. So why wasn’t she leaving? Why wasn’t she waving? Why the hell was she moving closer to Finn and why was he grasping the back of her neck and pulling her to him?
He tugged her closer, and she came to him, like a moth drawn to an irresistible, dangerous flame.
His head tilted, lips pressing against her own. She opened for him instinctively, allowing his tongue to slip inside. She moaned, deepening the kiss at that first electric spark of his tongue caressing hers. Then, all too quickly, it was over, and he was pulling away.
“See ya, Pru.”
“See ya, Finn.”
Then he was gone. Pulling away on that ridiculous excuse for a vehicle. Leaving her wondering what that was. They’d said sex wouldn’t change anything, so why did he kiss her goodbye? Friends didn’t say goodbye with their lips. Okay, so they did, but not in a tongues-down-each-other’s-throat kind of way.
She headed into her complex, pondering what had just happened and what she should do about it as she made her way to her apartment.
Nothing. She should do nothing because they agreed on as much.
That was just a goodbye kiss. A ‘thanks for the great night’ kind of thing. Right? She didn’t need to think about it or talk about it with anyone. She could just put it in her nice memory box in her brain and move on.
Mind made up, she opened the door to her apartment to be greeted by the sight of Mo and Lilly at the kitchen table going over seating charts.
“I slept with Finn!”
Stupid self! We weren’t supposed to tell anyone.
Oh God, she couldn’t keep it in. She needed to tell someone, talk about it, analyze what the hell just happened. Who better to do that with than her two closest friends? Well, her two closest friends who she hadn’t just slept with, that is.
“What?” Lilly pushed her glasses up her nose, shock dropping her jaw wide.
“Hell yes! I knew it!” Mo pumped her fist in the air, jumping up and doing a little booty shake dance around the table. “Come here, sit. Tell us everything.”
She allowed her roommates to ply her with coffee and cookies as she poured out the entire tale. Minus some of the more private details.
“I knew it,” Mo crowed again, a smug grin on her face. “I knew you two would hook up eventually.”
“So, what now?” Lilly asked, concern marring her brow.
“Nothing now.” At her friends’ confused stares, she continued. “It was a one-time thing. We both agreed. I have plans, baby plans, and Finn doesn’t want anything like that. His job is too dangerous. Too much risk of putting any potential wife and kids through trauma if he were to…” She swallowed past the lump in her throat. She knew Finn’s logic was sound because if he ever died in the line of duty, it would gut her.
And she was just his best friend. She couldn’t imagine what it would do to any wife or children he had.
“We just had to see, I guess. What it would be like. Now it’s out of our systems and we go back to just being friends.”
Mo and Lilly shared a skeptical glance.
“Seriously, you guys. It’s fine.”
Mo crossed her arms over her chest. “Then why did you tell us?”
Because she didn’t like keeping things from her friends. “I don’t know…bragging rights?”
Lilly shook her head. “One night with Finn and you turn into a frat boy.”
