"Is it just me or is lunch so much better when you're not supposed to be on lunch?" Kauai asked as we sat in one of the unused boardrooms, eating from our takeout boxes an hour after lunch had ended and I snorted.
I took the last bite of my wrap and froze mid chew. If actually did taste better than usual now that I think of it. Or maybe my head was messing with me.
"So why'd you bring us food? What are we celebrating?" Kiana asked and I rolled my eyes with a small smile, truth was i'd brought them cookies and cupcakes when there was nothing important going on, but food? That meant there was something up and they knew it.
"I've got my tenth wedding cake order!" I said with a grin and they gasped. "Thats great!"
Ten is a lot for a bakery that had only started up a few months ago in my opinion, business was good, really good, people came in floods everyday after work and sometimes before and some even during the day.
I'd had the most bigger orders for gender reveals, the least for wedding cakes but all around I was excited, most of my excitement because of what i'd said next, "And they invited me to their wedding."
Their own smiles widen.
"Thats really nice of them." Kauai said and I nodded. It was admittedly a big wedding, almost four hundred wedding guests, and because of that I was a little bit hesitant to take the order because it'd be a lot of work over the week, but the longer I thought about the more appealing it got, especially because the couple were actual embodiments of beautiful souls.
I mean hey, they were nice enough to invite me too. And of course I took up the offer with a smile because I really did like wedding food.
Now I was here to tell them why I was here, "and I can bring two guests so." I eyed them with narrowed gazes and they squealed in unison at what I was insinuating.
"Why're you guys so happy that im taking Jes and Rhys?" I fibbed and they stopped squealing.
"Huh?"
I snorted. "Im kidding."
"Oh thank goodness, those men have enough crap to go to anyway." Kiana mumbled in which Kauai nodded in agreement. "I'd rather they go to their crap and we can get all wedding cake and food."
In all honesty, I agreed too. I wanted to go with my friends and have some fun at a big lavish wedding since im pretty sure none of us were getting married anytime soon.
"When is it?"
"Saturday." I said and they nodded. "Color scheme?"
"Silver and red." I grinned with a wiggle of my brows and the gushed, Ki fanning herself, "Sexy."
"I know! Its all royal looking in a way."
They nodded in agreement as we stood up, looking to the time to see that it was 15 minutes to 3 in the afternoon which meant there would probably be some last minute meetings in here soon.
We walked out with their laptops in their bags, my purse consisting of nothing but a pen, my favorite notebook, lipgloss as well as my card, phone and a condom, you know, just the essentials.
I was on birth control but if I spontaneously wanted to have sex with a stranger I would definitely not let them enter me without protection, but I knew the condom was just a way of telling my mind to shut the hell up about Rhys and just get on with the world.
Even if it was really freaking hard when almost everything reminded me of him, hell I couldn't even relax and read without thinking about him because he'd given me the damned book.
I rolled my eyes at that, making my way over to the door, opening it and looking over to my brothers door as the girls went over to their desk.
"I'll just say bye to Jes before I leave and i'll see you guys tomorrow, yeah?" I said and they nodded as they set up their stuff again.
I opened his door, not knocking which I should've, just in case but it didn't matter because he was decent, the only little thing was that Rhys was in here too.
Rhys using one of those white erasable markers on the floor to ceiling windows, writing what seemed like hundreds of numbers covering the expanse of space and i'd be lying if I said I wasn't impressed by him.
Is there anything this guy can't do?
My brother stood beside him, telling him stuff that sounded foreign to me and I wondered what they were doing.
"It's six hundred im telling you." Rhys said, pushing his hair back from his forehead and my brother shook his head. "It was supposed to be four hunded, I think."
"No its not Ambrose its six, I checked it myself, im never fucking wrong." Rhys muttered the last bit out as he wrote a few more numbers and words, taking a calculator from my brothers table and typing something on it.
Only now when he'd moved back did I notice he was in casual clothes, a dark hoodie and dark sweats.
A smug smirk on the ends of his lips when he showed the numbers. "I told you it's six hundred."
I rolled my eyes but my lips quirked up too.
"Theres a thirty thousand there too."
Sixty thousand? So six hundred and thirty thousand?
My lips parted.
"I rounded it down to the six for you to see and understand it easier, its just a summary anyway, doesn't matter."
I swear I gasped without sound.
Did they just say six hundred million?
Suddenly I felt like I was listening to a conversation I shouldn't have been listening on, specifically because this was probably the business's monthly revenue as it was nearing the end of November.
Monthly. Six hundred million. Monthly.
That was probably for this building alone, but then again, they did have to pay hundreds or thousands of workers, so...
Nope, nope I was still very much impressed and stunned.
I cleared my throat and they both looked away, my brothers eyes widened because someone else heard everything but Rhys remained nonchalant, then Jes relaxed when he noticed it was me.
"My lips are sealed." I said, suddenly feeling like my income was merely dust.
"Who would you tell anyway? Spencer?" My brother mumbled and Rhys snorted. I sent him a glare which he'd smirked at and I coughed, clearing my throat once again or else i'd choke.
Oh goodness.
"I just wanted to tell you that im leaving."
"You didn't bring cupcakes." He frowned as he spoke and I rolled my eyes, wondering if he'd ignored my goodbye completely.
"I had lunch with Ki and Kauai so no, sorry." I shrugged like he'd just have to deal with it but I knew i'd probably end up taking a few cupcakes home for him from the bakery tomorrow.
"You told them about the wedding?"
I nodded.
I'd told my brother about the wedding yesterday night as soon as he got home from work, he'd tapped my head, muttering a thats good kid before he went to sleep like the sloth I knew he was.
"I'll see you at home."
"You have your car here?" Rhys asked suddenly before I could leave and I blinked, sending him a pointed look as I eyed my brother, but Ambrose didn't care.
It was normal for Rhys to take me home sometimes, but the fact that I knew that we'd done much more than just speak in that car this weekend messed with my head a little.
When I nodded with a hum he stared unconvinced.
"I came with Felix." I said finally and I swear his jaw clenched before he nodded, putting his hands into his pockets before he looked to my brother who was erasing the white markers writing on the window.
"I'll take you home, im leaving anyway."
That wasn't a question, he was telling me.
I shook my head discreetly, telling him that this was not okay but he nodded as he walked over to me, he tugged on my hand, hooking our index fingers for a second before I moved my hand, crossing my arms over my chest.
If he was hurt by the action he didn't show it.
He opened the door for me and I sighed softly, looking back and over my shoulder to Ambrose.
"Bye!"
He mumbled something incoherent as he waved with his free hand, the other writing and erasing.
I turned back and walked out just as Rhys closed the door behind us and I sent him a pointed look.
"What?"
"What the hell is wrong with you, Emrhys?!" I whispered in a hiss, looking over to Kauai and Kiana who were both too busy on calls to notice our little quarrel.
"Seriously? Come on Calli."
Arg.
We had to leave this place.
I turned back and walked, waving at them and they waved back when their eyes drifted to me.
Rhys and I got to the elevator and I breathed in a harsh intake of breath, staring out to the masses of people walking in and out, crowding the entire place.
"What's wrong?"
"Well for one, Felix is my friend and I told you that."
"And I told you I don't like him."
Hmph.
I didn't reply to that childish comment and instead just walked out the elevator when the doors opened and across the ground level, a lot of people down here but less than upstairs which thankfully made it easier to walk around.
"Just wait a minute." I mumbled over to Rhys as I got down the stairs that lead to the side walk and parted ways with him to go over and speak to Felix.
He was in the car on his phone and inwardly I wondered who he was speaking to all the time in his free time. But when I walked over and saw him playing Candy Crush I snorted.
"Jerk face said he'll take me home." I told him as I leaned over the window, feeling the rush of cold wind on the silver of my stomach as I leaned up.
This was the coldest day i'd experienced here in Miami but im sure tomorrow would be back to 90 degrees so it didn't really matter.
He snorted. "Wanna go with him?"
"Not really, but its okay."
He smiled but shook his head at me.
"I'll see you tomorrow, thanks though." I leaned forward and kissed his cheek, a chaste kiss, and he nodded at my words.
I did that before and he did mine, our relationship was purely platonic and we both knew it which was why it was seriously never a problem.
I moved away and pushed my hair back behind my ears, setting my fluffy jersey down as I walked over to Rhys's car.
I opened the door, got in and put my seatbelt on, and just when I leaned back in the seat, he spoke, "Why'd you kiss him?" He asked almost immediately.
I sighed but it resembled a groan. "Rhys? What the hell?"
"Its just a question Calliope."
"It was a, thank you, kiss."
"Do you kiss all your damn friends then?" He asked, the irritation clear as day in his tone.
"Apparently I do." I mumbled as I sank down further into the seat.
He ran a hand down his jaw, cracking his knuckles after and I sighed, looking out the window.
I wanted to reassure him that the innocent little cheek kiss meant nothing but that'd mean him and I were something which is why i'd felt like I should explain myself.
But Rhys and I were nothing. So I didn't have to.
Actually, we were friends, and thats all we were.
Instead of letting a heavy silence fall over us I changed the subject with a happy tone, even if it was fake because all I felt right now was conflicted, "So im going to a clients wedding this week, what're you doing this weekend?"
He took a short pause before speaking, "Sunday I have to go to Boston for the week."
I rose a brow as he switched hands and cracked his knuckles on his left hand, the other hand on the steering wheel. "Why?"
"Adair needed me there."
I nodded as I looked out the window, laying my head on the side as I stared out at the beach that seemed never ending here. "Sounds fun."
No it didn't.
"I wish you could come with me."
My lips parted a little but I clamped my mouth shut and I swallowed as I looked to him over my shoulder.
I didn't reply to that. But I spoke. "Do you like Miami?" I asked him instead and he shrugged. "I like it enough not to move."
I hummed. "I like it here too, London was always always damp and dull, I mean it was relaxing, but Miami is so sunny, often busy and everyone seems so lively, its actually really refreshing."
"Like you." He said and I giggled.
I guess thats why I liked it.
"I like the people here, i've gotten a few compliments on my accent as well, do I still sound British?"
"Yeah sort of, but not as much as you did when we first met."
"Do you still like my accent?" I asked innocently and he looked to me as I looked to him and I hated that I sounded hopeful when in reality I was just teasing.
"I like everything about you, Calliope."
I swallowed at that, wondering why he always said sweet nothings to me, because that's what it was, right? Sweet nothings?
"Do you regret it?" I asked softly, almost too softly, as if I was hesitant to ask but truthfully, some part of me was also curious.
"What?"
"The... sex." I mumbled out, cheeks warming at the mention of it because suddenly I remembered every moment all over again.
"Why would I regret it?" He asked me like it was absolutely mind boggling to think such before he looked to me, "Do you?"
I bit at my cheek and shook my head, "I don't think so," I said, "It was-"
I almost sighed.
It was absolutely perfect, every kiss, every touch, every word and every moment.
Perfect.
"Fun?" I said instead, looking to my hands on my lap because I had to stop myself from cringing at that word choice.
The sex was, fun? Seriously?
He snorted and I chuckled softly, shaking my head at myself as I noticed we were much closer to my brothers house now, just past the gates.
"I don't know what else to say about it Rhys." I said as I looked at him one last time.
A short silence settling between us before the car came to a stop at my brothers house and I said, "But not again, okay?"
He looked to me and its almost like he'd surveyed me.
"Why?"
I blinked at that, "Why what?"
"Why don't you want to be with me Calliope?"
My eyes almost widened. Be with him?
That was an even bigger step than just having sex.
I bit at my lip, "I- I wasn't sure if you wanted to actually be with me... Rhys, I though, maybe it was the sex you liked, or something, but I can't do that friends with benefits stuff, it's not for me."
I knew he liked me, and was definitely sexually attracted to me, but dating? I had no idea he wanted that much to happen between us.
"You're so fucking oblivious baby."
I do agree with that yes.
"I do, I like you, I like you a lot Calliope, so much that it fucking hurts, I don't want to be just friends that have sex sometimes." He say's and I blinked again.
Oh.
Oh shit.
"Rhys." I mumble his name out, not exactly knowing what to say, its almost like he knew because he just opened his door side, not replying as he got out closed it and my lips parted.
He was- what was he doing?
Seconds later he opened the door for me on my side and I looked to the driveway as I got out , he leaned down and kissed my cheek before saying, "I really do want you Calliope, and I don't mean just sexually, I want all of you, and i'll wait for you to realize that you want me too."
My cheeks warmed at that. I knew I wanted him, I just wasn't sure if this was okay and if I was ready.
I looked up to him and he brushed a kiss over my forehead, "You want me and all my annoyingness?" I challenged and he snorted, "Yes, I want your... annoyingness too."
"And when I wake you up early? It doesn't piss you off?"
"Not at all."
I cocked my head to the side, "What about when I ask stupid questions?"
"I don't mind."
"Don't I annoy you?"
"Everyone annoy's me Calli, but you're the only one I want to annoy me, I want this and I really want you."
I grinned without meaning to.
"We have sex once and now you're obsessed with me Blackburn?" I asked teasingly, and he rose a brow, mischief twinkling in those beautiful eyes of his, "That was once?"
"Three."
"Three times?" He asked like I was insane.
"Six times?"
He rose both brows because clearly I wasn't too close.
"Seriously it was more than six times?" I asked incredulously and he snorted, "Im pretty sure it was more."
I groaned, hiding my face in my hands like an embarrassed teenager. "I am gonna stay like this forever, please leave me alone."
"Stop your shit."
I choked out a laugh at that, looking up to him with a smile, "Let's stop talking about that now."
He hummed, kissing my forehead again, "Have fun tomorrow."
I grinned, "You too, well not tomorrow but when you do go." I said, leaning forward, hands on his shoulders when I kissed his cheek because he was far too tall for me to kiss his forehead.
My lips dragging down his jaw when I said, "I'll miss you."
He tensed under my fingers at that. "Fuck, don't say shit like that after basically telling me you don't want to be with me Calliope." He mumbled out and I smiled sadly as I dropped my hands to my sides, "Sorry."
He hummed but he didn't seem too hurt, "I'll miss you too." He said, taking my hands in his, kissing my jaw and I bit at my cheek as I looked to him when he trailed a few more than one kiss over my skin, "Emrhys."
As much as I likes Rhys, he was my brothers best friend, meaning he was someone I couldn't avoid if our future relationship went wrong. I was scared, scared of shit going south, especially with the one guy I felt so much for.
I've never felt this way before.
And it scares me.
He dropped my hands, rolling his eyes when he moved back and away from me and honestly, I hated the distance, "Fine, but if you do change your mind, you know where I am."