Page 91 of Heartstring

He bumps my elbow with his. “You were so angry.”

“You were so cocky.”

“You loved it.”

I look at the guys. “See? Cocky.”

They all stare at us with weird smiles on their faces.

“What?”

“You’re not pretending, are you?” Levi asks.

I look at where my hand is joined with his.

“We’ve known each other since we were kids,” Mik says. “It’s easy to rile each other up.”

“So, you’re not…?” Fletcher starts.

“Oh no, we totally are.”

I groan at his reply, but my stomach does a little summersault with his confirmation that somethingishappening between us.

What’s wrong with me? I shouldn’t want something with Mik. We have different lives. Just because we have a shared history and amazing sex doesn’t mean we can be more.

Julius brings us our orders. “Sorry for the delay. I’m on my own today, and I have a cake order for this weekend, so I’m a little all over the place.”

“Hey, has my friend gotten in touch?” Fletcher asks.

Julius narrows his brows. “We had a video-call to talk about it, but I’m not sure he’s the right person for the job.”

“Really? But he’s an amazing baker.”

Julius runs his hands over his apron. “He’s…just not. Besides, he can’t start immediately. Tyler, how are the soup kitchen efforts doing? Do you need us to rally again? You know my coffee pot is bottomless.”

“Thanks, Julius. The new order I put in should come through tomorrow. To be honest, I need more volunteers to deliver meals to people’s houses. I’d love to add that as a permanent option, not just now that it’s cold, but all year round.”

“What’s stopping you?” Mik asks.

“Funds. It’s not fair to rely on volunteers, and the team I have already does so much. I’d love to hire someone permanently.”

Mik smiles wide and smacks a kiss on my lips. “I have the solution. Remember what Daisy said about this shit with the paps being good for the kitchen? What if Hall of Fame descends on Stillwater for a small, ticketed charity concert? We can collaborate with Darius’s band, if they’re willing, and raise funds.”

“Well, if there’s one thing we’re good at in Stillwater, it’s putting together a good shindig,” Fletcher says.

“Here we go again,” Levi adds. “At least this one shouldn’t need to involve city hall or the police.”

“Do I want to know?” Mik asks.

“You can ask your boyfriend,” he says.

I stand but don’t release Mik’s hand so he gets the message. “Give us a moment. I just need to ask Mik something.”

They look a little confused but all nod.

I pull Mik to the side of the building facing the town hall square.

“I need to ask you something…or tell you. I don’t know, exactly,” I say.