Page 41 of The Friend Zone

She snorted. “I’m a woman. I can go into a bar penniless wearing sweats and a questionable rash and come out with leftovers and a buzz.”

I was laughing at this when her cell phone rang. She reached for her purse and fished out her phone. “It’s Tyler.” She didn’t answer it. She turned off the ringer.

“You’re not going to answer it?” She didn’t answer the last time he called either.

She didn’t make eye contact with me as she put her phone back. “Nah.”

When she finally looked at me, we gazed at each other for a moment.

“Why?” I asked.

One little three-letter word. Such a loaded question. I didn’t want to talk about Tyler. I wanted to talk about why she was ignoring him when she was with me.

The first time had been noteworthy. But this was a statement. Even if she was busy, she still should have answered, just to make sure it wasn’t an emergency. He was in a war zone.

She pulled her feet from my lap. “I just didn’t think you’d want to sit here and listen to me on the phone.” She shrugged.

I wasn’t buying it. I called bullshit. “And what about the other day? That’s two calls you missed. It’s hard to call on deployment.”

“We were watching a movie,” she said defensively.

A weak excuse. A movie we’d both seen half a dozen times. We weren’t even paying attention to it when he’d called. We’d been talking.

“Why aren’t you answering his calls when you’re with me?” She was too honest to deflect a direct question.

I might be reaching. I might hate the answer. I might be totally out of line, but I had to ask it. I had to know if time with me was as important to her as it was for me.

For me, even the seconds mattered.

She stared at me, her lips slightly parted. I could see her struggle with the answer.

Tell me.

Then she looked over my shoulder.

The tow truck had pulled into the lot.

FOURTEEN

Kristen

Thank God. Saved by the tow truck.

Josh gave me a long look before he put his shoulder into the door to get out and meet the driver.

I knew this wasn’t over. He was going to keep asking. I couldn’t do it. I wasn’t going to lie, but I wouldn’t answer. The truth wouldn’t be fair to anyone. What was the point in telling Josh I was hoarding every moment with him? Why?

My feet still tingled where he’d touched them. It radiated through my body like electricity, turning on everything as it went up. The memory of his strong, rough palms made my breath shudder. It was too easy to imagine those hands slipping under my dress.

I’d wanted him to touch me, and he’d offered me a chance to let him do it. I couldn’t say no. I’d let him because it was all I’d ever get.

I put my heels back on, grabbed my purse, and got out to join Josh by the truck. He watched me as he talked to the tow truck driver, and I felt his eyes on me like they were hands.

It was getting chilly. Past midnight. I stood hugging my arms as Josh signed some paperwork on a clipboard. He turned back to me and closed the space between us as the tow truck guy started hooking the car up to the hoist.

“Cold?” Josh peeled off his jacket before I could answer and threw it around my shoulders in a halo of his cologne. I had to fight to keep my face neutral. The jacket was warm from his body, like it was him wrapped around me.

“Thanks,” I said. “I’m sorry this happened. You have work tomorrow morning.”