Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 3242

The three of them had known each other since their freshman year of college. Maintaining a friendship from school all the way into the corporate world was incredibly rare, and Sara didn't want things to end bitterly. She had no choice but to drop a subtle hint to Khloe.

She hoped Khloe would take the hint and back off. There were millions of men in the world; why fixate on your best friend's guy?

Men came and went, but a solid seven-year friendship was irreplaceable.

Khloe offered a stiff, awkward smile. "Right. I'll leave them to it, then."

She set the phone back down on the table.

Sara tapped her beer bottle against Khloe's glass. "Hey, we just got a new guy in our department. He's tall, clean-cut, and super handsome. Definitely your type. Want me to introduce you?"

Khloe forced a laugh. "If he's that great, why aren't you going for him?"

"We work in the same department. It's a bad idea. If we break up, it'd be a nightmare to work together. Plus, our boss hates office romances. So, I'm tossing him your way. Keeping the good ones in our circle!" Sara joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Khloe nodded. "Sure. Let's all grab drinks sometime. I'll be the judge of how handsome he is."

"Oh, I guarantee you'll be impressed."

The two girls chatted and laughed, the underlying tension seemingly dissolving into their casual banter.

Soon, Norah and Adrian came back inside. "Let's keep drinking! How much booze is left? If we're out, I'll go grab more!"

"I think we're good. We all have work tomorrow," Khloe said. She shot a quick glance at Adrian before immediately looking away. "Let's call it a night. We'll help you clean up."

"You don't have to," Norah waved her off. "The cleaning staff is coming tomorrow morning."

"The place smells like a brewery. Let's at least clear the bottles," Adrian said, already tossing the empties into the trash. "And make sure you close your windows before bed. It's supposed to rain tonight."

Watching Adrian fuss over Norah with such easy, thoughtful care made Khloe's eyes dim. She kept her head down and silently helped clear the dining table.

As they were heading out the door, Adrian looked at Khloe. "How did you get here? I can give you a ride."

Norah leaned against the wall, feigning a dramatic sigh. "Evil capitalist."

Adrian reached over and lightly tapped the top of her head. "Anyone else can say that, but definitely not you."

Norah tilted her head to dodge his hand, a small smile playing on her lips.

Once everyone left, Norah locked the door, her eyes unconsciously drifting toward the closed door of the neighboring apartment. As she turned back into her living room, she noticed the bag of Cat's Fish Jerky she had bought for Circe earlier that day sitting on the coffee table.

She picked it up and headed next door.

She knocked a few times before the door pulled open. Gonzalez stood there, his dark gaze pinning her in place. "Don't you know the code? Just walk in. You don't need to knock."

Norah remembered Adrian's lecture about boundaries and making him knock, but hearing Gonzalez flat-out tell her she was welcome anytime completely derailed her train of thought. How could she possibly bring up boundaries now?

She felt a twinge of guilt. "Adrian... might have gotten the wrong idea earlier. I'm sorry on his behalf."