Chapter 34 #3
“Hey, Anni.” Reid bumps my wrist, and I look up at him again. Sigh, I could get lost in those green eyes for the rest of my life. “Whose car do you want to take to the concert?”
“Well, considering your truck only has one bench seat, we should probably take my hatchback so the four of us can fit. Unless Tyler wants to drive,” I reply, and I hear Chloe clear her throat.
“Yeah, about that, I can’t go to the concert.” This is news. She would have mentioned to me earlier that she couldn’t go. “Tyler can’t either.”
“What? Since when? We already got our outfits picked out.”
She gives me a weird look and bugs her eyes a bit. I look at Tyler, who also seems confused but hasn’t said anything.
“I got roped in at the last minute to oversee an event at work. The other manager is going to be out of town, and they need a manager there, so that leaves me. Plus, Tyler said he’d volunteer to help.”
I squint my eyes at her, then to Tyler, who is slowly nodding.
That is total bullshit. First of all, Chloe is the only manager at her location.
Second of all, what kind of event is it, and why is she just mentioning it now?
We’d all be down to go to the event to keep her company.
She’s up to something. I go to open my mouth to protest, but she waves it off.
“You guys go without us, please.”
We look over at Tyler. “I totally spaced that I said I’d help out. You know me, I can’t go back on my good word. It would ruin my glowing reputation,” he says. Reid is also squinting his eyes at his friend.
Reid looks over to me and lifts a shoulder. “Do you mind if we take my truck then? No offense, but your driving scares me.”
My mouth falls agape. “What? I’m a great driver.” Now they are all wincing.
“No offense, Anni, but I’m always holding on for dear life when you are driving. You act like you are a race car driver just because your car is red,” Chloe says.
“Ever wonder why I take my SUV and drive separately when you volunteer to drive?” Tyler asks with big eyes, looking away and taking a sip of his drink.
I give them both a dramatic eye roll. “Fine, we can take your truck. But I want to leave early so we can check out the merch booth ahead of time. Plus, it’s an hour away.”
Reid reaches up to give me a fist bump, and I return it to him with a smirk.
It doesn’t take me thirty seconds before we are past our front door to turn to Chloe and say, “What the hell are you up to?”
She returns a sly smile and plops down on the couch just as Dandy finds her and curls around her, wanting pets. “I’ve been watching you two closely since you confessed your love for Reid to me.”
“I don’t love him. Okay…maybe a little bit, but go on.”
Now she’s the one to give me an eye roll.
“First of all, Miss Delusional, you love him a lotta bit. You always have. Second of all, ten thousand percent he feels the same way. I can see it when you two look at each other. It’s different when he looks at me or anyone else.
Or when Tyler looks at you. When Reid looks at you, his whole demeanor softens, and his eyes get all sparkly.
Like what you are saying or doing is the most important thing in his life.
He leans closer to you and it pains him to look away. ”
“Are you reading romance books again?”
“No…maybe…whatever, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I am right, and I saw my chance to finally help you. I meant it when we cried over pancakes a few weeks ago, you always help me, and not only do I want to help myself, but I want to be there for you when you need it.”
“So, you lied. You don’t have an event.”
“Of course not. You know my work schedule better than I do. I was worried you were going to ruin my whole plan.”
“Wait, if there’s no event, then why did Tyler go along?” I ask.
“Tyler was a wildcard I threw in, and I am pleasantly surprised he followed my lead. I have a feeling he is picking up on the feelings between you and Reid too.”
“Pssht, doubt that.”
“He’s Reid’s best friend. Reid definitely told him about your history. I think he’s on Team Annid.”
“Annid?”
“Your couple's name, or it could be Reika. Oooo, that’s kinda beautiful. Maybe I’ll name my firstborn after you two.”
I am so flabbergasted by these events that I can’t help but fall back smiling, Chloe joining in.
“Chloe, are you sure? Am I sure about this?”
“Do whatever feels right. Even if you don’t do anything yet, you and he can have a few hours alone, and it should help you decide what to do.”
A bundle of emotions builds up in my stomach. I don’t know if it’s nerves or excitement or joy or gratitude or maybe all of it at once tumbling together. “Thank you, Chloe. I’ll buy you some merch.”
“It’s the least you can do, honestly. I’m absolutely gutted that I’m missing the concert for my fake work event. Okay, Dandy, your fur is too warm, and I’m melting, get off of me, please.”
“Will you help me pick an outfit? Because now it’s just me and Reid. I want to look hot and confident.”
“Duh.” And with that, we scurry off to my bedroom, and it feels like we are freshmen in college again, planning outfits while giddy feelings bubble through me.