by K. A. Linde
“Hence the spring-loaded box,” he reminded me.
“I know, but it’s so mean.”
He shrugged. “So are the cats.”
I laughed. “You poor, poor thing.”
He flashed me a grin. “I didn’t know she was going to scratch the shit out of me.”
“She’s a stray!” I gestured to the cat who was almost inside the carrier. “What did you expect?”
“Well, you pet her just fine.”
“I’m her owner,” I argued.
He put a finger to his mouth. “She’s going inside.”
“Did you guys figure it out?” Annie asked, bounding out of the house.
“Shh!” we both said at the same time.
Annie’s eyes widened, and she put her hands up. “Sorry,” she whispered. Her eyes landed on Julian. “Oh my God, are you bleeding?”
“Shh,” he hissed.
Then Avocado walked into the pet carrier.
“Jennifer, go!” he said, all but shoving me off the front steps.
This was the one problem with the pet carrier over the other ones that Julian had wanted to use: someone had to close it. Which meant, I should have been waiting nearby. So that as soon as the cat walked inside, I could snap the door closed. Instead, I was running like an idiot the short distance across the lawn to try to get there before Cado ate all the fish and realized she wasn’t in her natural environment.
I dashed across the yard and smashed the grate closed as Avocado tried to stick her little head out. She snarled and yowled, slashing at the metal. I secured the grate in place and carefully pulled my hand back. If I hadn’t been quick, she could have gotten me.
When I turned back around, Julian and Annie were both laughing hysterically.
“What?” I demanded.
“You should have seen yourself,” Annie said. “You, like, slid into home to get that gate closed.”
“She would have gotten out!”
Julian tried to cover his laugh, but it didn’t work. “It was amazing. And good news: Bacon made it into the other one.”
I found the spring-loaded carrier had worked, and Bacon was inside, contentedly eating the fish. Cado never would have gone willingly. Should have seen that one coming.
I flopped back onto the grass. “Thank God that’s over.”
Julian dropped down next to me. “Remind me to never offer to help you catch cats again.”
The adrenaline of the moment was gone. “I can’t believe it worked!”
Tears rolled down my cheeks as laughter hit me right in the pit of my stomach. Julian was right there with me.
Until Annie came to stand over us and shook her head. “I want whatever y’all had.”
I wiped the tears from my eyes. “I trapped cats that a few days ago, I wouldn’t have even claimed as mine. And I’m taking them with me across town.”
“I knew you loved those cats.”
“At least one of us did.”
Avocado was still crowing. I was going to have to figure out what to do with her. She was probably going to be pretty pissy for a while once we got her out at the other house. But at least Bacon seemed fine, and Cado loved Bacon.
A giant pickup pulled up into the driveway, and Hollin hopped down out of the driver’s seat. “What the fuck are you doing in the grass, Wright?”
Julian propped himself up onto his elbows. “Getting a tan.”
Hollin snorted. “Are we moving today or what?”
“Thanks for offering to help,” I said, brushing grass off of me as I stood. “Piper, Blaire, and Chester should be here soon.”
“Chester?” Julian asked.
“Yeah, I’m as surprised as you are.”
“Your brother is going to help?” Annie asked.
“He moved in earlier this week, and I helped him. He offered to return the favor.” I shrugged.
“What’s up with your brother?” Hollin asked. “Why is everyone shocked?”
“He’s just…”
“Self-centered,” Annie finished.
“Narcissistic,” Julian added.
“An asshole.”
I swatted at them both. “He’s trying, y’all.”
“Hell, I’m a self-centered, narcissistic asshole,” Hollin said, crossing his beefy arms over his muscled chest.
Julian and Annie shared a look and then shrugged and nodded.
“Pretty much,” Annie said.
“What do you say about me when I’m not here?” Hollin joked.
“Nothing we wouldn’t say to your face, cuz.” Julian got to his feet and clapped Hollin on the arm.
“Dude, are you bleeding?”
And the rest of us broke down into laughter again.
By the time Piper, Blaire, and Chester showed up to help me move, Julian and Hollin had already gotten the furniture onto Hollin’s truck. Annie had brought Jordan’s truck over for the day, and Piper had shown up in Bradley’s pickup. I was thankful because that meant I didn’t have to rent anything.
Jordan had paid for someone to come and box up all of Annie’s stuff and move it into his mansion on the south side of town. But I didn’t have a billionaire boyfriend, so I was on my own.
“What do you have in here?” Chester grunted as he lifted a box from my bedroom.
“Books.”
“More like bricks.”
“A book a day keeps reality away.”
He snorted and hauled it out of my bedroom. I grabbed one from the bathroom and followed him outside.
The whole thing was going remarkably fast with six people moving instead of just me, like the last time I’d moved. My arms had hurt for a week straight afterward.
“Last box,” Hollin said, hauling the box onto his shoulder as if it weighed nothing. He was easily the biggest guy I’d ever seen in my life.
“Phew! That was quick,” I gasped.
My eyes traveled across my friends. Hollin deposited the box in the back of his truck. He dapped knuckles with Julian. Piper was chugging from a bottle of water. She passed it to Blaire, who took a sip. Chester leaned against the truck next to Blaire. Annie grinned at me, as if understanding the look of awe on my face.
They’d all come here for me. Just for me. I’d always been a loner. More interested in my camera and books. Too much social anxiety to reach out and find my own niche. Sometimes, I was pulled into a vortex by proximity, but I hadn’t found anything until Sutton and Annie. And now, I had my own little world. Even with my brother unexpectedly in it.
“Thanks for helping me today,” I said, unable to keep from choking on the words.
They smiled and said it was no problem. Only Annie knew what it all meant to me. Or so I thought.
Then everyone piled into the trucks to head over to Piper’s house.
Julian grabbed my arm before we left. “What got you all emotional?”
I laughed softly and glanced away. “Just nice to have a friend group like this.”
“You have Annie and Sutton.”
“Yeah. It’s just…new.”
“The whole family thing is new for me, too. I only ever had Jordan.”
I nodded. “I get that. I’m the opposite. I’m more surprised that Chester even bothered today.”
“He seems totally chill now. Not at all how he was at graduation.”
“I know. I don’t understand his moods.”
“Well, I’m just glad.”
“Same.”
“You can ride with me,” he offered.
Annie had driven Jordan’s truck over, and we’d gotten the cats into the backseat of Julian’s Audi SUV. I still had to come back to clean and do a final walk-through. I could get Bertha then.
“Sounds good.”
I slipped into the passenger seat, and we followed behind the three trucks. It took us half the time to unload the boxes than it had to stack them into the trucks. I ordered pizza and gave Annie money to grab some beer for the entire party. It was my thanks. While she was gone, I dealt with the
cats.
I put food and water out before letting Avocado and Bacon out in the backyard. Bacon went straight for the food, seemingly unperturbed by the new location. But Cado disappeared as soon as I opened the crate. I bit my lip as I watched her dart off. She’d come back when she was hungry, but I still worried. She had left a few times in the past and always came back. I’d never considered her mine before. So, now, I had anxiety about my cats. Great.
The pizza came in record time, and we all crowded around the living room, eating off of paper plates and drinking the cheap beer. I was seated next to Julian, who kept accidentally touching my hip with his.
I glanced over at Julian, and he smiled, taking another sip of his beer. Maybe not accidental?
“So, yeah, it’s been a week,” Piper said with a sigh.
“What did I miss?” I asked. Julian had completely broken my concentration.
“Peter and Jeremy broke up,” Piper said.
I frowned. “Oh no! What happened?”
Peter was Piper’s twin brother. He and Jeremy had been dating for a long time. I didn’t even know how long. They’d been inseparable.
She shook her head. “I have no idea. He won’t talk about it.”
“But he’s distraught,” Blaire added. “He was here last night and cried the whole time. We don’t know what to do for him anymore.”
“Fuck,” Hollin said eloquently.
“I know that feeling,” Chester agreed. “I just went through a rough breakup. Two years, and then it ended.”
“Maybe you could talk to him!” Blaire suggested. “I mean…if you’re okay to talk about it.”
“Yeah. It was the right time for my relationship, but it still hurts.”
I stared at my brother. He hadn’t spoken one word about Margaret since the breakup. He hadn’t even told me himself. I was surprised he was volunteering this information.
“Well, why don’t we go out tonight?” Julian suggested. “We could get Peter out of the house. Might help.”
“Yes!” Annie cried. “I’ll drag Jordan out, too.”
“I’m down,” Blaire agreed.
“I’ll try anything,” Piper said.
Chester and Hollin both agreed to go out. All eyes swung to me. I was still distracted by Julian. Now, his hip wasn’t the only thing pressed against mine. Half of his leg was also touching. And fire was running down my entire body at the contact.
I looked up at him again. The last time we’d gone out together, I’d gotten wasted, and we’d hooked up. Was going out a good idea if we were keeping this…casual?
He smirked. “Well, Dreamsicle?”
I flushed at the nickname. “I’m in.”
18
Julian
Desire had simmered in Jennifer’s eyes when I suggested we all go out tonight. It had been pointed. The whole damn day had been. Helping her with the cats and moving and feeling her pressed against me while eating. It was all because I couldn’t keep myself from being close to her, and I wanted her to feel that, too. I wasn’t sure that she had until I called her Dreamsicle. Then our entire night at graduation flashed in her eyes. And she’d agreed to come out.
Saying we were casual and just having fun was one thing when I was trying to get her not to destroy what we’d built that weekend. But when she was around me, it didn’t feel casual at all. I didn’t want to scare her. Sometimes, she was as skittish as Avocado.
“How did I get forced into this?” Jordan asked as he came to stand before me and Hollin inside Walkers, a coffee shop by day and pub by night.
I leaned back against the bar and took a sip of my Jack and Coke. “You’re whipped.”
Jordan snorted. “Sure, that’s it. Not that I want to please the love of my life.”
“I’m sure you could do that a thousand other ways,” Hollin said with a suggestive shift of his belt.
“Subtle,” Jordan drawled.
“Why are you here without Annie anyway?” I asked.
“She wanted to help Jennifer get ready.” His eyes slid to mine. As if he already knew exactly what had transpired between me and Jen. “Were you going to tell me that you were dating our photographer?” He flagged down the bartender and ordered a drink.
Hollin crowed, “Good luck nailing him down on that.”
“We’re not dating.”
“Fake dating,” Jordan said. “Whatever.”
“Don’t big-brother me,” I said, bumping his shoulder. “You friends-with-benefitted Annie.”
“She was leaving,” he growled. “It was different.”
I didn’t want to get a lecture from my overprotective, older brother. I loved Jor. I just didn’t need it today.
“And what about Hollin? He managed to carry on an entire conversation with Piper without either of them biting each other’s heads off.”
Hollin scoffed, “We didn’t make it that long. You missed the cutdown every time I passed her while we were moving.”
“What is with you two?” Jordan asked.
Hollin shrugged. “Fuck if I know. She hates everything that comes out of my mouth.”
“And you love baiting her,” I added.
“How could you not enjoy baiting someone who reacts like she does?” he asked with a chuckle.
“So, are you going to three-date-rule her?”
Hollin punched me in the shoulder. “That is not what I said.”
“What the fuck is a three-date rule?” Jordan asked, grabbing his drink off the bar.
“It’s nothing. Julian is making shit up,” Hollin grumbled at me. “And I’m not dating Piper. I’m not dating anyone. I’m too busy, living up the bachelor life.”
“Enjoy it while it lasts,” Jordan said with a laugh.
Said the happiest motherfucker I knew. He and Annie had had a bumpy start, but it was worth it to see that stupid smile on his face when he thought about her. At least that made one of us.
All thoughts fled my mind as the girls arrived en masse. Though I only had eyes for one. Jennifer’s new roommates had clearly decided to give her a full makeover. Not surprising, considering the resources at Blaire’s disposal and Piper’s flair for the dramatic. Jennifer wore an orange dress that I’d never seen before. It didn’t seem like something out of her closet, not with that neckline. I tried not to let my eyes wander to the way her breasts popped out of the top. Or imagine having my hands on them graduation weekend.
I straightened when our eyes met. Those hazel eyes were lined and bright as could be, almost gold in the lighting. She gave me a tentative smile, and something tightened in my chest. Just that one smile, and I was done for.
Annie tugged Jen forward, Blaire and Piper following in their wake. Piper practically dragged Peter along after them. Annie launched herself into Jordan’s arms. His eyes lit up, even as he laughed at her enthusiasm.
“Hey,” Jen said when she reached me.
“You look great.”
She flushed. “Thanks. Blaire got ahold of me.”
“And didn’t I do a fabulous job?” Blaire asked with a flip of her black hair.
I rarely saw her out of a baseball cap and workout clothes. It was a jolt to see her hair down and her in a dress. That just wasn’t Blaire.
“You did,” I assured her.
“Could have gone for better company though,” Piper said. She brushed past Hollin and leaned forward across the bar.
Hollin smirked. “You know you want a piece of this, sweetheart.”
Piper’s glare was fierce. “Hasn’t everyone already had a piece?”
“And that precludes you how?”
“I’m not a fan of sloppy seconds.”
“Guys,” Blaire groaned. “One night. Just please, one night.”
Piper rolled her eyes and ordered drinks. Peter looked between them and sighed, taking a barstool without a word. He looked like he’d been run over.
“Hey, man,” I said, holding my hand out.
Peter shook it and nodded. He accepted a drink from Pi
per and began to down it as if it were water. I winced.
Jennifer frowned and then drew my attention back to her. “How’s your arm?”
I showed her the three perfect cuts down my forearm. “Pretty mangled.”
“Do they hurt?” She trailed her fingers down the raised lines.
My pulse jumped at the contact. Fuck. I was going to need to figure this out.
“Oh shit, sorry,” she said, mistaking my jump as pain.
“They’re not too bad.”
“I’m still sorry about Avocado. She really hates men.”
“That makes two of us,” Piper muttered.
“No Bradley? What a shame,” Hollin said with another pointed grin.
I nudged Hollin. Why did he have to antagonize her?
He just shrugged, mouthing, What?
Peter yawned, finished his drink, and dropped it down on the bar. “He’s working.”
Piper flicked her eyes to Hollin and dismissed him as easily.
Chester appeared then at the front door. He’d gotten dressed up, and his smile was wide. “Sorry I’m late. Not used to the city anymore and got lost.”
Blaire laughed. “In Lubbock?”
“Where you grew up?” Annie added. She sounded like she wanted to call him on his bullshit but didn’t.
“Yep,” he said amicably. He held his hand out to Peter. “You must be Peter. I’m Chester. I heard we should get fucked up together.”
Peter startled at Chester’s overbearing personality. Then he actually smiled and shook his hand. Not the sad thing he’d done to me. “Uh…yeah, sure.”
While the girls crowded together to get drinks, Hollin clapped Jordan on the back and grabbed Peter and Chester, leading them over to the darts at the back of the bar. Annie shared a look with Jen, and then when they got their drinks, the girls headed over to the darts as well, leaving us alone.
“Drink?” I asked her.
She shook her head. “I apparently make bad decisions when I’m drunk.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Bad decisions?”
“Well, I make decisions I wouldn’t normally make when sober.”
I frowned. I didn’t like that.
She saw my assessment and flushed, looking down. “I’d rather make them while sober, I mean.”