Cara blinked at the stunning woman shaking her hand.

What would it be like to be that tan? Beautiful wasn’t a strong enough word for her.

“Hi, I’m Ellie. I’ve heard so much about you, I feel like I know you.” The woman smiled and squeezed Cara’s hand.

“Josh lies,” Cara blurted out. He was always telling people the nicer versions of stories.

“Yeah, but Nate and Bryan don’t.” Ellie winked.

“I’m so glad you could make it out today.” Tamara pulled Ellie in for a quick hug.

The two women made Cara feel out of place and gangly. Where had the guys gone?

She peered over their shoulders at the patio door where Nate, Josh and Bryan had disappeared earlier and prayed for their swift return. Alone with strangers was not how she wanted to spend her day.

Tamara’s...significant other saved Cara from much more awkwardness by starting up a game. Tamara had a clear competitive streak and proceeded to shit talk her boyfriend while Ellie and Cara watched.

“You game much?” Ellie asked.

“Hm? Oh, yeah, when I can.” Cara smiled, many fond memories of mashing buttons while the guys called out strategy.

“Want a go?” Ellie gestured to the old Mortal Kombat game.

“Sure.”

They slotted in their pennies and picked their characters.

“Oh, Scorpion, huh?” Ellie said it like a taunt.

Was there something wrong with that? By Cara’s estimation, he had one of the best skill set moves. After all, she’d cycled through all the available characters, trying to figure out how to beat the guys. She’d had the best luck with Scorpion.

“Round one. Fight!” The automated voice announced.

Cara zeroed in on the two characters, Kitana, with her metal fans, and Scorpion, with his iconic armor. She swiveled the joystick and attacked. Playing against the guys had taught her that many a time it didn’t benefit her to sit back and let them set something up.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” Ellie danced in place, doing her best to defend.

Cara bit her lip and grinned, dealing one blow after another to her opponent.

“Get over here!” the Scorpion character yelled.

She knock Ellie’s avatar off her feet and delivered a hard one-two death blow.

“How—did you?” Ellie pivoted, hand at her hip, gaze narrowed, lips pressed together.

Uh-oh... Should Cara have let the other woman win? She shifted her weight from foot to foot.

“Again.” Ellie slapped her coins on top of the slanted game surface and plunked one in for each of them.

A little shaken, Cara turned back to the game. She should throw this one. Let Ellie win. Playing games with girls was always...different. She never knew if she should win, hardly try, or what. With guys, there was a clear sense of competition.

“Round two. Fight!”

Cara flicked her nail against the side of the button and hung back. Ellie paced Kitana back and forth.

“Come on,” Ellie growled.

Well, might as well get this over with...

Cara charged in, but didn’t attack first. Ellie dealt the first blow, then another before Cara began her quick attacks.

“You aren’t even trying,” Ellie said.

This was a no-win situation. Cara mashed a few buttons down, delivering some damage, but it wasn’t focused. She could do better. Ellie clearly knew the move set and the mechanics, but she wasn’t as...practiced. Whereas Cara had spent a good deal of time at an arcade with the guys until Nate got his first game system.

“You waste my time?” Kitana mocked from the screen.

Ellie stepped back, hands on her hips.

“You let me win,” she said.

“N-no.”

“Again. Don’t go easy on me this time.”

“Ellie’s all bark and no bite. Mop the floor with her ass.” Tamara leaned against the cabinet.

Cara wasn’t sure about that, but since Ellie had figured out Cara’s tactics, there wasn’t anything to do but beat her. Again. And again.

They went five more rounds before Ellie finally grinned and presented her palm for a high-five.

“Way to go, girl.”

Cara glanced from Ellie’s palm to her face. Was this a trick? Was she going to get mashed in the face?

She lifted her hand and gently tapped her palm to Ellie’s.

No face mashing.

No “too slow” slap upside the head.

Just a high five.

Well, that was nice.

“What next?” Ellie asked.

“Move over. I want a go.” Tamara nudged Ellie out of the way and pulled out a couple of coins. “I should warn you, I play video games for a living.”

After six rounds with Tamara, Cara felt pretty good about her three victories. Ellie’s ribbing from the sidelines, though harsh, was funny and equally divided.

“I’m starving,” Tamara announced. “Let’s see if the boys got food yet.”

Their trio wandered around the games, back to the food area. Josh, Samir, Stephen and Nate sat staring at their phones, none of them speaking to each other. There was a strange, off-beat vibe that put Cara on edge.

She slid into the one open seat at the end of the table, closest to Nate, before one of the other girls could take it. Nate glanced at her and gave her a quick, tight smile.

“Okay, who’s feeding me?” Ellie asked. She put her elbows on the table and smiled. “Where’d Bryan go?”

“Oh, he had a work thing. Something about a server update.” Josh shrugged.

He was lying.

Josh shrugged when he lied.

Cara glanced at Nate, who was staring at the table.

Something had happened while she played Mortal Kombat. She didn’t like not knowing what was bothering her friends.

Lunch was a chatty affair. Tamara and Ellie kept the conversation going, and the guys responded, but no one seemed...involved. When it came time to decide what next, one by one Josh, then Samir, then Stephen made noises about needing to do other things, be elsewhere.

“Well, I guess it’s time to blow this popsicle joint,” Ellie announced. “Cara, it was great getting to meet you. Keep Nate in line, okay?”

She grinned and winked at Cara...like they both knew something.

Cara watched the others, who hugged who, who avoided each other. Small, social cues that were telling.

The guys weren’t even looking at each other.

She kept her thoughts to herself all the way to the car. She even waited for Nate to start the engine and belt in.

“What happened with Bryan?” It was the logical issue she could see.

“I’m sorry, Cara.” Nate sighed. “He... Between us?”

“Of course.”

“He likes Ellie. None of us realized it and I...said some stuff I shouldn’t, because I didn’t know and now he’s being Bryan.”

She nodded. Out of the three of them, Bryan was the most sensitive. He’d been raised with four sisters and as a result of being the only guy in the house, had a different take on life. Cara had often turned to Bryan for advice and understanding where Nate and Josh couldn’t see things.

“Ellie doesn’t like him back?”

“Ellie’s...got stuff going on in her life that...is hard to deal with.”

“Oh.”

And Bryan, being Bryan, would want to save her from whatever the big, bad monster was. He’d been there for his sisters, and Cara, in that capacity often enough. It was one of the things she loved about Bryan, but also something that’d gotten him in more trouble than he could handle.

“So, what now?” she asked.

“I was thinking...I’d show you were I work. Do a quick drive by some of the sights, then—pizza and a movie at home?”

“I like the sound of that.” She smiled, relieved to not have to face down any more complicated social situations.

At least this time, whatever was going on with the guys, didn’t involve her. There was enough going on with just the two of them anyway. No need to invite trouble.

Nate unlocked the apartment door, anticipation and anxiety warring within him.

Bryan wouldn’t stop texting him.

Josh wouldn’t answer.

And Ellie had sent him a subjectless email he didn’t want to look at. When the emails got long, she never gave it a subject. Probably because she used them all in the body.

All Nate wanted to do was focus on Cara. Being with her. What they might have. Figuring out things after tomorrow. He was invested in whatever they could have, yet he was being pulled in a dozen different directions.

This sucked.

“Why don’t you pick a movie?” He pulled the door shut, juggling the pizza, ice cream, sodas, his keys and the thrift store bag of books Cara had snagged.

“You know, I could carry something?” She stood back, watching him with her arms crossed over her chest.

“I got this. Pick a movie.”

He hoped it was something he’d seen before. Zoning out, sorting through what to do next, would be good for him.

“Where...are the movies?” Cara glanced around.

“Oh, no, they’re all on my media server. Just turn the TV on and it should already be pulled up.”

“You and your techno magic.” She wagged her finger at him. “I’m going to change real quick, that okay?”

“Go for it.” Though, he was going to miss the donut-print skirt. It was both long and short enough to give him ideas.

He watched Cara stroll into the bedroom and sighed.

What the hell was he going to do?

His phone buzzed. Again.

Nate rolled his eyes and pulled it out, glancing at the bazillion texts from Bryan. The last one made Nate pause.

If you don’t tell her, I will.

Where the hell did Bryan get off saying that?

Nate back-read a few messages. The her was Cara, and Bryan’s protective instincts were in over-drive. Engaging with Bryan would only continue this line of threats. Best thing to do was turn the phone off and ignore the world. Bryan would cool down. Josh would get over himself. And Ellie understood.

Did she?

Nate stashed the soda and ice cream in the fridge while he waffled on opening the email.

Cara emerged from the bedroom, the skirt exchanged for leggings. That he could get behind. Literally. They were the best thing since the tube top and yoga pants. She plopped down on the sofa, only the top of her blonde head visible, and powered on the TV.

Being in the same space with her made Nate happy. The idea of something more, of a closer relationship, was a dream come true. He was willing to do anything to keep her. That wasn’t a new reality, it was how it’d always been. And if that meant leaving HitPoint and backing away from everyone else, he’d do it. They’d come around eventually.

Though...Ellie. Crap. He had to look at the email.

Nate turned around and set the oven to pre-heat. Since neither of them were hungry they’d opted to do a build-your-own pizza they could bake at home.

He tapped into his email while Cara click, click, clicked around the available movies on his server. Sure enough, the email was long, and now that he’d seen it, Nate had to read it.

Cara’s something else. I wanted to hate her, but she’s so...you. I can see why you love her. Which is why I think we need to take a break. As friends. You’re not going to believe this, but I do have a little bit of a heart left. It likes you. But not love-like you. You’re too nice for me to love-love you. I care about you. But I don’t want to be with you. Which is probably a relief to you. I didn’t break my promise to not fall in love with you. You’re an important friend, and I don’t want to screw that up. And I think I need to not be such a bitch to you when you’re happy. IDK what you and Josh talked about, but he’s riding my ass today. You owe me an explanation. I’m probably going to take a week off, unplug and try to get away from everyone. I’ll likely fail but gotta try.

The email went on, mostly Ellie rambling, spinning her wheels. She did that a lot, talking to hear herself talk, or in this case type out her thoughts.

Bryan wouldn’t want to hear it, but Ellie would chew him up and spit him out. She could be sandpaper on a sunburn on good days, but her prickly nature was one of the things Nate had grown to like about her.

But that was it.

He liked her.

He didn’t love Ellie. Not like Cara. And Ellie, broken pieces and all, recognized that she had to fix herself.

Damn, that woman had strength in spades. She needed someone stronger, with thicker skin, to teach her how to love. He hoped that someday Ellie found that person, because after everything she’d been through, she deserved it.

“Uh...Nate?” Cara’s voice careened up at the end, a note of panic in there.

“What?” He turned around—and froze.

No...

He’d moved those files...

Hadn’t he?