Even with the few steps I’ve taken, I can tell she’s rolling her eyes. “I’ll tell you the same thing I tell Matthew—”
“Don’t you fucking say his name around me.”
“Puh-lease.” She pats him on the chest. “I don’t have a ruler on me for a dick measuring contest. Besides”—she shrugs—“at least Captain Buzzkill’s concern is bought and paid for, whereas yours is misplaced.”
A familiar presence steps up behind me, causing my skin to come alive. Shifting back, I lean into CK like I’ve done a million times before and angle my chin around to whisper, “When do you think would be a good time to tell him it was me?”
CK’s rumbly chuckle hits my ears as he, too, takes in the scene in front of us. “The fact that she didn’t choose to tell him as soon as he asked makes me suspect you all have devil horns hidden under your cheer bows.”
I smother a giggle, butterflies sprouting to life at the playful twinkle I see behind his lenses. “Why are you pretending you didn’t personally confirm I am horn-free?”
“Hmm, you’re right. But maybe I should check again.” CK looks over my head at King’s place. “Carter does have a pool table.”
My entire body heats at the suggestion. From the way CK’s gaze tracks to my mouth, I’d say he’s thinking about how every game of pool we’ve played since the first time I suggested strip pool has played out.
“Do you—”
Whatever CK was about to say gets cut off by the arrival of Grady. “Hey. Small world, huh?”
CK straightens, and I’m pretty sure I pout when my body loses contact with his.
What was he going to say?
Do you want to find a dark corner and take advantage of me?
Do you want to tell our friends about us?
The possibilities are endless.
Instead, I turn to Grady and ask, “What are you doing here?”
Savvy is the one who answers as she and Tessa come over to snoop on the Carter and Emma situation, still happening mere feet away.
“He’s teammates with Lance.” She points to one of the Royals before jerking a chin at her brother. “If he doesn’t bang her and put us all out of their sexual tension–fueled misery, I swear I’m going to have Wes start taking bets on when it’ll happen.”
“It’s either that or they’ll spontaneously combust,” Tessa adds. “Fifty-fifty on which will happen.”
“Preach.” Savvy links an inked pinkie with Tessa’s, the two continuing the rest of their conversation silently.
“Speaking of combustible sexual tension…” Tessa turns, training her midnight blue eyes on CK and me.
“Ugh!” Emma stomps into our small cluster before Tessa can begin inquisition three thousand and forty-eight about the status of my relationship with CK.
I don’t know how to feel about the interruption, nor do I get the opportunity to examine it. Emma has gone from I missed my bestie needy, to Distract me with something before I commit homicide annoyed, and so we answer the call.
That was hours ago.
I had to settle for kicking CK’s butt in cornhole instead of getting bent over a pool table. *Le sigh* Another time.
Since then, though, it feels like he’s avoiding me, like it’s become his mission to keep as much space as physically possible between us without it seeming like that’s what he’s doing. It’s driving me batty.
My only saving grace has been Emma and her mission to ignore all things Carter King, which now has me pleasantly buzzed from all the beer pong and flip cup we’ve been playing. Otherwise, I would be obsessing about the fact that CK is standing across the table from me—again. It wasn’t said, but I swear he refused to be on my team.
However, our most current game has been on pause in favor of recording TikTok dances.
“No, no, no.” Grady waves his arms, cutting into Trav’s latest pathetic attempt to copy my booty pop. “Geez, you’d think you’d football players would have better dance skills.”
I double over in a fit of laughter. Trav has been trying to emulate the touchdown dance I created for him to use in the TikTok #SaveIt4TheEndZone challenge for the last ten minutes. I say trying, because it’s been nothing short of an epic failure. Homeboy can throw a football like none other, but he can’t dance for shit.
“You gotta use the hips, man.” Grady demonstrates with a surprisingly fluid oscillation.
“Ooo yeah!” I toss my arms up, copying his movements and moving in closer. “The puck head’s hips don’t lie.”
Emma snorts, joining in and sandwiching Grady from the other side. “Better step up your dance game, QB1.”
Trav pouts before shouting across the lot to Livi to show him some moves since we’re being jerks.
Our impromptu dance party comes to an end as we crowd together for selfies, but when I spin to reach for CK to join us, my heart sinks because now he’s gone.
Where’d he go?
“We need more beer?” Alex says, holding up the empty pitchers.
Latching onto the distraction, I reach for the empty.
I’m at the keg, finally refilling one of the pitchers for our next game of flip cup, when Grady joins me at the tap with the other one.
“Glad to see things worked out with you two.” Grady jerks his chin, and I finally spot where CK made off to, sitting with Carter around the bonfire. You know, all the way on the other side of the lot because the opposite side of the table wasn’t far enough away. It feels wrong to be annoyed by this, but I can’t seem to help it.
Shaking it off, I tilt my head to look up at Grady. “Have I said I’m sorry for how shitty of a date I was to you?”
He waves my apology off. “Nah. I should have never asked you out in the first place. It was obvious there was more between you two than he was willing to admit.”
His comment should make me feel better, but it does the opposite, only serving to remind me of how quick CK was to deny any attachment to me.
These last couple of weeks have been amazing, but now that our friends are back, it feels like we’re reverting back to the detachment. I know we haven’t had a moment alone to talk about how we would tell them about it, but…why does it have to be a big thing? It’s not like they don’t know how I feel about CK. The man himself was the only one who was clueless when it came to my feelings. Us being a couple isn’t going to be much of a surprise.
Really…
I should just march over there, plop myself in CK’s lap, and kiss him.
Why don’t I?
What’s stopping me?
Except…
I can’t seem to fully quiet that small voice inside my head telling me he’ll only reject me if I do that. I’d probably have more luck telling that voice to shut the fuck up if it didn’t feel like CK has been purposely staying away from me. Because, except for when we first got here, that’s exactly what it feels like he’s been doing.
He’s watched me, though. Even now, as Grady and I return to the flip cup table, falling back into the trash talk of the game and the hip bumps of celebration when our team wins, I can feel the weight of CK’s eyes on me.
I make it through three more rounds before my bladder complains about all the beer I’ve consumed. I excuse myself, letting someone else take my place, and head for the bathrooms inside the auto garage located on the back of the lot.