Page 47 of Irresistibly Us
“Fuck, you’re my favorite human,” she says, collapsing into a stool. “Should I ask you what’s going on with the house? I feel like I should ask you because I’m a strong, independent woman who can definitely deal with home repairs, but fuck, I hate home repairs. I hate everything that has to do with home improvement unless I’m improving it by painting my walls bright colors or finding fun art or rearranging the living room furniture again to find the optimal TV watching configuration. Everything else bores me to tears.”
Maybe it should surprise me how much I want to help her. How much I want to take this entire home renovation off Sophie’s shoulders. To tell her she doesn’t have to even think about it if she doesn’t want to. But somehow, it doesn’t. And luckily, I can do exactly that.
Reaching across the island, I flick her bracelets and link myfinger with hers. “I’ve got you, Sal. I kill at an offseason project, and I think this is going to be my favorite one yet. Home renovation details will be dispensed to you on a need-to-know basis, and right now, you don’t need to know. Tonight, all you need to do is eat the extremely excellent spaghetti and meatballs I made, followed by the peanut butter cup ice cream in the freezer, all while watching a movie. I’m thinkingMy Best Friend’s Wedding.”
Sophie wrinkles her nose, just like I knew she would. “You know how I feel about that movie. It’s not a rom-com, Ty. It just fucking isn’t. She tries to break up a happy couple, only to end up alone, watching her best friend—who she’s in love with—marry someone else. It’s subversive to the genre, not to mention depressing as fuck. I hate it and I’m definitely not watching it tonight.”
I chuckle at her long-established hatred for this particular movie, standing and walking around the island to drop a kiss on her head. The scent of her strawberry shampoo fills my senses, and I get a brief moment ofwhat the fuckas my stomach swoops. Trying to collect myself before Sophie realizes exactly where my head went, I return to my side of the island. “Of course we’re not watchingMy Best Friend’s Wedding. I just like listening to you rail about the injustice of Jules ending up alone.”
Sophie sniffs, crossing her arms and giving me an epic side-eye. “You’re an asshole.”
I grin and shrug. “Maybe, but for the time being, you live with me, and this asshole made you dinner and is going to let you pick the movie even though it’s technically my turn.”
“It’s the least you can do,” she grumbles, and I laugh because Sophie is almost always sunshine, so when grumpy Soph comes out to play it’s mostly hilarious. “We’re watchingShe’s All That.”
“Fuck yes!” I fist pump the air. “The DVD has amaking ofdocumentary with behind-the-scenes footage. Excellent choice.”
“I know,” Sophie says smugly, standing from her chair. “But before we do anything, I need to change because this day has been an endless mess of fuckery, and no way am I watching amovie without pajamas.” Then she groans, collapsing back onto her stool. “Fuck, I forgot I wore the pajamas I had here last night and all my clothes are waterlogged. I meant to stop somewhere for necessities on the way back and totally forgot.” She folds her arms over the island and drops her head on her forearms, her hair spilling over the light stone of the island. “I hate this day.”
“Let’s go,” I order, taking her hand and tugging gently until she lifts her head.
“Go where?”
“Upstairs. So you can change.”
Her look givesAre you stupid or just an idiot?and I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing because I prefer my balls right where they are. “What part ofI don’t have any clothes heredon’t you understand?”
Thrilled with her response, I pull her up off the stool and grab her hand, leading her to the stairs, excited as fuck for her to see what’s waiting at the top.
CHAPTER TEN
SOPHIE
“Why are we walking so fast?” I grumble again as Tyler pulls me up the stairs like we’re contestants inThe Amazing Race,and I try to ignore how good it feels for his fingers to be laced between mine. I’m truly a hopeless case because my house is completely destroyed, I’m temporarily living in Tyler’s house with literally only the clothes on my back that don’t even belong to me, and yet all I can think about is how much I like holding his hand.
Pathetically in love, party of one.
“Keep up, Soph.” There’s a smile in Tyler’s voice that turns into a full-blown grin when he stands in front of the closed door to the guest room I generally claim as my own. A grin that gives me butterflies.
Dammit.
I thought I had my shit under control after the chat I had with football guy on the way home. It was exactly the distraction I needed after wading through the ocean in my house first thing this morning and then going straight to work and facing the factthat I will be living with Tyler for the foreseeable future with no place to hide from my feelings for him.
It was cute.
It was bantery.
It was fun.
It made me wonder whether maybe these pesky feelings could be a thing of the past after all.
But then I walked into the house and there was Tyler, looking stupid hot in gray joggers and a black Renegades hoodie, hair all disheveled and blue eyes sparkling as he grinned at me and stirred the meatballs he had cooking on the stove.
He cooked. For me. My favorite comfort meal of all time. He didn’t give me one single ounce of the mental load over what’s going on at my house, and he let me pick the movie even though this friendship takes its movie selection schedule very, very seriously.
Mother of fuck, if I wasn’t already head over heels, irreparably in love with him, the last twenty minutes would have done it.
Always hyper aware of the fact that my face tends to give away exactly what I’m thinking at any given moment, I school my expression and give Tyler what I hope is an exasperated look. “Are you going to show me what’s in that room, or are you counting on my X-ray vision to see inside?”
