Sugar Rush (Friend-Zoned 3)

She bunches up her nose. “Yeah, well, you smell bad. And that’s not even a joke. Get upstairs and wash your stinky butt.” We make our way upstairs together while I half-listen to Nat tell me about her day. When we reach our apartments, she pushes me to my door. “You got a half-hour to get ready. And by half-hour, I really mean twenty minutes.”

As soon as I unlock my apartment door, I fish my wallet and work ID out of my pocket and throw them onto the counter. Holding my cell in my hand, I quickly type out a text.

Me: I’m so sorry, James. I understand you’ll probably want to stay away from me, but I need to know. Are we still friends?

A minute passes before my cell pings.

James ‘The Boss’ Whittaker: Of course.

My gut clenches. Great. From hugging and joking, to a two-word response. Talk about being demoted. I walk from the kitchen into the bathroom. I throw on the light and step inside. “Motherfucker!” I shriek as I’m attacked from behind. Needle sharp teeth bite into my ankle and teeny claws firmly wrap around my foot. As I lift my foot high in the air and shake it, kitten securely attached, I wonder if today can possibly get any worse.

Surely not.

At least, I hope not.

Chapter Sixteen

Helena

“I mean, I just don’t see the need for them, is all. They look so poofy and stupid. Who the hell uses them these days anyways?” questions Nat. I’ve only been half-listening to her as we drive from the apartments to Nik and Tina’s house. “Hello? Earth to Helen!”

That catches my attention. “Don’t call me Helen, bitch.”

She turns in her seat to look at me in the back seat while Ash drives. “We’re discussing something serious here. I need you to tell me I’m right.”

Looking out the car window, I rest my chin on my balled fit and sigh. “Sorry. What are we discussing?”

“The banning of the cravat worldwide.”

I bunch my nose. “We’re Croatian. Croatians invented the cravat. In fact, cravat is a French term meaning ‘in the style of the Croat’. I don’t want

to ban the cravat. Ties exist because of the cravat. I like the cravat. I like ties too.”

This has peaked her interest. Her brows rise. “No shit?”

I nod. “No shit.”

She turns in her seat. Then she announces, “I say we get the cravat back into fashion. I’ll discuss with Tina.” Smirking, I look into the rearview mirror to find Asher looking at me. My smile falls and I quickly look away. Stupid man. Stupid, nosey man. Ruining my life and such.

Finally, we arrive at Tina’s house. As soon as we’re parked, Nat jumps out and heads towards the front door. I move to follow, but a hand at my elbow stops me. “Wait.”

My shoulders stiffen at Asher’s urgent tone. “What?”

“We need to talk.”

Snatching my elbow from his grip, I walk away from him. “No. We most certainly do not.”

When I walk inside, I find Tina there rubbing her swollen belly. She smiles at me. “Hey, sweetie!”

I hug her tightly. “Hey, sexy mama.”

She squeezes me. “I feel so bad for not having you over earlier, but with the kids, and work, and everything in between,” she frowns, “I really don’t have a good excuse other than I’ve been busy.”

We pull away from each other and I reach for her hand. “You’re busy incubating my nieces or nephews. You’re forgiven. A thousand times over.”

It’s almost as if she can’t help herself. She grips my cheeks and kisses them both. “I love you.”

“Love you more, Teeny.”