29. Felix
FELIX
“Gimme, gimme.” Brogan grins like an idiot as he, Archer, and Lucas pillage the leftover food on Dahlia’s tray.
She laughs and pushes it across the table so they can each grab what they want.
“Tell me the truth,” I say, lowering my head to whisper in her ear. “You get extra knowing they’re going to steal half, don’t you?”
“Half?” she asks, turning her head and giggling. “Brogan ate every one of my grapes.”
“They were good, too,” the man himself says with his mouth full of something.
“I have a couple grapes left,” I say. “What’ll you do for ‘em?”
“Hmm.” She presses her lips together and leans closer. “What do you want?”
“Dangerous question, babe.” I can’t resist brushing my lips over hers.
“Maybe I want a little danger.”
She’s taunting me and I’m here for it. We’ve been making out every chance we get since I got back Sunday. Which is a lot of chances. We meet between classes, after classes. Basically, if we aren’t at practice or class, our lips are glued together. I’ve even given up my lunchtime nap.
Today’s our last official day together. Neither of us has mentioned it, but I know it’s on her mind.
“How late can you be for class?” I circle an arm around her waist and pull her onto my lap.
We decided to do it up big for our final night together. The guys at The White House are throwing a party we plan to hit up, but before it, we’re going to dinner with my sisters, Teddy, and Lucas. We take up a huge corner booth at The Hideout.
Dahlia seems nervous tonight. We decided the easiest way to end things was to just stop hanging out and let people figure it out for themselves.
She won’t come to breakfast anymore, and we won’t hang out at each other’s houses.
We’re bound to run into each other on campus and at parties, but it won’t take long for people to realize we aren’t together anymore.
And if, or rather when, someone asks us directly, we’ll admit we’ve broken up and let the rumor mill do its thing.
It seemed better than staging some fight. Dahlia and I would never be one of those couples to fight in public and make a big scene. I can’t imagine us ever fighting, really, but maybe that’s because what we’re doing is fake and there’s no need to fight in a fake relationship.
“Are you bringing her to meet Mom and Dad this weekend?” Stella asks as we’re finishing up dinner.
“Oh, I can’t,” Dahlia says quickly. She twists her fingers together in her lap. “I have a tournament, plus my dad is coming down.”
“The tournament is during the day, right?”
“Yeah. Friday and Saturday.” Dahlia nods.
“So come meet them at dinner Saturday night,” Holly suggests. “We won’t eat until late because of the game.”
“She’s busy. She’ll meet them another time,” I say, knowing that won’t happen, but wanting to stop my sisters from harassing her.
We’re quiet on the ride from The Hideout to The White House. Once we’re inside, I grab her a seltzer and myself a water.
“Thanks,” she says, and we head outside.
“Everything okay?” I ask when she falls silent again. We haven’t kissed in twenty minutes or so, something is definitely up.
“I just feel bad about lying to your sisters. I really like them.”
“They like you too, and you’re not going anywhere. You’ll still see them at parties and stuff.” I duck my head to meet her troubled gaze. “We’re having people over at the house after the Homecoming game next weekend. You should come. We can show everyone that we’re still cool.”
“That’s when I’m flying to LA.”
“Right.” I find myself smiling as I picture Dahlia designing clothes for literal rock stars. “You’re such a badass. Someday when you’re super famous, will you return the favor and invite me to some epic Hollywood parties?”
“Definitely,” she says with a small laugh, then takes a step closer and her expression morphs from playful to serious. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Everything.” One shoulder lifts in a shrug. “The past month and a half has been incredible.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“But you did.” She rests a hand on the center of my chest. “You changed my life.”
I start to protest, but she continues, “It wasn’t just the parties or everyone thinking I was your girlfriend. You changed me. People see me differently, but more importantly, I see me differently.”
“You were always amazing. I didn’t do that.”
“Well, now I believe it.”
My chest tightens. “You’re welcome, hot stuff.”
She laughs. “I still don’t believe that, but I like hearing it just the same.”
I take her hand, interlacing our fingers.
Some emotion I can’t quite put my finger on hovers around me, but I push it away for now.
I want to enjoy tonight. And like I told her, she’s not going anywhere.
I’m still going to see her around. We’ll go to the same parties and we’re bound to run into each other. Things won’t be that different.
I’m not drinking tonight, but Dahlia gets pulled into a game of beer pong with her roommates. I take a seat next to Jordan. He glances my way and smiles. “Look at you, Walters. Holding her drink and purse. Never thought I’d see the day.”
I look down at my lap where Dahlia’s purse rests and I lift the seltzer can his way. He’s got a beer in one hand and a seltzer in the other.
“Like you’re any better.”
He chuckles. “Takes one to know one and all that, I guess.”
I hum my agreement and then let my gaze go back to Dahlia.
She wore my favorite dress tonight. It’s a plain black one, almost like an oversized T-shirt.
I’m ninety-nine percent sure it’s one of her own, instead of the skintight, spandex numbers she borrows from Jane.
And not that those aren’t killer because they absolutely are, but she was wearing this one the first night I met her.
It’s this vision I have of her, no matter how many times we’ve hung out.
All wide-eyed and nervous, and fucking beautiful.
I wonder if she knows that. I should probably tell her. The next time I see her that kind of thing might be weird.
“Surprised to see you out tonight,” I tell him. The hockey team has a game Friday at home against one of their top rivals.
“Yeah, it’s going to be an early night, but Daisy told me it was your last night as the boyfriend extraordinaire. Am I going to get to see her throw a drink in your face?” His grin is all hopeful and shit.
“Fuck you.” I laugh. “And no.”
“No, I’m not going to get to see it, or no, she’s not going to go all scorned woman on your ass?”
“Dahlia? Please, she’s too nice for that.”
“Good point,” he says. “It’ll probably be Jane. She scares me. Hope you wore a cup.”
He’s right. It would be Jane. “It’s not going to be like that,” I say. “We’re still going to see each other and hang out. We’ll be friends. Just like before.”
When he doesn’t respond, I turn my head to look at him. “What?”
“First off, you two were never friends. You wanted to sleep with her, and she was a scared rabbit.”
“And secondly?” I challenge.
“It’s not going to be like before. Maybe if you’d kept your hands to yourself, but not now that you’ve been hooking up.
” He grins. “I know you are. Daisy told me. And I get it. You’ve always had a thing for her and pretending to be a couple while having real feelings for her can’t be easy.
I can see how things could get out of hand. ”
“Is there a point or are you just busting my balls?”
“You like her, she likes you…” He trails off then adds, “Is my point really not obvious?”
“It’s not like that. I’m not looking for anything serious and neither is she. She wanted a different life. She wanted people to see her, and they do.” I wave toward her.
Head held high, smiling. She’s changed. I’m not taking any credit for that. She just needed to put herself out there a little more, gain a little confidence.
“She’ll have no problem finding someone new.” Someone that wants to be the type of guy I can’t be right now.
“Oh, I know she won’t. I’ll bet there are fifty guys here tonight just waiting for you to screw up so they can swoop in.”
I grind down on my back molars, and Jordan laughs.
“It’s never going to be like it was before. Might want to think hard about that before you set her free. All I’m saying.”
I can’t completely shake Jordan’s words the rest of the night, but I do my best. It’s easier when Dahlia drinks too much and I can focus solely on keeping her upright.
I stay glued to her side, holding her up, and smiling as she rambles and laughs.
Everything is funny to her right now and she has zero inhibitions, including not holding back on showing me affection.
Every touch feels amplified knowing that it’s our last night together. Fucking Jordan got in my head.
Dahlia and I will always be cool. And maybe we’ll even continue to hook up.
That feels easier to swallow than this being the end all, be all for us, so I hold on to that while I walk her home.
I’m more carrying her than walking her, to be honest. Getting her up the stairs to her room is a real treat.
I fall onto my back beside her once I do.
She lets out a half-giggle, half-sigh as she rolls on top of me. “Felix Walters is in my bed.”
“Yes. Yes, he is.” I run my hands down her sides to the hem of her dress, then glide my fingers underneath and up to the band of her panties. “And he is real happy to be here.”
“How happy?” She sits up and lifts her dress, flashing me her tits in some lacy pink bra.
I lift my hips to press my hard dick against her core. “That happy.”
Her cheeks dot with pink. “Condoms are in the nightstand.”
“Are they now?” I palm her breasts and her eyelids flutter closed.
“Mhmmm.”
I sit up so I can bite her nipple through the soft material.
Her head falls back, and she arches into me. She’s stunning. So fucking sexy. I liked her before, timid and unsure when I was around, but I love being the one to see her like this more— confident and asking for what she wants.
I run my hands over every inch of skin, following it with kisses.
“Felix,” she murmurs as I tug her down onto the bed and roll on top of her. Her voice is husky and her skin flushed with desire. Her dress is bunched up around her neck and her chest heaves with each breath.
“I’ve got you.” I kiss down her body and settle between her thighs. I run a finger slowly down the center of her panties, then lick the wet spot, tasting her through the material.
Her body trembles as I hook my fingers into the small band around each hip and pull them down so she’s completely bare to me.
“You do have me. I’m basically putty in your hands,” she says, eyes closed.
I push her legs farther apart with my shoulders and run a finger down her slit. I do the same slow motion with my tongue.
“Oh my gosh.” She cries out. “You’re so good at…everything.”
My plan to take it slow is quickly tossed aside as she threads her fingers through my hair and gives the strands a tug.
I’d be lying if I said that some primal part of me loves that she’s never done this with anyone else. I want to watch her experience all her firsts, but I’m not enough of a prick to take all of them from her knowing what we’re doing might end tonight. This will have to be enough.
So I give it everything I have. Getting her off is my new favorite sport. She comes apart whimpering my name with her legs tight around my face.
“Oh wow,” she says, body going limp as she finally lets go of my hair. “That was… wow.”
“Wow is right. You taste so good.” I run my tongue along my lips.
A sleepy smile pulls at her lips. “I’m not sure I believe you.”
I dive for her, kissing her deep so she can taste herself on me.
“Believe me now?” I ask when I pull back.
“I’ll believe whatever you want if you keep kissing me like that.”
I chuckle and move to the edge of the bed to put my shoes on. “I’d love to, but I have to get going.”
She sits up. Hair rumpled and lips puffy. “Now? Tonight? You aren’t staying? I thought…” Her voice trails off and all the plans she had for us tonight flash through my mind. Maybe I am an idiot for not having sex with her. My dick certainly seems to think so.
“I have to get up early for practice.” I brush my thumb along her bottom lip, then lean forward and press my mouth to hers.
“This is really it, isn’t it?” She brings her knees up to her chest and hugs them.
“The last month and some change were a blast. You were the best fake girlfriend I’ve ever had.” My chest aches as I think about the truth of those words. She wasn’t just the best fake girlfriend, she was the best girl I’ve hung out with, period.
She smiles. “You were the best fake boyfriend I’ve ever had.”
Summoning every ounce of willpower I possess, I stand. “I left you something on your desk.”
“What is it?” She tries to see around me.
“Just something so you don’t forget about me.”
“Impossible,” she says, then her voice lowers. “We’re still going to see each other and hang out sometimes. Right?”
“Yeah. Of course.”
Her smile is wobbly. “Good.”
I head for the door, casting one last look at her. “See you later, hot stuff.”