December.
I obviously knew this was her. I’d seen her, but she’d been getting married back then. Not half naked in Ramses’s condo.
And so the sick feeling I’d felt upon going with him, coming here with him, was confirmed. Something had tugged at me that this was a bad idea, and here I was with foreseen bad idea. It flashed at me like a feature presentation. But before I could act, or react, to any of it, Ramses cut between the naked girl and me.
After placing the laptop down on a table, he got a hand behind me but faced her. “Hey, uh. Did you find everything okay?”
I jerked my gaze in his direction. So he wasn’t surprised to see her here? Like this…
Brilliant.
Why I was surprised I didn’t know and at this point, I think the only thing keeping me from fleeing was the fact he’d stood between this girl and me. He literally blocked my way with his huge frame.
“Yeah and the hot water worked great.” She placed a thumb up, casual about it, and I had to say, for someone caught in… whatever this was this girl and him had going on, she didn’t seem panicked. Like she’d been caught or whatever. If anything, she stood casually as if this were normal when it certainly wasn’t. She placed her hands out to me. “And I hope I didn’t interrupt anything…”
She hadn’t, a wake-up call for me but again, Ramses was blocking my way from getting the hell out of dodge.
“Bri and I were running.” He placed his big body in front of me like he knew my plans to leave, angling completely around me. He shoved a thumb back. “Bri, you know December. From the wedding?” Yeah, I knew of her. She’d been getting married at the time, and I’d shake her hand if she wasn’t wet, in a towel, and this wasn’t completely weird. He dampened his lips. “She’s using my shower. Hot water is on the fritz in her place. I told you she’s renting from me. I’ve called someone to fix it.”
Each word came out more rushed than the last, and at this point, I knew he was attempting to save face. That he knew that I knew this was weird, and why he felt the need, I had no idea. This, whatever he was doing, was his business.
And we were just friends.
Instead of shaking the girl’s hand because she was in a towel and this was just too freaking much, I lifted my hand. “Hi. Brielle. I was at the wedding. I’m a friend of Ramses’s mom. I was her plus one.”
Since Ramses faced in my direction, I completely saw what he did after what I said. How his body went rigid, how his eyes closed. I’d said his mom was my friend.
And it’d been deliberate.
The two of us had had a good time, a great time in fact, and so good, I’d let a few things slip. I got too settled in his friendship and completely dismissed my instincts or the ability to make good decisions. I’d allowed him to carry me along into this friendship, to completely forget that he hadn’t actually gotten out of my seminar and indulging in our back and forth exchange whether it be via his texts or simply seeing his face a couple times a week in class. I did that because I wanted to be around him. I wanted it so desperately that I allowed a few things to slide.
December smiled at how I’d introduced myself, her expression sweet as if it was nice. Nice what I told her about Ramses and me. Her smile widened. “Oh, that’s great. I’m sorry I didn’t see you that night. Did you have a good time at least?”
“Great.” I nodded, keeping my sight on her. But in my periphery a waiting Ramses cuffed his arms, his head hanging. He probably had a few things to say here but at the present couldn’t. I smiled at December. “The whole event was simply lovely and congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
That was my cue.
I didn’t know what game these two were playing. Maybe there wasn’t a game. Maybe she was just using his shower. Either way, it was my time to leave. I braced my arms. “I should be going. I have to head back to Maywood Heights tonight. I teach over at the university but live there. Long drive, so better get at it.”
“Of course. And good to meet you.”
She’d said it at my back because I’d used her distraction to cut around Ramses. I’d gotten to the door as he hit his living room.
“Brielle.”
He said it to me as if I were scolded, as if I were a child when the only childish person seemed to be him in this moment. Really, I didn’t know what was going on here. Frankly, I didn’t care. I left the situation, hit the exit, because I was hurt.
And that scared me.
I was hurt by something I didn’t understand. I was invested, and I hated that. I opened the door, but Ramses put his hand on it. “Let me leave.”
“I will.” And then he lifted his hand, freeing me up to leave but not before angling me around by the shoulder. “But not until you talk to me.”
He made me face him full on, standing solid in front of me. I toed into my shoes, but when he started to do the same, I held him back. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?” He jerked a head toward the door. “I’m going with you so we can finish our run.”
“You’re not.”
“I am because you’re not leaving this situation thinking whatever you’re thinking.”
“Which is what exactly, Ramses?”
He gave me a look like it was obvious. “You thinking whatever you’re thinking about December and me.”
“I’m not thinking about anything.”
“Right. Sorry, Bri, but I’m calling bullshit on that. You’re thinking things when you don’t need to be thinking things. December is using my shower. She warned me she might be using it because her hot water isn’t working. I told you. I’ve called someone for it—”
“But that’s the thing. You don’t need to tell me.”
“I do.” He cut in front of me, the door closed via his back. Pushing off it, he simmered above me. I’d yet to see Ramses truly panicked. Frustrated, yes. I’d seemed to have done that countless times to him in a span of merely a few weeks. Even still, he always regained his cool rather quickly.
He wasn’t now, like he had actual fear in his eyes. Fear of me leaving or… whatever, and that told me something really strong.
He was way too invested too.
He was way too into this too. We were friends, yes, but we were both way too emotionally invested.
“I do because it matters to you,” he continued, his lips parted. “It means something. December is my friend.”
“Like we’re friends?” I directed my gaze up to him, his eyes flashing.
He shook his head, slow. “Bri—”
“Why haven’t you dropped my class, Ramses?” I wet my lips. “Why are we playing this game?”
“No game.” He came forward. He pushed a hand into his curls. “And you are my friend. December’s my friend too, but there’s a difference.”
“What?” My throat thickened, my swallow tight. “What’s the difference?”
“She’s my friend by choice,” he admitted, eyes scanning mine. “And though that may not have always been the case, back then with our history, it is now. She’s my friend by choice. A choice I made.”