Page 76 of Not In The Contract

She shook her head and dropped her chin into her palm, the ice cream forgotten.

“It’s only ever been the two of us,” she said, a nostalgic smile on her lips. “I guess we weren’t the most approachable looking pair on campus, so we’ve always been a dynamic duo. We have friends who exist more as acquaintances than anything else.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad,” I said. “Tamera sounds like one hell of a friend, and from what I’ve seen for myself I think she’s worth ten friends.”

Her answering smile almost blinded me and sent a rush of butterflies diving into my gut. “That she is.”

“I need to talk to you about something but I need you to bench the sarcasm and judgment.”

Taylor blinked at me, her croissant suspended midair between her mouth and her plate. “I feel like that might be an insult?” she said unsurely, the corners of her mouth downturned.

The other patrons around us bustled on, completely and blissfully unaware of my spiral into confliction. I lifted a shoulder and frowned. “You’ll understand why I said it in a second,” I explained, my fingers twitching uneasily.

I’d asked Taylor to meet me for coffee on a rare quiet morning because I’d run through my own thoughts so much that they didn’t feel like they belonged to me anymore. Taylor was the least likely to pick apart my bramblebush of contemplation. Plus, Hayden had all but ordered us to visit her latest acquisition conveniently situated a few blocks from our offices.

“Okay,” she said easily. “I promise I won’t judge or use my sarcasm.”

“Thanks,” I said with a smile. “It’s about Devon.”

“Oh?” she purred, a dark brow quirked in sudden interest. “Go on.”

“Things have changed,” I started. “And I don’t really know how to feel about it.”

“Well, explaining it could help me understand,” Taylor offered.

“So, you know she’s studied psychology, right?”

“Yeah, I know very little about her.” Taylor giggled. “You’ve been rather secretive about your student.”

“For good reason,” I reminded her. “But yes, she studied psychology and she’s been… really helpful? I can’t remember the last time I could talk about stuff without feeling too uncomfortable. And yet, with Devon around I feel like I can talk about whatever is on my mind.”

“That’s a good thing,” Taylor said. “Right?”

“Is it?” I murmured, running the tip of my finger around the lip of my coffee mug. “I don’t want to get used to it, you know? She’ll be gone in a little over a month and I’ll have to go back to shutting the hell up.”

“I know you expect me to tell you that you can always turn to us.” Taylor sighed. “But I know that sometimes it’s better to have someone unbiased to talk to. I know I can’t always spill everything to the girls. As much as I want to.”

“Exactly,” I deadpanned. “Friends help, but sometimes it’s nice to be able to talk without worrying about perhaps hurting someone or getting unsolicited advice.”

“That one seems pointed.” Taylor winked.

I shrugged with a smirk. “I mean, Hayden has the best intentions but sometimes I just want to vent.”

Taylor chuckled. “I get it.”

“Devon just listens,” I continued, my cheeks warm. “It’s refreshing. I didn’t even realize that Ihadanything I needed to get off my chest. I got used to not talking at home because there was no one there, you know?”

“You could have talked to yourself,” she teased and I ignored the mild jab.

“I would have sent myself to the psych ward if I spent hours talking to myself,” I deadpanned. “Besides, if I was that far gone, I probably would have told myself to stop complaining.”

Taylor waved a hand in concession. “Has she had any trouble adjusting to that brick wall of a schedule of yours?”

I chuckled softly. “A little, but that’s to be expected, isn’t it?” I asked. “Not everyone could adapt to something I’ve created to suit my needs specifically.”

“You’re soft for her,” Taylor observed, and there wasn’t an ounce of judgment or jeering in her voice.

I felt safe enough to answer honestly. “I think I am,” I admitted. “She’s made it easy.”