Page 40 of Pretty Thing

His eyes narrow and I clear my throat.

“Felix, these are my best friends. Kris and Kyle.” I awkwardly point with my thumbs.

He smiles, but I still feel like I’ve been cheating, which is insane.

“Nice to meet you,” Felix says, holding up two massive bags of Chinese food. “Good thing I couldn’t decide what to get and bought the whole menu.”

“Oh my gosh, you didn’t have…” He cocks an eyebrow, stopping me mid-sentence. “Thank you,” I say instead.

“Here, let me help you,” Kris says, jumping up with a wide smile and taking the bags. My stomach growls when I smell the food.

I’m compelled to explain who Felix is when Kyle gives me a look that clearly says, who the fuck is that?

“Felix rescued me from the crash. He’s been really sweet and helping me.”

Kris covers her mouth, tears running down her cheeks. She takes Felix by surprise when she wraps her arms around him. I press my lips together to stifle the laugh at the look on his face. It’s easy to see he has no idea what to do with Kris’s sudden outburst of emotion.

Once Kris finally lets Felix out of her iron-like hug, Kyle gets up and offers to shake hands. As they do, a knot in my chest loosens.

“I’ll go get plates,” Kris announces and scampers off.

“I’ll go help her,” Kyle says, leaving me alone with Felix.

Felix walks over, his eyes fixed on mine, and there it is…the flutter in my chest as my sanity slowly slips away. Gripping the back of the couch, he bends over and softly kisses my cheek.

“Are you okay?”

The raspiness in his voice has me thinking all sorts of wicked things.

“I am.”

“Did you eat after you took your meds?”

“No.”

He tips my chin up, his face hovering inches above mine. “What am I going to do with you?” If that isn’t a loaded question. “You need to take care of yourself when I’m not here, Eden.” His fingers tightening slightly on my chin. “Okay?”

I lick my lips, throat dry as images from the shower dance the rumba behind my eyelids.

“Yes, I will. Promise.”

“That’s my Pretty Thing,” he says with a tiny smirk that shuts down all brain function. Everything is silent. The world disappears except for him and his eyes. “I had a really rough day, but knowing that I was coming to see you after work got me through.”

With a smile, he stands up straight. I jump as if a balloon has just popped beside me when Kris and Kyle wander in with plates, cutlery, and drinks.

Felix sits down in Kyle’s vacated seat, his leg touching mine. I glance at the side of his face as he helps pull out the numerous food containers. Felix hasn’t commented, but there is tension in the air when he and Kyle look at one another. It’s palpable. It’s not strong enough for me to put my finger on…but there is definitely something.

Why are guys so weird?

“Felix, you look really familiar,” Kris comments as she fills her plate. “Did you go to St. Thomas?”

He does look a little familiar, but if Felix had been at our school, I feel sure I would’ve remembered him.

Felix shakes his head.

“No, I was at Father Tobin’s Catholic School. It was the full navy and grey uniform for me.”

He rolls his eyes, but I’ve always secretly loved the way the private school guys look in their blazers and dress pants. Uniforms are very academy chic. Kris and I would fan ourselves when a group of guys walked past at a joint sporting event. Too few high schools in the area means that the public and catholic schools compete against each other in pretty much everything.