They nod with Sage adding, “No guy, if he looked at me, would think that I could take him down to the ground and pound his head in the pavement until he begged me to stop.”
“It’s fucking badass is what it is,” Sofia Sol says through a mouthful, pushing a wayward onion back between her lips. “I never get tired of the surprised look I get when some really big motherfucker realizes I can get out of the chokehold he thought he had me in.”
“Fuck being choked,” I grumble. “Fuck that shit all the way to hell and back. No no no.”
Sage uncorks her water bottle. “You have no idea what they’re going to do when you’re unconscious. It’s so sick I can’t even get my head around it.”
“That’s because you live in a bubble of paintings and stencils.”
“Soph, that’s not fair!”
“I’m just saying, if you witnessed the things that Celia and I do, you wouldn’t feel any disbelief.”
“It’s true,” I nod.
“Whatever. Not everyone is meant to do what you guys do.”
“We know that, Sage. You do you.”
Soph mutters, “At least you know how to defend yourself. I take comfort knowing that about you when I’m out on the road and I see some girl, pretty as you are, lying in a damn dumpster.”
“Okay! Let’s change the subject!” Sage covers her ears. “I can’t take this much reality.”
Rolling her eyes, Sofia Sol turns to me. “What I want to know is, what’s happening with you and Sean?”
I stop munching, eyebrows furrowed. With my mouth full I shrug, “Nothing.”
“I catch you looking at him all the time, Ceels. You’re really fucking obvious about it.”
Horrified I share a glance with Sage to silently ask if that’s true. She give me a yes-you-idiot tilt of her head.
“That’s total bullshit,” I mutter, opening the cap for a drink. “You guys are trying to bait me but there’s no way you can. Because it’s not true.” They stare at me. “It’s not!” More staring. “Look, if I’ve been watching him it’s to see his progress. Soph, you weren’t here when I was working my butt off to get him in shape, because you were off fucking your brains out with Sage’s brother.” This elicits the scream of disgust I wanted, and takes the attention off me.
But my stubborn Sofia Sol isn’t deterred, “Is it because he doesn’t seem interested in you?”
My heart drops to the floor. “Ouch,” I mutter, dropping the pickle I’d just picked up.
Sage hisses, “Sofia!”
“What?” She leans on her elbow, crossing her legs like the epitome of sophistication even though she’s wearing torn up jeans and a black tank top over her huge rack.
I give her a fake, nonchalant shrug. “It’s fine. I don’t care. Just…we’re friends.”
“Mmmhmm. I know that. We’re all friends with him, Ceels. But you’re a little bit more than that.”
Living in a house with a group of people means no going home after you spend a couple hours with somebody, like I guess people do in the normal world. Outside of sleeping and showers, Sean is around me every second of every day. As a group we train together, eat three meals, explore the property, watch movies, go for motorcycle rides, do jobs where the stakes are high and the bond grows tighter. It’s like getting to know someone on fast forward, compacting years into months. Especially the training and the missions. We’re hyper-close then, the intimacy unavoidable and intoxicating.
And the fucking jerk has never faltered in his integrity. I’ve only become more enamored with his strong moral compass and solid, personal confidence. I hang on his every damn word, if I’m honest with myself. And until now, I was able to live in denial, head shoved in sand and purple curtain tugged firmly in place.
Shifting my weight and avoiding her eyes I mutter, “I just like him as a friend.”
“Bullshit.”
“Soph!” Sage hisses again, this time throwing my dropped pickle at her.
Sofia catches it, grey eyes cruelly locked on me. “Celia, why don’t you just admit it?”
“What’s to admit?! You already pointed out that he isn’t interested—which is obvious to everyone, especially me!—so why are you interrogating me?”
“You really like that guy.”
“Are you trying to hurt me?”
Soph smirks, “You can’t be hurt if you don’t care.”
“Great. Throw your wise philosophy at me. You know what? Go back to Luke. I’m all good on girl-time.” I storm for the door, hating how angry I am.
“Hey Ceels, what if I told you that Luke made Sean back off?”
My fingers pause on the handle and I look over my shoulder. “Did he do that?”
Sofia shrugs, “Mayyyyyybe.”
“What?” Sage almost screeches, staring from her to me.
I return to the feast like a wild animal wondering if a trap is waiting.
Soph reaches for the water bottle, taking her damn time now that she has my total and complete attention. Too proud to beg, I cross my arms and wait for my mischievous best friend to have her fun.
“You interested?” she asks, eyebrows raised. “Because I don’t know if you are. I mean, you were just about to leave in a huff, so you might not care about the information I found out just last night.”
“I was about to kill you for withholding intel from me, but since it was within the last twenty-four hours you’re off the hook. Truth is, though, I don’t really care.”
“No?”
“Not at all. I marched to the door only to control my temper which was getting out of control.”
Sage jumps on my bandwagon. “Yeah, she’s working on her self-discipline!”
“Exactly.”
Sofia clears her throat, coughing the word, “Bullshit!” Wiping fake snot she smiles, “Oh, excuse me. I’m allergic to liars. But hey, if you don’t want to know, that’s cool.”
Throwing my hands on my hips I shout, “TELL ME!”
She busts up laughing, and Sage is grinning, too, until Soph off-handedly says, “We were in bed last night in between fuck sessions…”
“Sofia!” Sage groans.
“Oh be quiet,” Soph
