Chapter Thirty Sienna
Chapter Thirty
Sienna
Gavin was wrong. Our friends don’t understand why we chose to hide our relationship from them, and they’re definitely upset with us. Maybe not quite mad—well, for some reason Frank is all fired up over it—but they’re definitely unhappy with our, and I quote, shady behavior .
That’s how Nico describes it, anyway.
It’s Sunday afternoon, and we’re currently at the house, pleading our case in front of a jury of our peers, because that’s what it feels like. Gavin and I are on trial for keeping our relationship secret, but we’re wasting our time since it feels like everyone’s minds are already made up. They don’t approve of what we did, and they’re never going to let us forget it—case closed.
That’s according to Nico, who’s acting like he’s the representative for everyone, while Gavin and I sit together on the love seat, facing our friends. And my brother, who hasn’t said a single word since we arrived, and that was twenty minutes ago.
The look on his face makes me uneasy. I don’t think Gavin likes it, either, though he hasn’t said anything. He keeps glancing over at Coop, waiting for him to speak, but he doesn’t. Of course he doesn’t. I think he’s enjoying seeing us twisting in the wind, waiting for his opinion to drop.
The longer he goes without speaking, the more worried I become. Yes, this is normal for him, but I can’t stand the suspense. I’d rather know he hates me than sit here and wonder about it.
Finally, the voice of reason—a.k.a. my new bestie, Everleigh—starts talking.
“Look.” She smiles, her gaze dropping to the spot where Gavin and I are clutching each other’s hands. “I think it’s adorable that you two are together. It’s about damn time. But I don’t understand why you had to keep it from all of us. We’re your friends.”
“Your family,” Coop finally says, his voice rough as gravel.
I wince. The guilt trip finally worked, as I knew it would. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about us, Ever. That we didn’t tell any of you. I wanted to, but I have to admit ... there was something freeing in letting go of all of that worry and stress over wishing Gavin would notice me. Pretending to avoid him was so much easier, and it worked out because you all thought I didn’t want to be around him, when really I didn’t feel the need anymore because we were together a lot of the time. I know it doesn’t make much sense, but it worked for me. For us.”
“When did you guys even see each other?” Frank asks, his tone hostile.
“Mostly at night,” Gavin says, glancing over at me with a faintly dirty smile. One that makes me blush.
“That’s why you stopped coming over on game night,” Nico mutters, shaking his head. “You were fucking around with Sienna.”
“Hey,” Gavin snaps. “Watch your mouth. That’s my girlfriend you’re talking about.”
“Yeah.” Coop reaches around Ever and lightly slaps the back of Nico’s head. “And that’s my sister you’re talking about.”
Nico ducks away from Coop’s still-seeking hand. “Come on, Coop. You haven’t had much to say. Are you telling us you don’t have a problem with the two of them sneaking around for months and not telling us about it? That one of your best friends is now supposedly in love with your little sister?”
Coop goes quiet again, and the entire room fills with tension as we wait for his response. My palms are sweating, and I squeeze Gavin’s hand, leaning my head against his shoulder. I don’t want to lose my brother’s support, but I know we disappointed him. He has every right to feel that way and ... yeah. We’re terrible humans.
“I get why they did it,” Coop finally says, shocking all of us. “Gavin is under a lot of pressure. It doesn’t matter that we’re a team and he’s only as good as the rest of us make him, but he’s the unspoken leader, and all of the media watches him. Criticizes him. It’s actually pretty fucking unfair if you ask me.”
“Thanks, Coop,” Gavin starts, snapping his lips shut when Coop glares at him.
“I’m not finished.”
“Right.” Gavin lets go of my hand and starts scratching the back of his neck. He only does that when he’s anxious. “Go on.”
“Anyway—all the attention is on Gav, and that’s a lot for him to deal with. If he wanted to keep the relationship with Sienna secret so there were no prying eyes spying on them, I understand. I’m just glad you guys finally came clean with us.”
“Only because they were forced to,” Frank reminds us. Gee thanks, friend. “That Uber driver even recorded audio of the two of them together last night.”
“Wait, what?” Gavin leaps to his feet, stalking toward Frank and holding out his hand. “I wanna hear it.”
Frank fumbles around with his phone and hands it over to Gavin, who turns up the volume. Yep, I can hear him, rambling on drunkenly. Making his declaration.
“He doesn’t care.” Oh, Gavin’s voice on the recording is even louder than I realized last night. “Do you care that I’m in love with Sienna Cooper?”
“Not at all,” the driver responds. “You can love whoever you want.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. It shouldn’t matter. I don’t know why we’re keeping this a secret, baby. Everyone deserves to know how we feel about each other.”
My heart swells to about three sizes larger than normal when I hear the sincerity in his voice. Those sweet words that threw me for a loop when he originally said them. Unable to stop myself, I reach for him, delivering a kiss to his lips, whispering against them, “I love you too.”
He cracks a smile. “I didn’t even say it just now. That’s a recording.”
“And it’s the sweetest recording I’ve ever heard.” I touch his cheek, our gazes meeting. His beautiful blue eyes are sparkling, and all his earlier anxiety seems to have melted away. “I love you so much. I’m so glad you’re mine.”
We kiss, and Gavin of course takes it a little further than he should, causing Coop to clear his throat. We spring apart from each other, Gavin scratching the back of his neck again while Everleigh is clutching her hands in front of her chest, a giant smile on her face.
“Oh my gosh, you two are so cute together! I love it. And from the sounds of that recording, you were going to tell everyone anyway. The Uber driver kind of helped with it? Maybe?”
Ever winces after saying that, and Gavin rolls his eyes while I shrug.
“I’m still pissed at him,” Gavin mutters. “If I ever come across that guy again, I’m blasting him.”
“We can kick his ass,” Nico suggests, his face lighting up at the idea.
“Yeah, most definitely.” Frank thrusts his fist into the air.
“No way.” Gavin shakes his head. “I’m mad at him, but not that mad.”
“I’m so happy for the two of you,” Ever says, rising to her feet. “Come here and give me a hug. This is a big deal. Two of my favorite people are together and in love! This is a great day. We should celebrate.”
Gavin and I stand and approach her, the three of us moving into a group hug, and slowly but surely, more people join us. Frank. Nico.
Even Coop.
My brother inserts himself in between me and Gavin, slinging his arms around our shoulders and glancing down at me. “You really love him?”
“I do,” I whisper.
He turns to look at Gavin. “You better take care of her, Gav. She’s the sweetest woman on this planet. You don’t deserve her.”
“I know,” Gavin says solemnly.
“You break her heart, I’ll break your throwing arm. I mean it.”
“Damn, Coop,” Nico mutters, but Everleigh slaps him in the chest, shutting him up.
“I won’t break her heart. And she owns mine already.” Gavin tilts his head so he can look at me. “I’m going to marry her someday.”
“Oh wow,” Everleigh whispers. “This is so romantic.”
“Way to make me look bad,” Nico grumbles, earning another light slap from Everleigh.
“Are you okay with that?” Gavin asks Coop.
“I’m okay with it.” Coop pauses. “Brother.”
I’m crying. Gavin and Coop are hugging each other, and Everleigh runs over to me, gathering me up in a fierce hug.
“I can’t stay mad at you,” she murmurs before kissing my cheek. “But we’re going out to dinner this week. Just the two of us. I need alllll the details about what happened.”
“Yes, let’s get together. I promise I’ll tell you everything,” I say, wiping the tears away from my eyes, glancing over my shoulder to find Gavin already watching me, love shining in his gaze.
All that love I see there, it’s all for me.
Me.
We go back to my apartment after having dinner with everyone at the house. Everleigh and I made it, and it was so freeing in a different way, being able to show all my love and affection for Gavin and not having to hide my feelings any longer. I could tell he felt the same. At one point he came into the kitchen, his hands settling on my hips when he stood behind me, and he gave me a quick kiss on the neck. Everleigh about lost it over the sweet gesture, and he flashed her a quick smile before he exited the kitchen as fast as he’d entered it.
“That man loves you,” she whispered, her excitement for me palpable.
“He really does,” I whispered back, just before we started giggling like middle schoolers.
Her enthusiasm about our relationship makes me even happier, and while I understand why they put us through it, I’m grateful they’re thrilled for us. I have supportive friends. A supportive brother too.
“Why are we here again?” Gavin asks me as I unlock my front door.
“I wanted to pick up a few things before I go to your place,” I tell him as I open the door, coming to a stop when I see who’s sitting on the couch.
It’s Destiny. And her girlfriend, Lizzie. They’re all cuddled up together, their gazes locked on the open laptop sitting on the coffee table. Destiny pulls away from Lizzie to hit the space bar and stop whatever they’re watching.
“Oh. Hey.” I walk farther into the apartment, and Gavin follows behind me, shutting the door. “I didn’t expect you to be home.”
“Lizzie’s electricity is out, so we came over here to finish the movie we started at her place.” Destiny’s gaze shifts to Gavin. “What the hell is he doing here?”
“Um ...” I didn’t expect so much hostility coming from Destiny, but she is a bit of a Gavin hater, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. And didn’t she see what happened on her social media? I would’ve thought she’d already heard about us.
“We’re together.” Gavin slips his arm around my shoulders.
“For real?” The skepticism in her voice is obvious.
“Definitely. And hey, I’m Gavin.” He drops his arm from around me and takes a step toward the couch, offering his hand to Destiny to shake. She takes it, reluctantly. “Sorry for sneaking into your dorm room that one time.”
Destiny’s mouth drops open, and her girlfriend’s expression immediately turns suspicious.
“What exactly is he talking about?” Lizzie asks.
“I was feeling up Sienna, not your girlfriend.” Gavin smiles and offers his hand to Lizzie. “I’m Gavin.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lizzie.” She shakes his hand limply, staring at his face, and I don’t blame her for having that dazed expression. Gavin is charmingly handsome, and he’s just pulled poor Lizzie into his orbit.
“Stop working your magic on my girl,” Destiny grumbles, making everyone laugh. Even Lizzie, whose cheeks are bright pink.
I go to my bedroom while Gavin makes small talk with Destiny and Lizzie. After grabbing a duffel bag, I fill it with a few things, then move on to the bathroom, where I shove my toiletry bag inside it. I’m spending the next few days with my man. I even take my backpack with me, my laptop nestled inside. I don’t have school until Tuesday, but I work tomorrow afternoon while he’s at practice, so that won’t be so bad. I’m going to spend the next two nights with him, and I can’t wait.
“Ready?” I ask when I return to the living room.
“Yeah.” Gavin grabs both bags from me. Such a gentleman. He even opens the door for me. “Nice meeting you both.”
“Treat her right, Gavin Maddox!” Destiny shouts as he pulls the door shut.
“Don’t worry, I will!” he yells back, making me smile.
Making me melt in a puddle.
How did I get so lucky?