Page 26 of Left on Read
Laughing, we climbed out of my car and headed into the brewery.
The past few days had been confusing as hell, and I still had no idea what was going on with River and why he wanted to hang out with me tonight. But he was, so rather than obsess and freak out, I was going to relax and enjoy it.
Or at least I was going to try.
5
RIVER
“Whatcha doing?” Nick leaned over my shoulder and peered at my phone screen.
“Messaging someone,” I muttered, searching through my gallery to find the meme I wanted to send Hayden.
“I thought you were done with online dating?” Quinn settled next to me on the bench.
“I am. This is a…a new friend,” I fumbled a bit on how to describe Hayden. We were becoming friends, but that didn’t feel like the right word.
I finally found the screenshot and sent it.
“Sorry, did you need something?” I asked Nick.
He gave me a weird look. “Nope, just wondering what’s going on with you.”
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit.” Gray settled on the chair across from where the three of us sat. “You might be able to fool these guys.” He waved at Quinn and Nick. “But I see you every day at work. Something’s up.”
I shrugged and leaned against the wall behind me.
The back room at Crimson was quieter than usual. Everyone seemed to be in a low-key mood.
“That!” Nick pointed at my nose. “That’s the look I’m talking about. That’s not your River face. That’s your ‘I’m overwhelmed and need to talk to my besties’ face.”
“It is?” I blinked at him.
“It is.” Gray lightly nudged my shin with his foot.
Quinn cleared his throat. “I’ve got to go…talk to Biggs,” he said, referencing our boss.
“Do you actually need to talk to him, or are you excusing yourself because you don’t think you’re included in the bestie council?” Nick reached over me and grabbed Quinn’s arm as he started to stand.
“Um…”
“Sit.” I shot him a small smile. “In case you haven’t noticed, you’re one of us now.”
“Yup!” Nick jumped up and sat on Quinn’s lap, effectively pinning him in place. “No escaping. Once we claim you, you’re ours. I don’t make the rules. I just enforce them.”
Quinn smirked and shifted Nick on his lap. “You’re like a human-sized teddy bear.”
“You just noticed that now?” Nick snickered and draped one arm over Quinn’s shoulders so he could sit with his body facing me, making a little huddle of sorts with Gray.
Nick was one of the most tactile people I’d ever met, and he gave the best platonic cuddles. His energy was so pure and bright, and my dark mood lifted as my friends turned their attention to me.
“What’s going on?” Gray asked.
I glanced around the room to make sure Zane was still doing his set. It wasn’t that I was trying to hide anything from him, but he’d noticed I was off too, and I was running out of excuses.
“I honestly don’t know.” I chewed on the corner of my lip. “I’m just…”