Chapter 16
Josephine
“People are already here?” I ask as I take in the scene. Kylian is easing the speed boat up along the dock as a ferry unloads a few dozen partiers.
The Crusaders won their first game, and apparently, it’s time to celebrate.
“Yep,” he answers evenly as he climbs out of the boat. His eyebrows pull together as he uses some kind of fancy knot maneuver to secure it to the dock. Does everyone just know how to drive watercraft and make those crazy boating knots around here?
Kylian offers his hand to assist me off the boat, his expression softening when he catches sight of me.
“Don’t worry about your room. No one’s allowed upstairs without approval.”
I lift my hand to my mouth to hold back a laugh, thinking about the two grumpy security guards from last weekend’s party. Now the stanchions make sense, and I’m actually sort of grateful for them.
Turning toward the house, Kylian keeps hold of my hand for a few seconds, guiding me up the dock. By the time we step onto the beach, we’re walking side by side.
I feel compelled to say something—to, I don’t know, thank him for today? For his offer to help?
But when his gaze meets mine, I almost trip. His face sags, and his usually clear light blue eyes are slightly bloodshot behind his glasses. He looks utterly exhausted.
“I’ll be in the Nest. Text me or just come up if you need anything.”
I noticed his number in my phone this morning. All the guys’ numbers were there.
“The Nest?” I question. I still don’t know where his room is.
“There’s a door at the end of the hall on the second floor. It has a set of stairs that’ll take you up.”
I follow him up the steps that lead to the house.
“I take it you don’t like parties?” Come to think of it, I don’t remember seeing him last weekend.
He shakes his head, checking his phone. Then he stashes it and turns back to me.
“Parties. People. Noise. Unpredictability.” He runs a hand through his hair and sighs. He really does look tired. It makes sense—it was an intense game, and he was on the entire time. Even if he doesn’t wear a uniform or play on the field, Kylian’s role on the team is critical.
I have the sudden and inexplicable urge to hug him. Instead, I wrap my arms around myself and shift from one foot to the other.
“Okay. Well, good night, then, I guess.”
I internally cringe at my awkwardness. What is wrong with me? The guy’s nice to me for a few hours, and now I want nothing more than to follow him upstairs and cuddle with him in his bed. Cuddle or maybe—
“Joey!”
When I spin around, Hunter is tearing up the stairs toward me in a full sprint. I turn back just long enough to catch Kylian’s gaze.
“Good night, Jo.” And just like that, he’s gone.
I don’t have time to overthink our last interaction because Hunter practically tackles me in a bear hug. “We won!” she exclaims, jumping up and down. “We won, we won, we won!”
Her enthusiasm is contagious. The dozen or so people making their way up the stairs toward the house break out into a chant, hooting and hollering and carrying on with the same type of energy they had at the stadium.
If this is any indication, tonight’s party is going to be wild.
“You weren’t even at the game,” I chide as she squeezes me tighter.
“I know,” she whines. “I’m so mad I had to miss it. But I’ll be at the next one. I promise. Now you need to promise me something.”
She pulls back and searches my face, her expression suddenly serious, pointed, in complete juxtaposition to the joy and excitement radiating off her a moment ago.
“Don’t go dark on me like that again, okay?”
I gulp past the prickle of shame. After my run-in with the guys at work on Thursday, I talked to Hunter.
But then I landed in this weird twilight-zone existence, and I still haven’t come up with a way to explain my new living arrangements.
So yeah, I guess I did go dark on her. It was an extra shitty move on my part after what she shared with me last week.
About how her mom ditched her without any real explanation or justification.
God. I’m an awful friend.
“Joey. Seriously.” She cups the side of my face and pulls me close until our foreheads touch. “I was really worried. I got all worked up wondering if I upset you or wasn’t as supportive as I should have been on Thursday when—”
“Hunter, no.” I cut her off before she can blame herself for any of my behavior. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Not at all.”
Her expression softens in response, loosening the vise around my heart just a little.
I try my best to give her a reassuring smile. “I’m not used to anyone caring enough to check in or even notice if they don’t hear from me for a few days.”
The only adults who have ever cared about my whereabouts did not have my best intentions at heart.
“Okay. As long as you swear—”
“I swear,” I tell her sincerely.
The moment is broken when a big, dumb-looking jock lumbers past us and shouts, “Hell yeah! Looks like we’re gonna get to the girl-on-girl action early tonight!” Then he chants, “Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!”
I hit him with my most bored expression, noting his Lake Chapel U football shirt and his still-wet, freshly showered hair. Figures this douche would be on the team. I make a mental note to ask Kylian for his name before planting both hands on my hips and giving him a long once-over.
“I assure you, if I wanted to kiss her, it would not be for the amusement of some second-string chump who gets off on the patriarchy-fueled self-insert fantasy of watching two women be intimate together.”
Stunned silence follows as he slow-blinks at me, like he needs a minute to process my words. Before he can stammer a response, I grab Hunter’s hand and drag her behind me toward the house.
“Joey!” She cackles, chasing after me as I scurry up the stairs. “That was epic. Winslow is still standing there with his mouth hanging open.”
Winslow. Noted.
I smile over my shoulder at my friend. “What can I say? I took a gender studies class in high school. But just so we’re clear, if I was attracted to women, you’d be my first pick.”