I fill them in on the whole situation, since I haven’t seen them since the guys came to get all my stuff. BJ doesn’t add much, other than to say Bethany is a loon and any of the guys on the team who slept with her are idiots.
Lacey and Lovey have to go to class, which leaves me and BJ. He arches a brow. “So . . .”
I shove a forkful of salad in my mouth and wish it were a blueberry muffin instead. I put a hand in front of my face and mumble, “So what?”
“What happened with Kody last night?”
“What do you mean what happened?” My voice is hella pitchy.
“Well, he went upstairs about ten minutes after you and your friend went to study and never came back down. So what happened?”
“Kodiak and I had a discussion.” This is not untrue.
“What happened to your friend?”
“He went home.”
BJ frowns and strokes his beard. “Huh.”
“Huh, what?”
“Nothing. I must’ve been in the bathroom or something when he left.” He makes a dismissive gesture and crosses one leg over the other. “Anyway, tell me about this discussion.”
“Kodiak was a douche, I called him out, we exchanged a bunch of words, and now we’re figuring things out.”
“What does that mean? Figuring things out how?”
“It’s complicated.”
“It’s really not, though. It’s always been simple, and you two just make it complicated.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He laces his hands behind his head. “He’s been in love with you since you were kids. He just didn’t know how to love you without taking over your entire world, or letting you take over his. He needed you to be strong enough to put him in his place, and you are, which means things are finally going to be as they should.”
I stare at him for a few long seconds, waiting to see if he’s going to continue or not. “Have you been reading the Tao of Pooh again or something?”
“Or something. It’s been infuriating, fascinating, and damn well annoying watching you two screw up this year. I mean, mostly it’s been Kody fucking shit up and you sitting back and letting it happen, but man, it’s nice to see you wearing your lady balls with pride.”
I laugh and shake my head. “He’s not yet forgiven for all the crap he’s pulled.”
BJ inclines his head, half acknowledgment, half consideration. “Kody is the best at punishing himself, Lavender. You don’t have to forgive him quickly, but don’t throw all his mistakes back in his face when he makes new ones. He’ll carry that guilt for the rest of his life if you let him.”
I nod. Kodiak wears his mistakes like scars that scratch up his insides. “I know better than to do that to him.”
BJ smiles, and there’s something wistful in it. “It must be kind of messed up to have found your soul mate before you even understood what it meant.” He ruffles my hair and pushes out of his chair. “I gotta head to class.”
I check the time. It’s still early but I can head to the theater, so I gather my things and leave with BJ.
After I finish up at the theater, I check my phone. I have a message from Kodiak telling me he’s been thinking about me all day. He doesn’t elaborate, but I’m 1000 percent sure I know what he means.
I also have a message from River saying he’s out for the night, but to text or call if I need anything. He’s been doing that a lot lately—the not coming home part. So has Maverick, but that’s not entirely unusual. Regardless, it means I won’t have a chance to talk to him about Kodiak, since it isn’t something I’m interested in doing over the phone.
I do, however, fill my mom in on the fact that I’ve moved back into the house with my brothers and tell her not to worry about Kodiak because I can totally hold my own. Thankfully she had yet to mention the dorms to my dad, so that was one freak-out neither of us had to deal with. I also drop a mention of the summer internship opportunity, but blow it off as unlikely since I’m only a sophomore and they pretty much always take juniors or seniors. But, I tell her, it doesn’t hurt to submit an application so I’m familiar with the process. She agrees.
Before I can change my mind, I stop by my professor’s office and let her know I’d like to apply so she can send me the forms.
It’s after six by the time I get home. Maverick, BJ, and Quinn are sitting in front of the TV playing video games, a mostly empty pizza box on the table in front of them.
Maverick looks up for a second but doesn’t bother to pause. I sort of expected an immediate confrontation of some kind. Instead, he goes back to furiously pounding on the controller. “There’s a nondescript black package on the counter from Gigi.”
“Awesome.” I cut through the living room. Obviously she ignored my mom’s request to stop sending me sex-positive items.
“Wanna grab me a beer?” Mav calls.
“Me too!” BJ adds.
“You all have legs. Why can’t you get your own beers?” I drop my backpack on the kitchen island and check out the black bag on the counter with a set of cherries on it. So discreet. I tuck it in my backpack so I can open it later, when I’m in the privacy of my own room.
I pull three bottles from the beer fridge. It’s actually supposed to be for wine, but no one in this house is sophisticated enough to drink that, so it’s filled with beer and random girly coolers that I sometimes drink.
I take a few deep breaths, prepared for Maverick to come in here and say something about the whole Kodiak thing, but BJ pops his head in instead. He yells something toward the living room about wanting a snack.
“Who’s telling Mav?” he asks as he opens the pantry door and grabs two bags of chips from the top shelf.
I had no idea they were there because I’d have to stand on a freaking chair to be able to see them. “Kodiak.”
BJ arches a brow. “When’s that happening?”
I shrug. “I figured he would’ve said something by now.”
“Kody disappeared into his room as soon as he got home, and Mav seems oblivious as usual, so I’m gonna go ahead and surmise that’s not the case.”
I cross my arms, annoyed. “Well, I’m not going to be the one to tell him.”
BJ snorts a laugh. “Might wanna give your boy some incentive, then.”
“My boy.” I roll my eyes. “You’re going to have a field day with this, aren’t you?”
“Hell, yeah. I’ve been waiting years for this to go down. I can’t wait to see River flip his lid.”
I grab my bag and head for the stairs, but before I get far, BJ pulls me into a wiry hug. “But seriously, Lav, you two belong together and always have.”
I climb the stairs, my stomach flipping with a mixture of anxiety, irritation, and anticipation. I pause on the first landing and pull the black package out, tearing into it. There’s a gift note inside.
Lavender,
Your mom told me you’ve been having a rough time lately, and I figured this might cheer you up!
~xo Gigi
I pull out the item meant to make me feel better and stare at it. I have always loved Marvel and DC Comics movies. They’re my favorite. It’s probably because my mom always had a weird thing about superheroes and passed it down to me. So I should not be shocked that I’m holding an Aquaman dildo. And yet I am. Being the thoughtful, inappropriate gigi that she is, it also includes cleansing wipes and lube. Not like she hasn’t sent me that stuff a dozen times before.