“He’s just my friend.” I turn on the water and wash my hands, needing something to do, and she joins me at the sink, looking in the mirror at me.
“Please tell me where I can find a friend like him, then.” She rolls her eyes. “He hasn’t stopped touching you and has made it perfectly clear to everyone what his intentions are.”
Hope blooms in my chest. I know what I’ve felt every time he’s touched me, but my judgment is clouded by my feelings for him. I do not want to assume he likes me. I don’t want to think this is more than it is.
She scoffs, crossing her arms over her chest. “He’s totally into you. And your family loves him.”
“I’m happy everyone likes him, Chrissie, but until he makes a move or tells me that we’re more, it is what it is. We’re just friends.”
“Le—” she starts, but I cut her off.
“I’m done playing games.” I turn to face her. “I’m done making the moves in a relationship. I want a guy who knows what he wants. I want a guy who is willing to chase after me for once.”
Her face softens with understanding. “I think you found him, Le.”
I jerk my shoulders up, then let them fall. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I know I’m no longer going to settle. I don’t want a guy who says one thing but means another. I don’t want a man who thinks he’s so perfect he doesn’t have to put effort into a relationship.”
“You’re right.” She bites her lip, glancing away quickly. “You deserve all of that. You deserve a guy who’s willing to put himself out there, a guy who’s willing to fight for you.”
“So do you,” I point out.
My best friend is gorgeous, with shoulder-length auburn hair, bright hazel eyes, and a body made up of tons of curves. She looks like a pinup model, and she’s successful in her own right. She deserves to find someone to make her happy too.
She ignores my comment. “I still like him for you.” She turns toward the mirror and adds, “He’s really nice.”
“He is really nice, which is why he’s my friend.” I grin at her, and she rolls her eyes. “Can we go back to the table now?”
“Sure.” She opens the door and steps out before me.
When we get to the table, Tyler’s eyes roam my face like he’s assessing if I’m okay. I give him a reassuring smile, and he smiles back as I take a seat. After everyone finishes dessert, the kids go downstairs to play, the guys head to the living room to continue watching TV, and all the women go to the kitchen to clean up.
I know for a fact that my brothers do dishes at home and that my dad is usually the one to clean up after whatever meal my mom has cooked for him. Tonight, the women have taken over, because they all want to ask me about Tyler in private. I dodge question after question while we scrub plates, fill the dishwasher, and wipe down the counters. Even though I know they all love me, I wish they would just let things go.
I like Tyler. I like how he holds my hand, I like how he shows up without planning ahead, and I really like how he makes me feel. That said, I don’t want to assume anything. I was with a man for two years, spending every evening at his house and waking in his bed thinking he might be my forever, while he was contemplating his commitment to me. I’m not willing to go through that again. I’m not willing to think this is something more when it’s not.
If he likes me, then he’s going to have to be the one to make the first move. He’s going to have to be the one to step out on the ledge and put himself out there.
When we’re finally done cleaning up the kitchen, we join the guys in the living room. We watch until the end of the game before calling it a night.
After hugs and kisses, Tyler walks me outside, holding my hand until we reach the passenger side of his truck, and then he places me inside. He drives me home and walks me to my door, touching my cheek with his fingertips before he steps back and lets me go, wishing me sweet dreams. Then, like usual, he orders me to lock up. After I’ve gotten into bed and Mouse has curled against my belly, I lie there awake for a long time, thinking about my life, thinking about Tyler, and thinking about what it would be like if he were actually the guy for me.
After I eventually fall asleep, I dream about him kissing me. The next morning when I wake up to bright light shining in on me through the curtains, I’m disappointed that our first kiss only came to me in a dream.