But maybe I am.
CHAPTER5
Anna
Dirty Books smells like paper and ambition—the kind that’s scribbled into notebooks, stuffed between margins, and occasionally left abandoned on a forgotten shelf.
I step into the bookshop, one hand clutching my phone while the other smooths my shirt over my jeans.The warmth of the space wraps around me as I make my way to the back corner where the Dirty B’s meet.
Our nook is fully decked out now—wingback chairs, throw pillows, and a rug that doesn’t match the wallpaper but works anyway.Vivian insists it’s the perfect vibe for “intellectual debauchery,” and to be fair, I’m just impressed she has the word debauchery in her vocabulary.
I drop into the loveseat beside Lily, pulling out my phone.“Am I actually on time for once, or is Vivian late again?”
“Late,” Tasia says, smirking over the rim of her wine glass.She’s already opened a bottle of red.Likely in case Vivian forgets to bring the booze.
“I figured,” I reply, pulling my phone out.“It’s practically tradition at this point.”
“Tradition or personality flaw?”Lily asks with a soft smile as she flips through our latest read like she’s trying to refresh her memory before a quiz.
“Can’t it be both?”Carlie chimes in, grinning so wide that her dimples dig in deep.
Before I can respond, the door to the shop jingles, and Vivian breezes in, her heels clicking against the hardwood.
“Ladies and gentleman, the life of the party has arrived!”she announces, holding up two bottles of wine like they’re trophies.
“There are no gentlemen here,” I call out without looking up, “and you’re late.”
“Fashionably,” she shoots back, making her way to her seat.“Before we get started, let’s all take a moment to appreciate me for bringing the good stuff this week.French, full-bodied, and entirely too expensive for people like us.”
Carlie raises her empty glass, her curls bouncing as she grins.“To Vivian.May her taste in wine always be better than her taste in men.”
The group laughs again, but I just sink deeper into the loveseat, dropping my gaze to my phone and pretending to scroll.
“So, where’s Quinn then?I thought he was supposed to be here,” Vivian asks, settling into her chair with the effortless grace of someone who has never had a single awkward moment in their life.
“He’ll be here soon.I have him training the new guy on inventory,” Tasia says, uncorking one of the wine bottles Vivian brought.
“I hope he’s here soon,” Vivian says, fanning herself dramatically.“Isimplymust know what he thought of the tryst between Bradley and Ming.I didn’t think I’d like his suggested read but it was so hawt!”
I snort under my breath, scrolling harder to avoid rolling my eyes.Who does Vivian think she’s kidding?That scene wasn’t hot because of the steamy descriptions.It was the emotional undertones—the way Bradley and Ming were finally on the same wavelength after all that tension.Matching intelligence, shared vulnerability, and genuine chemistry.
You know, actualdepth.
But maybe that’s giving her too much credit.For someone who claims she’s all about passion and fireworks, Vivian is about as deep as a kiddie pool.Still, part of me wonders if her fascination with that scene has less to do with the romance and more to do with the fact that it’s two men.
“Chang,” Tasia says, turning to me with a wicked glint in her eye.“What’s your excuse tonight?You’ve got that storm-cloud energy going on again.”
“Storm-cloud energy?”I echo, not looking up.“Pretty sure that’s just my face.”
“Uh-huh,” Vivian says, leaning back and crossing her legs.“So, who pissed you off this time?Tech bros?Dumb clients?Joel?”
My fingers freeze over my phone screen.
“What?”I say, keeping my voice as neutral as possible.
“You know—Joel Price,” Vivian continues, smirking like she’s enjoying every second of this.“Your favorite subject to rant about.Haven’t heard you complain about him in a while.What, did he finally drop off the face of the Earth?”
God, I could only wish.