Sugar Rush (Friend-Zoned #3)(75)
Author: Belle Aurora

Close to three hours later, I sit on my bed so bored out of my brains that I think I might just stub my toe.

You know? For fun.

Tedwood sleeps curled in a ball on my side of the bed, and as I stroke his feather-soft fur, I stare at my phone.

Just call him.

No. He’ll think I’m needy.

Send him a text.

Then he’ll think I’m sending mixed messages.

Tell him you need to talk to Ceecee.

I smile. I do want to speak to Ceecee. I want to know what she did over the weekend. I want to ask her about her exercises and tell her I hope she’s doing better. God. Is it pathetic for one for your best friends to be thirteen?

Reaching next to me, I grip my pillow, hold it to my chest, and throw myself back onto the bed. As soon as my back hits the mattress, my phone chimes. I reach over and check the display.

Max calling.

Happiness flows through me and I answer with, “Hey. I was just thinking about you.”

I’m surprised when Ceecee giggles. “Uh…it’s me.”

The sound of her giggle makes my heart sing. “Well, I was thinking about you too, young grasshopper. How was breakfast?”

She makes a noise. “It was okay. Because you couldn’t come, we just stayed at Grandma’s.” She asks, “Are you feeling better?”

I hug my pillow and nod, even though she can’t see it. “Sure am, honey pie. Turns out, all I needed was a nap.” Then I beat around the bush. “What are you guys doing now?”

She states, “Coming over.”

I sit up and blink. “Coming over where?”

She giggles again. “To your apartment.”

A beaming smile crosses my face. “Really?”

I hear the smile in her voice. “Well, Daddy asked me to check if that was okay. He said we won’t stay long. I just wanted to bring you some chicken soup, because you weren’t feeling well.”

I’m surprised as emotion flows through me, clogging my throat. “You made me soup?”

She suddenly turns shy, mumbling, “Yeah, but Grandma helped.” She pauses a moment, then asks quietly, “Is that okay?”

I bark out a laugh. “Yes, it’s okay! Just tell your dad to pick up some ice cream and popcorn. We’ll watch a movie.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.” I decide to go full truths. “Honey, I’m so glad you called. I was bored out of my brains.”

I hear the happiness leak out of her as she rushes out, “Okay! We’ll see you soon! Bye!”

She hangs up in a hurry and I laugh as I throw my cell down on my bed. I turn to Tedwood and he peeks open one eye. I ask him, “You feel like a cupcake?” I stand and walk into the kitchen, yelling back at him, “I feel like a cupcake.”

Twenty minutes later, they arrive, but Max doesn’t bother knocking on the door. He uses his key. And I like that in a way that most people would find weird. Ceecee wheels herself in first, holding a dishtowel-covered Tupperware container. She smiles up at me. “Careful, it’s hot.”

Dressed in black yoga pants, a hoodie, and white socks, I lean down and hug her tightly. As I pull away, I kiss her cheek and utter, “Thank you so much, C. I’m starved.” I take the container and place it on the counter as I watch Max struggle with two full grocery bags as he walks into my kitchen.

I also like that super weirdly. I walk over to him and take one. He catches my lips in a quick kiss, pulls back looking apologetic, and mouths, “Sorry.” Then whispers, “We won’t stay long.”

Placing the bags on the counter, I shake my head and utter, “Don’t be silly. I want you here.”

Ceecee gasps and reaches down. When she turns around, Tedwood sits in her lap and she whisper-hisses wide-eyed, “You have a kitty!”

I smile down at him. Ever since Max gave him that pep talk, he’s been acting semi-normal. The worm. Walking behind Max, I open a cupboard and take out a white packet. I hand it to Ceecee and tell her, “His name is Tedwood, Teddy for short. And if you give him a few of his smelly fish treats, he’ll let you love him.”

She smiles so hard her cheeks are at risk of exploding. I make my way back to the kitchen, where Max stands watching Ceecee. I reach over and place my hand in his, entwining our fingers. He looks over at me, smiling. I smile in return before looking back at Ceecee. I whisper sincerely, “I want you here.”

Letting go of my hand, he wraps an arm around me, pulling me into him. I reach up, placing my hand on his chest, mildly terrified of how right this feels. Standing on my tiptoes, I lay a gentle kiss on his jaw before taking my container of soup and moving to the sofa, where Ceecee plays with Teddy. “So, what junk did you get us?”

Max works at putting thing in the fridge and freezer, calling out, “We got everything we need for a banana split, chips, dip, popcorn, and—”

A beaming Ceecee cuts him off with, “We got cupcakes!”

Making a sound of mock-disgust, I raise my hand to Ceecee’s and as she giggles, we high-five. Shaking my head, I mutter solemnly, “And may God have mercy on our souls.”

“Amen,” comes from both Max and Ceecee.

I blink up over at them a moment before I whisper in admiration, “That was awesome.”

I turn on the TV, open the container of soup, and spoon some into my mouth. “Oh God,” I moan out. I smack my lips together and praise the chef. “Damn, girlie. I’m not even sure you need lessons anymore. You’re turning out to be a regular Jamie Oliver.”

Her face falls momentarily. “But I like cooking with you.”

My heart swells and I reach over to stroke her reddish-brown hair. “You can cook with me whenever you like. Soon enough, you’ll be teaching me new things.” I eat my soup in record time then stand and take it into the kitchen, where Max opens bags of chips and dumps them into bowls. I steal a handful then sit back down, sharing my loot with Ceecee. “What are we watching?”

Max joins us, bringing the chips and sodas, and then hands me a DVD case. I gasp dramatically. “How did you know?” I turn to Ceecee and beam. “I love Pirates of the Caribbean. In fact, I love anything Johnny Depp. I still have a poster of him in my clos—”

Max’s face takes on a look that reminds me of when you suddenly smell someone’s fart. “Johnny who?”

Biting the inside of my cheek to hide my grin, I mumble, “Nothing.” I slip the DVD into the player and sit back on the sofa. Max lifts my feet onto his lap and starts massaging them.