I wiggled my lips. I didn’t want to admit it but I was suddenly worried by how casual Emmett was. I’d been just about losing my mind over him all morning. It felt like I’d become a new person – that everything in my world was about to be different. I was so sure that what happened between Emmett and me last night was turn-your-life-upside-down crazy, but apparently, I was alone in feeling that way.
Maybe I’d just over read things.
The thought crossed my mind just as Evie arched an eyebrow.
“Aly…? Still waiting.”
“Oh! It’s nothing. I mean I know this is gonna sound stupid,” I whispered hastily. “But I just thought he’d have… more to say to me?” I cringed at myself as I shrugged. “And be more excited to see me? Oh God, I sound like an idiot.”
“Stop it,” Evie scolded. “You don’t sound like an idiot. You’re just over-thinking things because you like him.”
I wrinkled my nose. My instinct was to deny it but there was no point anymore. I liked Emmett Hoult – to the point that I was getting irrationally jealous that he was sitting with Britt right now and not me. Good Lord.
“He was totally excited to see you before. Don’t hold it against him that he didn’t have an over-the-top reaction. Boys are just like that,” Evie said. “I mean Mike definitely is,” she muttered before pursing her lips for a second and frowning at me. “Was it what Britt just said? About some ten-day rule?”
“No,” I said emphatically, though I wasn’t sure if I was telling the truth.
“Are you upset because you were expecting him to want to do something bigger than delivery and TV? Like, were you expecting a more formal date?”
I blinked. “I don’t think so.” But now that you mention it, kind of.
Evie wiggled her lips. “I don’t know, Aly… I guess it’s just hard to follow a night like last night. You know?” She shrugged. “Maybe he’s tired. I mean the man did work last night. He pounded two orgasms outta you. I’m sure that’s no easy feat.”
Teddy cleared his throat at the raw bar.
“Okay, for the most part, I agree with you, but ya gotta stop,” I whispered, though I did manage to laugh at my best friend. “We’re gonna get sued for sexual harassment, so let’s just… stop talking completely for a bit.”
“And what? Listen to Britt fawn all over Emmett like a frickin’ cornball?” Evie made a face. I paused as we both took a second to easily eavesdrop on their meeting.
“Emmett, you know I’m going to be dressed to the nines for this party. I’m gonna look so good you’re gonna have to help me swat the men away.”
One line from her and we looked at each other and closed our laptops.
“You wanna work in the office?” Evie asked.
I nodded. “Yeah. Let’s do it.”
21
ALY
By the time I got home that evening, I was slightly less rattled and on edge as I’d been all morning. The lunch rush helped. Joking around with Evie helped, and so did the fact that we each had a glass of wine toward the end of the shift.
Maybe that was what had me moving so slowly as I tried to find the right key to the door. It felt like awhile since I’d done it, and I kept putting in the wrong one. But thankfully, after ten seconds of struggling, Emmett opened it from inside for me.
“Hey. Right on time.”
“Actually, I’m super late – there was some receipt drama at closing.”
Emmett blinked over at the clock, making a face that said oh damn when he realized I was in fact home much later than promised. But with that easy shrug of his, he simply nodded out the door.
“All good. We’ll just leave now to make up for it.”
I blinked. “Wait – leave now? I thought we were doing delivery and the game.”
“Did I say delivery?” Emmett asked, smirking in a way that made me suddenly frown and play back our conversation from the morning.
“I… think, yes? I mean you said sushi...”