The Heart Principle (The Kiss Quotient #3)(33)

Khai perks up and looks to Michael for confirmation. “He’s seeing someone?”

Over the rim of his margarita glass, Michael grins like that cat from Alice in Wonderland. “He is.”

“We’re hooking up. That hardly counts as ‘seeing someone,’ ” I say, and I don’t like that I’m right.

Michael rolls his eyes. “Did you guys finally get it on last night?” “No, she was crying and upset about stuff and I’m not an asshole,” I say.

“He heard she was crying and ran over to see her so fast,” Michael says to Khai in a loud fake whisper. “Our man Quan has himself a girlfriend.”

Khai nods tentatively. “If I was only hooking up with someone, I’d stay away from them when they were crying.”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” I say firmly.

“Do you want her to be?” Michael asks.

I look down into my margarita and shake the glass so the liquid swirls. “Maybe.” I sigh and admit the truth, “Okay, yeah. I like Anna a lot, but she specifically wanted something simple. She’s coming out of a relationship and going through some life stuff. Plus, I’m not sure I’m ready.”

Khai frowns, but he nods, accepting what I’ve said. He’s never pushy or nosy. He’s the best listener.

Michael, on the other hand, makes a scoffing sound. “Bullshit you’re not ready. It’s been over a year since your surgery. And what happened when you came over? Was she uncomfortable about it? Did she send you away?”

“She asked me to stay the night,” I reveal, and the resulting look on Michael’s face is so delighted that I kind of want to punch him. “You’re so annoying, you know that?”

He tries to look innocent. “So you spent the night, and you didn’t get it on. That’s definitely hookup territory.”

Khai grins, though he doesn’t say anything.

“The plan is to finally get our one-night stand right tomorrow,” I say.

“That’ll be their fourth try at hooking up,” Michael explains to Khai, who looks confused.

I stiffen in my seat. “No, last night doesn’t count. And why are you counting, anyway?”

Michael ignores me and aims a smart-aleck smile at Khai, waggling his eyebrows. What a dick.

“Let me get this straight,” Khai says as he rubs his chin. “As soon as you guys sleep together, it’s over?”

I take a large drink from my glass and swallow, noting that it suddenly tastes bitter. “Yeah.”

“That means you’ve been seeing each other without sleeping together,” he says in an academic manner.

“Yeah.”

“And they text and talk and watch nature documentaries together,” Michael adds, pretending he doesn’t see when I glare at him.

“How long has this been going on?” Khai asks.

“Only a couple weeks,” I say.

“I’m no expert, but that sounds a lot like you have a girlfriend,” Khai says. “Especially the part where you spent the night.”

I make a sound in my throat and toss back the rest of my drink. “It’s wasn’t like that. She was in a vulnerable place emotionally, and I was there for her. As a friend. Nothing more.”

“What’s she like?” Michael asks.

I set my glass down on a side table and turn it in circles as I say, “She’s … quirky, funny, really nice.”

“You do like quirky,” Michael says. To Khai, he says, “Remember that chick he dated who couldn’t stand it when people saw her eating so she doggy-bagged everything?”

“Don’t judge. Everyone’s got their own issues,” I point out.

“There was also the one who made him brush his teeth before kissing,” Khai adds.

“That’s just good hygiene, especially in the morning,” I say.

Michael points his glass at me. “She also made you use hand sanitizer before holding hands and shower before sex.”

I shrug. “That wasn’t a big deal.”

“There was also the one who liked to lick him in public,” Khai says.

“Okay, I didn’t love that.” I rub my eye as I remember how it stung when her spit got in there.

Michael takes a sip of his margarita and casually asks, “So when are we going to meet her?”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“Why not, though? Why don’t you just tell her how you feel?” Khai asks.

“It’s not that easy—”

“Yeah, it is,” Michael interjects. “It’s exactly that easy.”

“It’s not,” I say, and my certainty is conveyed in the tone of my voice.

Khai starts to speak, but Michael shakes his head at him so he falls silent.

I spin my glass several more times, around and around. “I don’t know how to tell her about what happened.”

“Then don’t,” Khai says. “It’s not information that she needs to know.”

Michael nods in agreement. “He’s got a point. You can tell her later if things progress.”

I just shake my head. Parts of me don’t look quite right anymore. That’s the simple truth and something that I feel I need to explain. There’s also the other thing, the thing that I haven’t told anyone yet, because it’s awkward and it sucks and sometimes it still makes me cry. But I’d have to tell Anna. It’s relevant when it comes to relationships.