Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Geraldine
I sat on the edge of my bed, my suitcase zipped shut beside me, and the room was dim as the afternoon faded into evening.
My eyes were puffy from crying earlier, but I’d calmed down enough to stop the tears.
The house hummed with noise downstairs, Cosmo’s laugh and Christian’s low voice carried up, and I knew I couldn’t leave tomorrow without talking to them.
I wiped my face with my sleeve, took a deep breath, and headed down, my boots thudding softly on the stairs.
They were in the kitchen and sprawled at the table with beers, and they looked up when I walked in, their grins wide and easy.
“Hey, Geri,” Cosmo said and kicked a chair out for me, his voice bright. “Are you finally joining the party?”
“Yeah,” Christian said and leaned back and sipped his beer. “We thought you’d stay up there all day.”
I didn’t sit and stand by the counter, my hands twisted together in front of me. “I need to talk to you guys,” I said, and kept my voice steady, my eyes flicking between them. “Before I go tomorrow.”
Cosmo’s grin faded a bit, and he set his beer down. “What’s up?” he said and tilted his head. “You sound serious.”
“I am,” I said and stepped closer, my fingers gripping the edge of the counter behind me. “It’s about how I’ve been feeling with you two.”
Christian raised an eyebrow and put his beer on the table, his smirk softened. “Feeling?” he said and leaned forward. “What do you mean?”
I swallowed and looked at them, their faces open but unsure, and started talking.
“You guys are sweet,” I said and nodded slowly.
“I liked hanging out with you and the way you made me laugh. But I’ve been falling for someone else, and it’s changed things for me.
I don’t feel right about how close we’ve gotten. ”
Cosmo frowned and ran a hand through his hair. “Wait,” he said and sat up straighter. “Are you saying you didn’t like it with us?”
“No,” I said quickly and shook my head. “I did at first. It was fun. But now it doesn’t feel good anymore. I want to be with just him, and I feel bad about letting it go on.”
Christian rubbed his neck and dropped his eyes to the table. “Shit, Geri,” he said and looked back at me. “We didn’t mean to take advantage of you.”
“Yeah,” Cosmo said and leaned forward, his voice softened. “We thought you were cool with it. We’re sorry if we pushed you.”
“I know,” I said and sighed, my hands loosened a little. “I went along with it, too. I’m not mad. I just needed you to know I can’t keep doing this.”
Cosmo stood and stepped closer, his hands shoved in his pockets. “Hey,” he said, and met my eyes. “We’re sorry. We like you a lot and didn’t see it was off for you.”
“It’s okay,” I said and gave a small smile. “You didn’t know. I should’ve said something sooner.”
Christian nodded and stood too, his beer stayed on the table. “We messed up,” he said and rubbed his jaw. “We’re sorry, Geri. Can we still be friends?”
“Yeah,” Cosmo said and bumped my shoulder lightly. “Friends work. No more grabbing, promise.”
“Friends sounds good,” I said and laughed quietly, the tension in my chest eased a bit. “You can still tease me, though. Just keep it friendly.”
“Deal,” Cosmo said and grinned more softly now. “I’ll sneak a hug sometimes, though.”
“Try it,” I said and smirked back, and crossed my arms. “I’ll shove you off.”
“Fair,” Christian said and chuckled and leaned against the table. “Are you sure you’re good with this?”
“I will be,” I said and nodded. “Leaving’s the right move. I need to get back to my shop and sort myself out.”
“Gonna miss you,” Cosmo said and stepped closer again, his voice dropping playfully. “Who’s gonna boss us around?”
“You’ll figure it out,” I said and nudged him with my elbow. “You’ve got each other.”
“Yeah,” Christian said and sipped his beer, his smirk turned sly. “But we’ll miss our favorite troublemaker.”
“Too bad,” I said and laughed ssoftlyand shook my head. “You’ll have to find a new one.”
Cosmo grabbed a beer from the fridge and handed it to me, his fingers brushed mine lightly. “One for the road?” he said and grinned. “Friends’ toast?”
“Sure,” I said and took it and twisted the cap off. “To what?”
“To you,” Christian said and raised his bottle. “Best friend we’ve had around here.”
“Cheers,” Cosmo said and clinked his bottle against mine and then Christian’s. “Don’t forget us, okay?”
“No chance,” I said and clinked back and sipped the cold beer, the fizz calmed my nerves. They sat again, and I pulled a chair close and joined them. “You’re too noisy to forget.”
“Good,” Christian said and leaned back, his foot nudging mine under the table. “Gotta keep you thinking about us.”
“Always,” Cosmo said and winked and grabbed a piece of bread from the basket on the table. “You’re stuck with us as pals.”
“Lucky me,” I said and smirked and tore off a piece of his bread and popped it in my mouth. “Just don’t show up at my shop without warning.”
“No promises,” Christian said and laughed, his grin wide again. “Might need some city style.”
“Yeah,” Cosmo said and leaned in, his voice teasing. “Gotta see you running the show.”
“Bring it,” I said and kicked his shin lightly and laughed as he yelped. “I’ll make you sweep the floor.”
“Deal,” he said and rubbed his shin, and still grinned. “We’re cool, right?”
“Yeah,” I said and nodded, my smile felt real now. “We’re cool.”
We sat there a while, the beer cold in my hand, and their chatter picked up again, light and easy, and I let it fill the space.
They teased me about my packing and said I’d miss their noise, and I teased back and kept it fun.
It felt good and simple, like we’d found a new way to fit, and their apologies sat easily with me.
I sipped my beer slowly and knew tomorrow I’d leave, but tonight I’d stay with them and enjoy this last bit of their company.