He’d grown, now he was toned and tattooed everywhere. Conor rocked the sexy professor look with his thick-rimmed glasses and smoldering gaze.
* * *
After catching up with my two favorite guys, I finally felt at peace with how our story abruptly stopped twelve years ago. Conor had gone onto greater things. He was a teacher at my old college, Palmdale University, and he fought horny girls all semester. If he were my teacher in college, I’d be in big trouble, but then again, he was Conor and like a brother to me.
Gross.
Coen, on the other hand, became a famous BMX rider, and I’d need more information before I even pretended to know what that entails. All I could do was cringe, imagining how much it’d hurt. I watched some of those live tournaments where more riders crashed than not.
Now it was my turn. Shit. They’re going to think I’m a porn writer.
“I’m an author,” I finally squeaked.
The pride I carried for my job was unmatched, but Carl had fucked with that part of my confidence, and I no longer enjoyed expressing it to men.
“Oh, Red. You act as if we didn’t stalk you the moment we saw you on B&B.” Conor coughed to cover his fits of chortles.
My hand collided with his chest. “Ass. You could have mentioned that so I didn’t feel so awkward.” My teeth clenched, though I wasn’t really angry.
“We didn’t say we knew what you wrote, but with that blush, I’m sure it’s something every man can appreciate,” Coen teased, making me flush even more.
“Romance, guys, that’s all it is. Romance can be sexy, fun, and adventurous.” The defensiveness in my tone took a whole new level of strength.
Immediately, their hands were in the air.
“Red, chill. Even I enjoy a good smutty read. I’m a teacher with many tastes.”
Conor’s soothing voice made my shoulders relax a bit.
“Maybe you can read me some of your writing, princess. It ought to teach me a thing or two,” Coen taunted. He licked his bottom lip seductively.
The mood changed awfully fast. The desire to get up and run filled my veins. I shouldn’t feel this squirmy. They were my friends. At the same time, friendship was different as kids. It started as joking, comfort, and fun, and ended up being blurred lines and sexual tension all the time.
That was Coen and me.
I wanted to get it over with, to sleep with him and see if it was everything I imagined rather than the crappiness I felt with Carl. Maybe my face gave away how hot and bother it made me because Coen's expression darkened. His eyes were hooded, and the way he drilled his gaze into my soul brought forth a desire I hadn’t felt since high school.
Why didn’t Carl ever watch me like that, as if he wanted to rip off my clothes and fuck me into oblivion? Coen stared at me like Bo stared at Cara in my newest romance. Coen was my real-life version of Bo. I’ve always wanted this, and now that he was giving it to me like a fucking lotto ticket, I didn’t know if I should take it and run or pretend it wasn’t happening and walk away.
Can hot guys lust over curvy girls like me?
Fuck yes, they can!
Coen received a phone call. He answered and nodded as the person spoke. “Yeah, be right there. He moved his attention to Conor. “Dude, I’ve got a gig with my manager. I’m supposed to get my next tour schedule.”
After locking gazes with me for a moment, he sighed, and not one of the satisfying ones either.
“Bye, princess.” He sauntered by, kissed me on the cheek, and left right after.
It takes me a long moment for my heart to calm from the brush of Coen's lips. He kissed me. I might die. My heart hammered, and I felt all these weird tingly emotions bubbling in me. I couldn’t tell if it was rekindled love or straight up lust.
“I’m sort of stuck with my newest book,” I spill, wondering if Conor had awkward dates to help a girl out.
“Now this is interesting.” Conor tapped his chin. He gave me a quizzical expression, scratching his head. “What is Ms. Red writing?”
“A romantic comedy. Cara, my main character, is an author like me, writing about an author who’s online dating. That’s why I went on B&B, for research. Like Cara, I’m going on a shit ton of dates and writing them out. I’m trying to see if they are good, bad, or just fucking weird. I’ve had one of each so far, but I’m sick of doing it. Online dating is like sex. Sometimes it’s fucking mind blowing, sometimes it’s awkward as fuck, and other times, I’d like to fucking run before it ever happens.”
“Now, that’s one helluva analogy. Coen has been with F Girl for a few years, so he can’t really help with your dilemma. But, me? Fuck, I don’t date often, but B&B has given me some crazy bitches!” He rubbed his face with his palm, dragging it down until his fists were beneath his jaw. “They always call men fuckboys, but, Red, these bitches can be fuckgirls. No lie.”
Completely caught off guard, I laughed so hard and clutched my stomach.
“I’m not joking. I’ve tried putting myself out there, but these girls are savage. They act all interested, and then when you feel you are going further in the relationship, they act as if you are clingy. Romance isn’t dead. They just don’t want it.”
“Interesting for sure. I’ve always felt the other way. Aren’t you in it just for sex, though?”
“There are always three sides to a story—his, hers, and the truth. Let me tell you about Breklyn.”
“That name is…no.”
“Anyways, she and I went to San Sauce, a—”
“Chinese restaurant, I’ve been there.”
“Yeah, well, we get seated, and I push her chair in for her.” He paused, squinting his eyes and rubbing his temples. “We get our drinks and order our food. She was sweet and well-mannered, but when the food arrived, she didn’t touch it. That perplexed me. What kind of person doesn’t eat? 'Why?' was my only response. 'I’m so fat, Conor. I don’t know why I ordered this shit.' Red, she was like a size twelve, fourteen tops. She’s not fucking fat.”
“We ladies don’t have a decent self-esteem.”
“I proceeded to tell her how sexy she was, trying to calm her, and she cried! Her makeup smeared and everything. At that point, I didn’t freak out. I got up out of my chair, trying to sooth her in my arms. Yeah, that didn’t make it better.” He rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “She ran to the bathroom, and I sat outside the door like a fucking weirdo…for forty minutes, Red. I knocked on the door, praying she’d come out. I received a text a few minutes later asking if I could leave and she’d find a ride home.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. She was crazy as hell. Even with my low self-esteem, I wouldn’t react that way. My heart kind of hurt for the chick, what if she had mental issues? Like that one woman from White Chicks. My eyes felt like they’d pop out from imagining her reactions to Conor.
He looked at me. His eyes widened, and his forehead creased in disbelief. “Chicks are fucking psycho. You’d think as a grown ass man, I wouldn’t get a bunch of this shit, but I kid you not, B was a loon.” He swirled his finger by his head, creating the crazy expression.