by Crow, Baylin
“That, I can do.” I picked up my phone and texted Knight.
Me: See you tonight.
Me: Don’t hit on Noah, jackass.
Five
Noah
Music boomed from the top-of-the-line stereo system and noise from the crowd rose and fell inside the sprawling mini-mansion Knight called home. Rook and I were the only people who stood on the massive, pale-stone back patio that overlooked the vast property.
Night had settled over the suburb that bordered our college town. Outside the city limits the homes were built farther apart. Knight's house sat on enough acres that the neighbor's house was nothing more than a smudge in the distance. Or at least it was during the day.
The trees were sparse in the field, leaving the yellow winter grass glinting in the light of the full moon and star-studded sky.
I couldn't blame Knight for choosing to stay at his parents’ house instead of on campus. The house gleamed with Mediterranean opulence.
Add in the underground pool, surrounded with large rocks and professionally maintained foliage.
Toss in the equally impressive guest house where Knight lived, and I wasn't sure I'd want to move out either.
Rook and I leaned against oversized pillars, facing each other, soaking up the heat radiating from the huge fireplace crackling with flaming cut logs and filling the air with the scent of burnt oak.
Even bundled in hoodies, beanies covering our ears, and the heat licking at our sides, the frigid wind cut through the warmth. My nose was damn near numb.
Why were we outside freezing our asses off? Because Rook had insisted we talk in private.
"Your ex is a dick," Rook growled before downing the rest of his beer and turning away from me.
His profile gave me a glimpse of the half-moon scar near his temple that poked out from beneath his white beanie. The mark had been caused by a freak basketball practice accident that involved a collision with the corner of the bleachers our freshman year.
"Agreed. That better not be why you dragged me out here."
Rook had been popping out with random rants about Brad from the time I'd told him what my cheating ex had done. It was fair to say he wasn't a fan of Brad. Not that I could blame him.
When Brad had moved close to campus over the summer for a new job, he’d reached out via social media. For months I’d turned down his increasingly frequent offers to meet up. He caught me on a bad night when I was thinking about Rook and drowning in my own unrequited love pity party, so I said yes. I’d finally decided it was time for my heart to move on. Or at least try to.
I'd always been uncomfortable dating Brad behind my brother's back. He swore it would be temporary, and I had believed him. But what I'd told Rook was true. Other than irritation and mild embarrassment, I wasn't upset. Not as much as I probably should've been. Because my heart had refused to give up on Rook. It was emotionally exhausting sometimes. Did that make me as guilty as Brad? I wasn’t sure. Why did love and relationships have to be so frustratingly messy?
Rook shivered and stuffed one of his hands in the pouch of his hoodie. “I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me for an entire week.”
"We've been over this already." Several times in fact. “I would have, eventually.”
Rook cut his narrowed eyes toward me and huffed. “So, what’s the plan?”
His cheeks and nose were turning red, and he was stepping back and forth in an effort to stay warm.
I sucked back a long pull from my beer before shrugging. “No plan. I think I’ll just enjoy being single for a while."
Rook held out his bottle, and I reluctantly met him halfway, clinking them together. I rolled my eyes but tipped my head back and polished off the bottle.
Talking about Brad was getting old, but there was one unavoidable topic because Rook would be crossing paths with him in just a few short weeks. While I was pretty sure Rook wouldn't actually deck the guy… I eyed him closely, remembering his threats from earlier. Okay, I was almost certain he'd keep his hands to himself. Either way, we needed to talk.
I cleared my throat. “My brother’s wedding is two weeks from now.”
"Five solid days of Winter Wonderland bullshit." He scowled. “I remember.”
I wasn't that excited about it either. For anyone but my brother, I'd happily decline the invitation. Unfortunately, I was also part of the wedding party.
While, like me, my brother had been a scholarship student, he'd somehow met, dated and gotten engaged to the daughter of an extremely wealthy family who owned a ski resort in Avondale, Colorado. I'd never been, but my mother loved both Kendra and her family and sent me a steady stream of pictures of the mountain views. They were gorgeous, but I just didn't want to see them in December.
Kendra was the Greene’s only daughter, so they'd closed the entire resort for her wedding to my brother.
I wouldn't know what to do with that kind of money, but I could promise you I wouldn't spend it to put a ring on someone's finger while I froze my balls off in the snow. I shivered at the thought.
The only person I knew that would hate it more was Rook. I almost felt bad about dragging him to his personal version of hell for the only week he had off from basketball season.
Rook had missed my purpose of bringing up the wedding in the first place.
"Right. Five days and…Brad—"
"Brad's a fucking groomsman." Rook shot off a chorus of expletives under his breath. "Trevor doesn’t know about you and Brad, so he’s still going to be there.”
I grimaced. “Yep. He’s Trevor's best man, actually.”
Rook shook his head. “If only he knew… Dammit, Noah, I told you dating him behind your brother’s back was a bad idea.”
I sighed. “How could I forget with your constant reminders?”
“Are you going to tell your brother about Brad?"
The question wasn't unexpected. It was something I'd pondered over and over since receiving the texts from Andy. "Fuck if I know. I have to choose between possibly ruining my brother's wedding or him having Brad next to him in all his wedding photos if things go south after he finds out."
Rook shook his head. "I fucking told you—"
I glared. "Finish that line, and I will throat punch you."
"Now, who's the violent one?" He smirked.
"I could just not tell him at all. You know me and Trevor have never been that close." Every option felt like the wrong one, and I was tired of thinking about it. I took another drink. "Can we be done talking about this now?"
Rook chewed on his lip and then finally gave a decisive nod. "For now."
Thank fuck. I kicked off the pillar, ready to head inside and away from the cold. Rook stopped me by tipping his bottle toward me. “But you know what you need?”
With a groan, I sagged back against the smooth stone. “I’m sure you’ll tell me.”
Rook went quiet, so I cocked a brow while studying him. His brows furrowed in contemplation before he nodded to himself. His gaze snapped to mine. “You need to take a date.”
“What?" My eyebrows shot up. That was not what I was expecting him to say at all. "Why?"
"Because your ex—"
I was already shaking my head. "No. Seriously, Rook. I don't care."
“Well, I do.” Rook strode to the trash can masked as a standing stone and tossed his empty bottle inside. When he returned, he took up the space beside me, leaned back against the pillar. “And he’s an asshole, Noah. He should see what he lost out on.”
While I understood where he was coming from, I wasn't going to take a date to the wedding just to try and make Brad jealous. Not only was it insane, I also didn't want to bring someone I'd have to spend time with for five solid days.
I removed my beanie and ran my fingers through my hair before pulling it back in place “Careful. You might start to sound like my mom.”
Ever since she’d found out I was gay last summer, my mom had been trying to set me up with every gay man she knew. Sh
e was convinced she was up to the task, especially as the year wore on and I hadn't really dated. My mom hadn’t known about Brad though, which was probably a good thing. If she knew I’d been cheated on, she’d be really upset and likely just try harder. In her own weird way, she was trying to be supportive, but it drove me crazy.
“No, it’s different,” Rook insisted. “I’m not saying you need to find an actual date. Just a little fuck you, Brad. You know?”
"You mean a fake date?" I asked. When he nodded, I gave him an incredulous look because there was no way I was doing what he was suggesting, but I decided to humor him. “And where exactly am I supposed to find this guy?”
His shoulders squared as he gave me a duh look.
My heart suddenly thudded in my chest, and my eyes widened. “You? You can't be serious. No way.”
"Wow. That was harsh." He moved to stand in front of me, crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head. “Why not?”
“Well, you're straight for one," I pointed out, wondering if he'd officially lost his mind.
Rook simply shrugged one shoulder. “So? It’s not like it would be real.”
“Two, my family knows you. They’d never buy it.” Why was I even listening to this nonsense? Even if I were insane enough to agree to his proposal, we'd never be able to portray a believable relationship.
He hummed. "You may have a point… But I figure we could sell it just fine."
"How do you figure?" I straightened and took a step toward him, lowering my voice. "You gonna hold my hand? Whisper sweet nothings in my ear?"
Rook's lips twitched as he stood his ground. "You have something against my hands, Noah? I'll have you know I'm the best hand-holder in the world. Might even rock your world with sweet nothings. I just may have to search them on the Internet first."
"You really have lost your mind," I muttered. I arched a brow, and my voice rose to a loud whisper. "And kissing? How do you think you could pull that off?"
At this point I was totally joking, but Rook tilted his head as if considering the question. "It's not like we haven't done it before."
So much for never bringing it up again. The silent pact shattered around us like broken glass. I was sure the bass of the music from inside was the only thing masking the wild hammering of my heart.
The thought of Rook's lips on mine again was tempting. I'd imagined it so many times—pining and wishing for what I knew would never happen. And here it was, being offered to me just like that.
For him, it would be pretend. For me, it would be very real.
I chuckled to cover the mild shake in my voice. "Nope. I'm good."
Rook frowned. "Is the idea of kissing me repulsive or something?"
The question caught me off guard, and my mask slipped slightly. "What? No. I don't have a problem with it."
He grinned as if he'd won, and I realized I'd fallen into a very obvious trap. "Then what's the harm?"
Why was he pushing the issue?
"For a straight guy, you sure do sound like you want it." The taunt worked. Just not in the way I intended. His gaze dropped to my lips.
"I'm trying to help my best friend, Noah." His voice rasped, and his swallow was audible. "Besides…I didn't hate it. I wouldn't mind doing it again."
I don't think he'd intended to say the words. And if he had, I was certain he hadn’t meant to let them roll off his tongue like a lazy caress that thickened my cock in my jeans.
A few beats of silence passed where we both stood quiet before I finally spoke. "Rook—" When his gaze lifted to meet mine, I shook my head, adding a laugh to ease the uncomfortable tension that had swollen around us. “That’s such a dumb idea.”
In fact, the idea had heartbreak written all over it. It wasn't his fault he didn't know how I felt about him. I'd never told him, and I never would.
He opened his mouth to argue—because he always had to win—so I gave a firm shake of my head. "No. You'll be with me. That's more than enough."
He was silent for a moment while staring at me before he relented with a sigh. "I'll definitely be there." The lazy grin I loved finally tilted his lips. "At least I won't be the third wheel anymore. That shit was getting old."
Old and awkward as fuck. Thinking about your best friend every time you were with another guy wasn't fair to anyone. But I couldn't help it. I was in love with him.
I was also afraid it was written all over my expression, so I quickly changed topics. "You talk to your parents after the game?"
He gave me a look that said he was fully aware of what I'd just done but let it go. "Yep. They called while you were in the shower."
"Did they watch the game?"
"You know they did. They apologized again for not making it out. But Mom's doing last-minute Christmas shopping."
With our hometown only an hour from campus they made it to most of Rook's games. Bonus points: his mom always brought home-cooked meals. "So, it'll just be the four of us for Christmas?"
"Like always." He paused. "Well, except your mom…" His jaw snapped shut, but I honestly wasn't bothered.
What he didn't say was my mom wouldn't be home for the holiday. She'd be visiting James’ family. I opted not to go because, one, I didn't know them well. And two, Rook’s family was also my family, and it would mean missing Christmas with them.
The wind kicked up, sending a swift slap of chilled air against my cheeks. In tandem, we drifted closer to the fire.
"It's not a big deal. We'll see her for five days before then." Hell, we'd barely make it off the plane on Christmas Eve, coming back from the ridiculous over-the-top wedding.
The heavy wooden back door banged open, and Knight's recognizable laugh boomed loud behind us.
When we glanced his way, he offered a sloppy grin. "I was wondering where you two disappeared to." His words were slightly slurred, and the two girls plastered against his sides giggled as if he'd said something hilarious. "This is…" His brow furrowed as he frowned down at the girls. "Melody and Becca?"
Knight’s gaze shot back to ours, the question in them clear. Becca was in my Film Authorship class, and I fully intended to pretend I never saw her tonight when we went back to school in the spring. Melody was a friend of hers I'd seen around, so I gave him a subtle nod. His grin grew. Proud as shit of himself. With one arm slung over the shoulders of each girl, he pulled them closer.
Rook laughed under his breath.
"He's your friend," I mumbled, and Rook snorted.
"Hey." I tipped my chin at the girls, and they each offered shy smiles.
Melody glanced at Rook. "Hey, Rook. We're headed to the guest house. You up for it?"
My jaw clenched as I cast a quick look at my best friend. He didn't hesitate to shake his head. "Nah. I'm good. You three have fun."
Knight wiggled his brows before flipping a lazy gaze my way. "Captain Knight at your service, ladies. Lead the way."
"Oh god," I groaned under my breath, and Rook didn't bother to hide his laugh. It burst from his lips, unchecked and wild. I loved it.
As the trio stumbled away, Rook wiped his eyes, shaking his head. "He's gonna regret that one in the morning. Becca's been after his nuts since freshman year."
I didn't care who Knight screwed. "Can we go inside now? I'm fucking cold."
"If I was your fake boyfriend, I'd offer to warm you up," he replied with mirth in his tone. My gaze flew to his and found him grinning like a moron. "Just fucking with you."
He passed me, heading for the door. "Let’s go. Pretty sure my nuts are in danger of freezing the fuck off."
The instant warmth when we stepped inside blanketed me as we wove through the crowd.
"Want another beer?" Rook yelled over his shoulder.
I was still thinking about Rook warming me up, kissing me and holding my stupid hand as we faked a relationship I could only wish was real. And that was bad. "Yep, sure do."
I followed him into the rustic kitchen with a modern twist that could have been featured on
the cover of any magazine. Instead of reaching for the beers that filled the refrigerator, I popped open the cabinet for the good stuff. After I retrieved two shot glasses, I poured doubles and slid one across the marble countertop to Rook.
He held it up, eyeing the golden contents before glancing back at me. Amusement danced in his eyes as he clicked his glass to mine. "Looks like we'll be crashing in the guest rooms tonight."
We tossed them back at the same time and slammed them back down. The burn was strong, but the mental image of Rook wrapped around me, pressing his lips to mine was stronger.
I poured another.
Six
Noah
My head throbbed like a son of a bitch, and my eyes stung when I tried to pry my lids open. I groaned and slammed them closed again. The way my gut twisted reminded me why I rarely drank more than a few beers at a time. Definitely not worth it.
What was the point in hanging sheer white curtains? Especially facing the direction of the rising sun? If Knight's mom wanted her guests to wake up early and leave, then she'd made a smart choice, because there was no way I could go back to sleep.
I was sweating beneath the thick champagne-colored duvet, and my mouth was dry, as if it had been stuffed full of cotton balls.
I was in desperate need of water, pain pills and a toothbrush. With effort, I attempted to scoot toward the edge of the bed, ignoring the way my stomach pitched, protesting the subtle move. An unexpected hand tightened on my hip, and I froze.
Confused and almost afraid to look, I slowly rolled over just enough to glance over my shoulder. My body sagged in relief to find it was only Rook. Fast asleep, he lay behind me. Too close behind me with mere inches separating his bare chest from my naked back.
Where the hell did my shirt go? Even though the denim was uncomfortable, at least my jeans were still on.
My gaze rested on his face for seconds too long before brushing over his tanned shoulders.