Friends Don't

Chapter Thirty Six

"Wait, so you two really admitted you like each other?" Lana asked me for the fourth time.

I exhaled loudly. "Yes, Lana."

It was two in the afternoon and I was at work. Susan was out for the afternoon and left me in charge to run the place by myself, which I was trying to do a good job of, but I had Lana following me around like a puppy nipping at my ankles.

Just as I had made my way around to the back of the counter Lana threw her arms up and let her hands slap down against the glass counter. She had the biggest smile. "I can't believe you two, finally confessed your love for each other!"

"Whoa, what?" I exclaimed, almost dropping the pile of clothes in my hand when the ground tripped me from hearing those words. "When did I say that?"

"Well, you didn't exactly, but it's pretty evident."

"No, it's not evident, Lana."

Just as she was about to ramble on some more the bell above the door dinged and in walked a customer. "Thank goodness," I whispered under my breath, and started making my way over to the woman, but not before turning to Lana and saying, "sorry, business calls."

It was quite ironic how I talked about Lana and then all of a sudden I was the puppy nipping at this customer's ankles. I'm pretty sure she was tired of me after five minutes, but I stuck by her long enough for Lana to become fed up with me and walk out.

With a quick, "sorry" to the poor woman who just gave me a puzzled look, I made my way back to the counter. I know she had no idea what was going on, but with a glance, I could tell she felt a lot more at ease with my keeping distance while she lingered around the store.

Thankfully, she still purchased a couple of items even after I annoyed her. She never said I did, but I could almost bet money on it that I did, and I wouldn't blame her if she did feel that way.

Susan called an hour before closing time and I ended up working the rest of the day alone and closing up shop.

It was about six-thirty and I had nowhere else to go but home. My feet were ready for me to sit on the couch or lay in bed, whichever happened first, but my head wasn't ready.

Grayson and I hadn't really talked since admitting our feelings. This morning we saw each other for maybe two seconds as we both rushed out the door to go about our days. You would think after telling each other something would have happened that night but it didn't. Not even five minutes after their was a knock on the door and Lana and Derek had arrived for movie night.

Movie night was something we had started recently, just a way for us all to get together since they still lived on campus and Grayson and I shared an apartment, so we didn't see each other as often as we used to.

Even though I should have remembered movie night, I didn't, but could you really blame me? With all he built up frustration and then us admitting what I thought neither of us would ever say, movie night just wasn't a top priority in my mind.

As I walked in the front door, Grayson was sat on the couch and he looked over at me, the noise of the door opening announcing my arrival. A part of me hoped he would be in bed already, but how stupid is that really? It was only nearing seven and he didn't go to sleep until around midnight.

"Hey," I said nonchalantly as I tossed my purse onto the kitchen counter and then just stood there looking at him like a weirdo.

"Hey?" he replied but it came off as more of a confused question. Obviously, my odd behavior was noticeable.

"What's up?" I asked, again in the same tone.

His brows raised. "Nothing." Then his brows fell, scrunched inwards as he stared questioningly at me. "What's up with you?"

I had no idea why I was acting like a complete moron, even when I asked myself, in my own head of course, I couldn't answer the question.

"Nothing, I'm just tired." That wasn't a complete lie. I was tired, but to say that's the reason I was acting like I was, well, that's probably not one hundred percent true.

He patted the spot next to him on the couch. "Well, come sit and relax."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and made my way over to the couch. When I sat down, I could feel my heart pounding.

Still, I wasn't sure what was up with me. I didn't act this way around anyone, especially have never acted this way around Grayson. What? Us saying we like each other all of a sudden made me some nervous wimp around him? No other guy has ever made me act like this.

It was quiet for a moment before I blurted, "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm acting so weird." I closed my eyes and my face scrunched a little. Why did I say that? He never even said anything about me acting weird.

He laughed, probably at my expression. "You're not acting weird," he said, and then I opened my eyes and turned to him, questioningly, which he then said, "Okay, maybe a little weird."

"I know, I'm sorry," I apologized again.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for. This whole thing has been kind of weird."

"How so?"

He turned to face me, pulling his knee up onto the couch and tucking his foot under his leg. "I just mean us arguing and not really talking, and then when we finally do and things seem to be looking up, we're interrupted and our conversation never really continued."

"What else is there to say?" I asked, winning Ellie Knight another face palm. There was so much more to say.

"Are we just going to pretend we didn't admit our feelings for each other?" he asked and when I didn't reply he continued, "are we just going to admit our feelings and do nothing?" and when I still said nothing, he asked, "are we going to act on our feelings?"

That last question. That was the million-dollar question right there. Part of me wanted to, but a part of me felt hesitant and I wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because we had a pretty good friendship, and relationships can ruin that.

"Do you want to act on our feelings?" I asked him.

He was so quick to answer. "I do."

"You do?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I do. You don't know how bad I want to kiss you right now. How bad I've wanted to kiss you since last night."

My mouth spoke before my brain could intervene. "Then kiss me."

He wasted no time leaning in and letting our lips meet. I was a bit tense at first, but quickly relaxed as I let myself really feel his soft lips against mine, moving in sync, and my body fell into his pushing him back onto the couch.

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