Leo

Izzy honks even though she sees me approaching her car.

"Get in loser, we're going shopping."

Her curly hair is wild around her face, and her cheeks are dusted with freckles.

I get next to her in the passenger seat and secure my seat belt. Then I lean in to give both her cheeks a kiss.

"One, I'm not a loser." I lean back. "Two, are we going shopping?" I ask. "I think I'm in need of some new shirts."

"One," she pulls out way too fast. "I know you're not a loser. You're the coolest guy I know."

"Thanks."

"And two, no, we're not shopping. That's a quote from a movie called 'Mean Girls.'"

My brows furrow. "Is it about girls who are mean?"

"Actually, yes." She glances at me. "You've never seen it? It's a classic."

"Classic what?"

"Classic movie." She deadpans.

She stops the car along the side of Antonio's and Sara's place. Sara is already making her way to us, wearing a skirt that's to her mid thighs and a loose blouse. She has her blonde hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, with big gold earrings dangling from her ears.

She gets in and hugs me from behind. "Hey,"

"Hey, blondie." I say as she gives my cheek a kiss, then Izzy's.

"How come she gets a nickname and I don't? Even though I'm your brother's wife." She pouts as she pulls away from her parking spot.

"You're not his wife, bitch." Sara laughs.

"Yet." Izzy says, confident Luca will propose to her in the near future. She's right, but I don't tell her that.

"Should I call you 'brunettie'?" I tease.

"You can do better than that." She switches lanes without even glancing at her rear-view mirror.

How does she have a driver's license?

"How about..." I ponder and glance at Sara for help. She shrugs. "Cutie pie?"

She gags. "Please, no."

"I hear people saying it all the time." I defend, even though I know it's not a cute nickname.

"Old, slimy men say that. So no."

I look at her. Her brown hair, defined jawline, with full cheeks. Her striking green eyes.

"I'll either call you 'Pear' or 'Chipmunk'. That's all I have." I raise my hands.

She lets out a cackle. "What?" She glances at me. "What does that even mean?"

"Well, 'pear' because your eyes remind me of that fruit. Or 'Chipmunk' because of your brown hair and full cheeks." I explain plainly.

She thinks it through.

"I prefer chipmunk. It's cute, I like it." She makes an impressed face. "Why didn't Luca think of that?"

"He calls you beautiful in Italian as a nickname." Sara tells her.

"You're right." She grins and gets a dreamy look. "He even calls me 'love'. How cute is that?"

"Very cute." I say in a bland voice. She smacks my chest and all three of us laugh.

•••

After we greet Carina and Nicole, who were waiting for us at the cafe, we sit down.

Yesterday after my phone call with Josephine, they wanted to know more about her and what's going on between us. I told them there's nothing going on but they're very persistent and I find it difficult to say no to these women, so I accepted a lunch invite from them, oneI know they're going to interrogate me.

They spend a few minutes catching up, talking about all kinds of things, like clothes, makeup, periods, babies and when they veer into the topic of sex, I cut in.

"The weather is nice today." I say lamely.

They give me a look at my lack of subtlety.

"It is." Izzy agrees. "Perfect for outdoor sex." She gives me a wink before clasping her fingers and resting her chin on them.

"So," she says.

"So." I parrot.

"What's the deal with Josie?" Carina asks.

"I met her a few months ago at the hospital, right when I came back."

"Oh, she's a doctor?" Nicole asks.

"Nurse." I correct and continue with my story. "I met her a few times here and there and then at your father's event." I look at Nic pointedly.

"That was like two months ago, right?"

"Right." I take a deep breath before I resume. "Then I invited her to a friend's shooting range. You all saw the pictures."

"Oh, yes, we did." Sara smirks.

"She's so pretty." Izzy—excuse me, Chipmunk—says.

"She is." I nod.

"Ha!" Carina exclaims and points a finger at me. "You have feelings for her."

The women nod in agreement with her.

"If you mean feelings friends have for each other, then yes." I take a sip of my drink. "But none of the romantic feelings you're referring to." Is what I said even true anymore?

Izzy and Sara glance at each other. "He's in the denial stage." She pats my hand. "It's okay. We've all been through it."

I shake my head as I try to fight a smile.

"What do the five stages of grief have to do with this?"

"We're talking about the five stages of love." Carina explains.

"So what comes next?" I humor them by asking.

"Realization." They say in unison.

I glance at Nicole next to me. "You've also been through the five stages of love?" Last I know, she's never been in love.

"Nope." She smacks her lips. "What I've been through is the five stages of climax."

"Explain." Chipmunk demands.

"First comes the build up. Second is the tingly feeling. Then the first wave. Then the explosion. Also known as the Big O. And lastly, the clarity and relaxation."

"Wow." Sara mutters. "I totally know what you mean."

"Same." Carina and Izzy echo.

"I love my Bob." Nicole sighs dreamily.

"Who?" I ask. I don't know of a Bob in her life.

"My Battery Operated Boyfriend." She tells me.

"What?" I'm confused what she means by that.

"She means a vibrator." Izzy clears up the confusion.

"Oh, right." I mumble.

"And don't forget the dildos." Nicole reminds her, nodding.

"Which one do you use?" Carina asks her. Nicole answers by telling her the brand name and the type of sex toy.

"Ladies," I cut in. "I don't need to hear the details of your sex lives."

"Why not?" Izzy asks in a sassy tone. "You should be happy for us for having a healthy and pleasurable sex life."

"And I am." I say. "But you tend to go into too much detail for my sensitive ears." I give her a smile I know they're all a sucker for.

She smiles back and takes a bite of her food.

"Let's circle back to you, then." Nicole says. "How was 'game night'?" She pumps her eyebrows.

Chuckling, I say, "It was actually code for something." I raise my arms when their eyes widen. "She planned a little surprise birthday party for me."

"Aww." They all coo. Well, except for Nicole.

"That's so sweet." Carina's eyes get a bit glassy.

"Yeah, I wasn't expecting it." I tell them, scrubbing a hand across my mouth to hide my smile.

"You're into her." Nicole says in a matter-of-fact tone. She sounds so sure of herself. She knows me the best out of the girls.

"How am I supposed to know if I'm into her?" I ask. "I've never had a girlfriend, and I don't know how loving someone would feel like."

"You'd know." They say simultaneously. Again, except for Nic.

"Trust us," Carina says. "You'd know if you have feelings for her."

"There are a few ways to test it out, if you really want to know." Izzy offers.

"How?"

"Well, they do things for you no one else does." She gives me a look. "Like throwing a surprise party for you."

"You guys also threw me a party." I tell them.

"That's different." Sara says.

"How?"

"We do it every year. And you know we're doing it. So it's not as special."

"It is to me." I defend. The way they all take time off work just to be with me for my birthday means the world to me.

"We know." Izzy says and continues, "Another way to know is pretty simple. It's if you can spend time together even when you're doing nothing, but you're still enjoying your time."

What she said makes a lot of sense. When Josephine and I ride together in the car, sometimes we just stay silent and listen to soft music. But I'm still happy I have her by my side, even when neither of us says a word.

"And lastly, which is the most important one. And the easiest way to see if you have feelings for her," she sips from her drink.

We all look at her to see what it is.

She leans in and we do as well, as if she wants to tell us a big secret.

"Do you..." she trails off for suspense. "Do you get hard around her?"

They laugh while I groan.

"You're the worst." I can't help but laugh as well.

"I'm serious." She raises her hands in the air. "It's a big giveaway."

"I'm not gonna answer that." I shake my head.

"That's answer enough for me." She flicks her hair behind her shoulder in victory.

I do get hard around Josephine occasionally. My self-control isn't one hundred percent foolproof.

I'm a sucker for when she bites that damn lower lip of hers. When she tries to reach for something from a higher cupboard, but fails. When she gets excited about doing the simplest things. And every time she touches me, however way it may be.

"Look at him," Nicole says in mock adoration. "He's a lovesick puppy."

"Shut up." I grumble and remove her fingers when she attempts to pinch my cheeks.

• ••• •

A/N:

I love these women❤️