Dating Texas (Discovering Me #3)

by Ann Maree Craven

  “Keep my breakfast safe, Wylds.” Will shoved his half-eaten breakfast at Wylder.

  “Hurry back, boys. I want all the juicy details.”

  The four made their way across the quad to the administrative building.

  “I can’t believe we’re in trouble again,” Diego whispered, waiting outside the headmistress’s office.

  “We’re not in trouble, Diego. We didn’t do anything. At least, I don’t think we did.”

  “Come on, boys.” Mrs. Jones held the door to her office open for them. “This won’t take long.”

  Will and Kenny made their way in ahead of Killian and Diego.

  “They know about you two, right?” She gestured over her shoulder.

  “What about us?” Killian shoved his hands in his pockets.

  “Oh please, I’m not blind. Mind if we talk about living arrangements with your friends?”

  “Oh, sure. I guess,” Killian said, his shoulders slumping.

  “All right, boys. Since you four are pretty good friends, I thought we could do this in one conversation.” Mrs. Jones leaned against her desk. “I had a nice conversation with Killian’s mom, who is thrilled to death that Diego and Killian are dating. But not so much about them living together. And I have to agree with her. Boyfriends can’t be roommates.”

  Killian groaned. He should have known his mother would turn into the epic meddling mom that she was.

  “Why are we here?” Will asked. “You know I’m straight, right?”

  “It’s not about us, you idiot.” Kenny punched him in the arm.

  “We need to make a change to this roommate situation, and I thought the easiest solution would be for Killian to move in with Kenny and Will to move in with Diego.”

  “Yes. I agree!” Kenny stood up. “Great idea, Diego can have him.”

  “Hey, I resent that.” Will looked affronted.

  “Are you willing to change rooms?” Mrs. Jones asked.

  “You mean go back to living in a shoebox?” Will frowned. “Not really, if I’m being honest. I lucked out getting a suite as a junior.”

  “Perfect. You’ll make the switch today and it should be an easy fix so no one has to get used to a new person mid-year.

  “Right, I don’t get a choice.” Will scratched his neck. “Sure, it’s cool, Diego’s my man—well, not my man. He’s Killian’s man, but you know, we can play video games and hang for the rest of the year.” He held his fist up, and Diego stared at it for a moment before he realized he was supposed to bump it.

  Kenny raised his hand. “Just one thing, you know I’m bi, right? Is that against school policy for two…not straight guys to room together?”

  “Well, I think the whole planet knows you’re bi, Mr. Montgomery. But you have a boyfriend, and Killian has a boyfriend. I’m not so narrow-minded that I think just because you both like boys that any shenanigans will happen in your dorm room.”

  “Definitely not,” both Killian and Kenny said in unison.

  “I think we uh, like the same type of guy.” Kenny grinned. “Sweet, kind and far too good for us.”

  “You got that right.” Killian reached to meet Kenny’s fist bump.

  “Then we’re done here. Go pack up and have fun with your last day of break.” Mrs. Jones waved them out of the room.

  “Sorry about that, guys,” Diego said.

  “It’s not a problem,” Will said. “We’ll have fun this semester, roomie.”

  “And I might have some peace and quiet for once in my life.” Kenny clapped Will on the back. “Let’s go get you packed up, buddy.” He steered Will across the crowded quad, leaving Diego alone with Killian.

  “It’s not what we wanted, but it’s not a bad deal either.” Killian stepped in front of Diego. “We might not get to live together, but at least now, I can do this.” Killian captured Diego’s lips, tugging on his belt loops to bring him closer.

  Diego was vaguely aware of the whispers.

  “Killer and Diego?”

  “When did that happen?”

  But Diego didn’t care. Let them talk. He was going to enjoy kissing his boyfriend.

  Epilogue

  Killian

  Eight months later:

  A year ago, Killian never thought he’d be excited to return to Defiance Academy. In fact, he’d dreaded saying goodbye to his mom and sisters to go back to a place that never felt like home.

  The academy never changed. Students came and went. Some graduated and others started anew. Teachers assigned lessons and gave tests.

  A secret society tended their flowers as they’d apparently done since the school’s inception.

  But the students… They changed. They never stepped foot back on campus the same people who’d left.

  The summer was amazing. It started with a trip to Venezuela, but that couldn’t last. After two weeks in a village where everyone doted on him and Diego, he flew home for two months of work on the ranch and on the ice.

  He’d never felt better about his game. This was his year. Kenny had graduated and put the spotlight on the Knights hockey program when he was taken in the first round of the NHL draft. Now, it was up to Killian to show the hockey world just what Defiance Academy had to offer.

  This was his team now.

  “Killer!” The shout came from across the quad. Killian trekked across the brick walkways after dropping his belongings at his senior dorm room. He looked up to find Will with a few other guys from the team. Joining them, Killian fist bumped Will.

  “We winning the tourney this year, Killer?” Will asked.

  Killian shrugged. “Why not? Got nothing better to do.”

  His teammates laughed.

  “Any of you seen Diego yet?” His plane was supposed to get in an hour ago. Killian looked at his phone, but there still wasn’t a response to his last text.

  Will shook his head. “Sorry, man.”

  “All right, I’ll see you fools later.” He waved goodbye. Maybe Diego went to the dorms, but why wouldn’t he text Killian?

  They hadn’t seen each other in seven weeks. Forty-eight days to be exact, but who was counting?

  Killian would never claim to be a confident guy. He second-guessed everything. Had Diego reconsidered their relationship in their time apart? Did he still have feelings for Killian? Was that the reason he wasn’t responding to his message saying he’d arrived back on campus?

  Unable to wait any longer, Killian ran back to Thomas Hall and found the room Diego would be sharing with Will. He knocked, but no one came.

  Releasing a breath, Killian turned to head back to his room. He pushed open the door to his senior suite and froze. A guy he’d never seen before sat on the couch with a cookie raised halfway to his mouth—more specifically, a cookie Killian’s mom baked for him to take back to school.

  “Hello.” Crumbs fell out of the boy’s mouth onto his navy-blue polo. Brushing them away, he stood and stuffed the rest of the cookie in his mouth. He offered Killian a closed-mouth grin and ran a hand through his perfectly styled inky hair.

  The guy looked like he’d just fallen out of a Gap ad.

  Killian glanced down at his worn cowboy boots and faded jeans that fit a bit snuggly. “You my new roommate?”

  The guy swallowed his food and nodded. “I’m Logan.” He grinned. Charm oozed from him, and Killian couldn’t decide if it was fake or endearing. A dimple appeared as Logan’s smile widened. “You’re Killian, right?”

  “Lucky guess?” He smirked as he looked to where their names had been written on a whiteboard attached to the door.

  Logan walked to the fridge and pulled out a soda—that Killian had bought. “Good cookies, by the way. My compliments to the chef.”

  Some part of Killian knew this would be a long year.

  Logan scrunched his brow. “Why is there a weird guy standing in our doorway?”

  Killian turned so quickly he almost gave himself whiplash. Diego, looking even more adorable than Killian remembered, stood with his
suitcases in the hall behind him. He’d come there before even going to his own room.

  As if trying to play it cool, Diego moved to lean against the door frame, missing it entirely and falling to the side.

  A laugh burst out of Logan. Killian ran into the hall where Diego hadn’t been able to catch himself and lay crumpled on the ground. “You okay?” Killian checked him over, concern etched into his face.

  Diego released a heavy breath and sat up. “So much for not being an idiot this year.”

  A smile spread across Killian’s face. “You could never be an idiot, Diego Jackson.”

  The tension between them slipped away, and it felt like they’d never been apart at all.

  “I missed you,” Diego whispered.

  Killian pulled him into a crushing hug. “I missed you so much, Diego.”

  “Can’t. Breathe.”

  Killian laughed and released him, cupping his cheek. “Can I…kiss you?”

  Diego’s only answer was to rise up on his knees and press his lips to Killian’s. Every bit of doubt melted away as they reminded each other why they’d taken the risk the year before, why they’d chosen each other.

  Because there was no one else.

  “I love you,” Killian whispered against Diego’s lips. “I should have said it sooner. At the end of the school year or in Venezuela. At a place more perfect than the gross floor of the boys’ dorms at a boarding school in Riverpass, Ohio. I’m sorry.”

  Diego brushed a thumb over Killian’s cheek. “The words were perfect. It doesn’t matter where they were said.”

  Killian stood and pulled Diego up with him. “You love me too.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “No, but you wanted to.”

  Diego grinned. “You a mind reader now?”

  “Only a Diego reader.”

  He laughed. “I do, you know. But why say it now?”

  “I wanted this year to start differently. Last year, I came back to school and had no one, nothing other than hockey. Now, I have you.”

  “And I have you.”

  Killian wrapped an arm around Diego’s waist, pulling him into his sitting room and leaving his stuff in the hall.

  A gagging sound came from the kitchen. Logan shook his head. “I just spent the summer living with a brother who couldn’t keep his hands off his girlfriend. Let’s just say it was…uncomfortable. Don’t tell me this entire year will be like that.”

  Diego hid his face in Killian’s shoulder.

  Killian scowled. There was no way he’d live with a guy who made him feel like crap for being with Diego.

  As if sensing the direction of Killian’s thoughts, Logan threw his hands up. “Look, dude, I don’t care that you’re gay. Just don’t go at it in front of me. Same would be said if he was a girl.”

  Killian sighed. “Diego, this is Logan. He’s going to be around all year.”

  Diego stammered out a hello. “I’ll go drop my stuff at my room. Dinner tonight?”

  Killian nodded and pressed a kiss to his lips, ignoring Logan’s earlier demand. Diego gave him one last smile and left.

  A boyfriend he loved.

  A roommate he already didn’t like.

  And a hockey season that would determine his future.

  It was going to be an interesting year.

  Wait! There’s more! Not happy with a happy for now ending? Want to see if Killian and Diego get their happily ever after? Download your bonus chapters here.

  Thanks for reading the Discovering Me series! If you’d like more from these characters, go back to the beginning with Peyton and Cam in Dating My Best Friend! Flip the page for a sneak peek.

  Dating My Best Friend: Chapter One

  Peyton

  ~ Pey,

  I’m not coming back. You need to forget about me.

  Cam ~

  Cameron is missing.

  Eighteen months ago, those three little words changed Peyton Callahan’s life forever. Everything that came after was like a punch in the gut, one right after another.

  Your brother is dead. Our rescue crew found Cooper’s body in the wreckage at the bottom of Defiance Falls.

  They’d found her best friend, Cameron, the next morning. He went over the falls with Cooper, but he’d made it out of the car first. He washed up on the river bank miles away from the sight of the crash. He was unconscious, with a badly broken leg and a dangerous fever, but alive.

  After Cooper’s funeral, Julian, his twin, had left to go live with his aunt. Peyton knew it was hard for him walking around with Cooper’s face, seeing the regret in everyone around him, and hearing the wrong twin had died. She knew he needed the escape, but that left Peyton alone to deal with their parents’ grief along with her own.

  But the final blow threw Peyton over the edge. After he was discharged from the hospital, Cameron—her lifelong best friend—left her too. His dad claimed they sent him to work with a world-class physical therapist to get him back in shape. She hadn’t even had a chance to tell him goodbye.

  Now, eighteen months later, Cooper was still dead and Julian was still gone while Cameron was off at some Olympic Training Center chasing his gold medal dreams.

  “You’ve been polishing that same spot for the last ten minutes,” Peyton’s mother said as she stepped behind the diner counter, taking inventory of the coffee supplies. “Either wipe the whole counter or go clock out for dinner. And cancel your plans. I need you to work the late shift with me.”

  “Again?” she groaned. “I need to work on my STEM project tonight.”

  “On a Friday night?” Her mom’s eyes filled with pity. “Don’t you have anything better to do?”

  Peyton scowled at her mother. Right she may be, but ouch. Once upon a time, Peyton had no shortage of friends and frequent weekend plans. Things changed after that night, and so had Peyton. Her STEM—Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics—project had saved her sanity over the last few months. It gave her something to focus on besides her grief.

  “Go get dinner,” her mother said in a softer tone. “We have some healthy new salads and vegan meals on the menu. You’ve been doing so well lately. Don’t let all the fried foods here tempt you. I’m proud of you.” Her words were kind, but there was no emotion behind them. Ever since the death of her stepson—whom she’d loved like a son since he was six years old—Sofia Callahan went through the motions of being a mother. She was like a robot, and the only thing that seemed to matter to her anymore was her work at the diner she owned with her husband, Brian, Peyton’s stepfather. Her parents threw themselves into working at the Main Street Diner. The Main was everyone’s favorite restaurant in Twin Rivers, thanks to Sofia’s blend of Spanish and American dishes along with her extensive dessert menu.

  It made it difficult for Peyton’s diet to be around such great food all the time, but she was doing so much better these days. She was making healthier choices and felt like the old Peyton was finally resurfacing again.

  Peyton clocked out and put in her order for a roasted veggie sandwich with goat cheese on whole grain bread with a small side of vegan mac and cheese. It was a high carb day, so she got to pick all the healthy carbs. Tomorrow would be a low carb day of mostly veggies and lean proteins. Peyton had found carb cycling a diet plan she could live with and still achieve good results.

  And I’m under my calorie allotment for the day! She might even have enough calories left over to squeeze in a dessert of frozen yogurt on the way home.

  Peyton tapped her iPad screen and launched the app she was working on for the STEM competition she’d entered a few months ago. To enter the preliminary round, she’d had to develop a social networking app or website designed to promote positive online experiences among high school students. The project was right up Peyton’s alley. She was good at coding and had an eye for web and app design. And she had a cause that drove her passion for the project.

  Four months ago, she’d created the idea for No Body Shame, which she calle
d No BS. The idea was for a social networking app, just for the students of her school. The app would provide a completely anonymous place where students could come to talk about body issues, labels and stereotypes, and how they affected people. Peyton hadn’t expected much, but out of all the submissions in her school district, No BS was chosen, and Peyton had received a small stipend to create her app and submit it to the statewide competition over the summer break. She’d spent most of the summer building her app’s infrastructure and had launched the beta app on the Twin Rivers High website more than a month ago.

  To her complete surprise, her fellow students were actually using it. She was able to collect enough data and examples to submit for the state level competition and won first place! Now she was gearing up for the national STEM competition next month. She tried not to think about the grand prize scholarship to her college of choice. She didn’t want to get her hopes up, but No BS was gaining in popularity, and Peyton spent all of her free time responding to comments and monitoring conversations. No BS had to maintain a positive user experience. That was the whole point. She would not tolerate cyberbullying of any kind, and she was working with her friend Katie and her mother on the security aspects of the app. She wanted to guarantee anonymity, but she still didn’t have the budget for that. Katie’s mom was helping her build a decent security system. She wasn’t ready for nationals yet. But she was close. Peyton was so proud of her accomplishments, but more than anything, she was grateful for the distraction No BS gave her. When the memories got to be too much, she poured everything she had into the app. And for months now, No BS filled the empty void where her friends used to be.

  I love this app! It’s such a relief to come here and see how many girls (and boys!) are dealing with the same issues I’ve dealt with for so long. I used to think I was alone. That there was no way anyone could understand what I went through last year. Some of the boys in my class started calling me “butterface.” At first, I didn’t know what it meant, but it didn’t take long for the humiliation to sink in. Apparently, I have a great body … ButHerFace… I just didn’t realize I had an ugly face. I’m not a perfect beauty queen and I’ve never tried to be anything other than what I am. (I’m certainly not an ogre) The constant jerky remarks about putting a bag over my head had me begging my parents to send me to Defiance Academy next year. But after hanging out here, I’ve decided I will not let them shame me. I’m proud of who I am and I have a lovely face. Thank you No BS!