Page 42 of Guys Can’t Write Romance
Chapter thirty
Morning Interrogations
‘Had to go before my first class. Didn’t want to wake you. Text me if you need anything. Or if you want to watch another terrible movie. -Chad.’
He eased into his apartment, hoping to avoid waking Rhino and the barrage of questions that would inevitably follow, but no such luck.
“Six AM, bro?” Rhino said from the counter, where he was devouring a plate of eggs.
“It’s not what you think,” Chad groaned, heading into the living room and plopping down on the couch.
“So, this isn’t you doing your walk of shame?”
“There’s no shame in helping a friend. Daisy broke up with Ethan last night and wanted someone to hang out with.”
“Interesting. And the plot thickens.”
“The only thing thick is your head.”
“So, you guys ‘hung out’ until six in the morning,” Rhino said, making the air-quotes with his fingers. “Did you at least do it?”
“Oh, come on, man. She was in a vulnerable place and needed a friend. Even I’m not that big of a jerk.”
“Just a medium-sized jerk, then.”
“A medium-sized jerk who respects boundaries.”
“Okay. Fine. You’re still doing this gentleman thing. But six AM?”
Chad let out a breath. “She fell asleep leaning against me, so I was pinned.”
“You spent the entire night as her human pillow?”
“Pretty much,” Chad said. “Plus, Chloe would’ve murdered me if I woke Daisy up.”
“You’re probably right there. So, why the look on your face like someone just killed your puppy? I mean, Daisy’s available now, right?”
Chad felt a sudden, unexpected knot tense in his stomach. “I guess.”
“You guess?”
“I mean, yeah. She broke up with Ethan. So, I guess that means she’s single now.”
“And that’s not a good thing?”
“Can we not talk about this. I need to get some sleep before classes start.”
“Nope. We’re having this talk now, before you get stupid and clam up on her.”
“I’m not clamming up on her. I just spent the night hanging out with her.”
“As friends.”
“That’s what we are.”
“But both of you want it to be more. And you know it.”
Chad took a breath. “I don’t know. Maybe. But let’s get real. She likes guys with money. The whole ‘security’ thing, which I’m not exactly swimming in.”
“I’ll bet it means less to her than you think.”
“Can we talk about this later when my brain’s not in power saver mode.”
“Oh, you can count on it. Because you’re gonna hate life if you don’t go all in with Daisy, and then I have to deal with you moping around the apartment.”
“Nobody’s moping.”
“Not yet. But that dead puppy look tells me it’s coming.”
“So, what’s your solution?”
“Stop thinking of her like she’s Ashley.”
Chad tensed and shook his head. “I really don’t have the brainpower right now to talk about Ashley.”
“But we’re gonna. Ever since she bailed, you’ve been gun-shy about getting close to anyone. Am I wrong?”
“When did you become a shrink?”
“When I had the busted leg and was stuck watching Dr. Phil on TV. But am I wrong?”
Chad leaned back on the couch and ran his fingers through his hair. “It would be easier if she didn’t just break up with some guy who makes more in one month than I’ll make in ten years.”
“And there we have it, folks. Honesty. I get it, bro. She’s scary because she means something to you. But a wise man once said, if it’s not terrifying, it’s not real.”
“Who said that?”
“Me.”
Chad gave a light snicker. “Don’t quit your day job.”
“And don’t let fear blow it for you with Daisy.”
Daisy woke to sunlight streaming through the living room windows and the smell of coffee. For a moment, she was disoriented, then remembered falling asleep during the movie. On Chad. Who was now conspicuously absent, though she was carefully tucked under a blanket with a pillow beneath her head.
A yellow sticky note was stuck to the coffee table:
‘Had to go before my first class. Didn’t want to wake you. Text me if you need anything. Or if you want to watch another terrible movie. -Chad.’
“Well, well, well,” Chloe’s voice came from the kitchen. “Look who’s finally awake.”
“What time is it?”
“Almost seven.” Chloe appeared with two coffee mugs, handing one to Daisy. “So... want to tell me why Chad spent the entire night as your personal pillow?”
Daisy sat up, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders. “Nothing happened.”
“Obviously. You’re still in your typewriter pajamas.” Chloe settled into the armchair. “Though I have to say, for nothing happening, it was pretty cute.”
“I just needed a friend.”
“A friend who dropped everything at the gym to bring you comfort food and watch Hallmark movies?”
“How did you know he was at the gym?”
“He was still in his workout clothes when I got home.” Chloe grinned. “Which, by the way, not a bad look on him.”
“Chloe!”
“What? I’m just saying, those gym shorts were working for him.”
Daisy buried her face in her coffee mug. “Can we not?”
“Fine. Then let’s talk about how you somehow slept through him extracting himself from the couch this morning, when you used to wake up if Ethan so much as breathed wrong.”
“That’s different.”
“Yeah? How?”
“I don’t know. It just is.” Daisy fingered the edge of Chad’s note. “Besides, I just broke up with someone. The last thing I need is to...”
“To what? Be happy? Feel safe? Actually have fun?”
“To rush into anything.”
Chloe studied her over the rim of her coffee mug. “You know what I think?”
“I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”
“I think you’re more scared of how right this feels than you ever were about how wrong things felt with Ethan.”
Daisy opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again.
“Ha!” Chloe pointed triumphantly. “I’m right! You’re doing that thing where you can’t even argue because you know I’m right!”
“I’m doing no such thing. I’m just... processing.”
“Process this: Chad McKenzie, who can barely sit still through a movie preview, spent six hours perfectly still because he didn’t want to wake you up.”
Daisy glanced at the note again. “Six hours?”
“Yup. Left around five this morning.” Chloe stood up. “But you take all the time you need to ‘process.’ I’m sure there’s nothing significant about that at all.”
She headed toward her room, then turned back. “Oh, and Daisy?”
“Yeah?”
“The next time you want to pretend this is just a friendship, maybe don’t smile in your sleep when he adjusts the blanket around you.”
Daisy threw a pillow at her retreating form, but Chloe’s laughter echoed down the hall anyway.