Twenty-Seven #2
“I’m glad you decided to come,” he says softly before pulling away. His whiskey eyes lift to meet my gaze, and I can’t quite place the emotion I see in them. “I know it’s not exactly what you were planning, but I hope you’re having some fun.”
Besides Kason’s unexpected presence and the constant bickering between Luca and Noah, it’s been fine. Truly. Don’t get me wrong, it’d be a bit better if it was for the World Series, but beggars can’t be choosers.
“I am, I guess.”
“Don’t sound so enthused.” He rolls his eyes. “I’d think with it being your hometown team, you’d be a little more invested than normal.”
“And I’d think with you being from California, you wouldn’t give two shits about who wins tonight.”
“Oh, I give no shits about who wins tonight, Nix.”
I blink at him. “Then why are we here?”
He cocks his head, staring at me like I’ve grown three heads. “It’s football.”
Oh, right. My bad.
I don’t have the chance to respond, because a commotion breaks out in the living room before Noah starts calling out at the top of his lungs for his teammate.
“Holden, where did you go? Hurry your ass up! It’s third and long, and New England only has time for one more play!”
Who knew watching football on TV required so much shouting? Or nervous pacing, from the way Noah and Luca were both bouncing and walking around the living room earlier like they’re the ones playing in the damn Super Bowl.
“You’re being summoned,” I murmur with a grin.
“Oh, am I? I hadn’t noticed.” He leans in, his mouth trailing over my jaw. “I’m a bit preoccupied—”
“Holden, get in here !”
“I swear to God,” he curses with a laugh, his forehead colliding with my shoulder.
It takes every ounce of my willpower to not wrap him in my arms and just inhale him. “Just go. He’s not gonna stop until you’re in there.”
As if on cue, Noah shouts again.
“HOLD—”
“I’m coming!” Holden turns and shouts at his teammate.
The words leave my lips on impulse, before I can even attempt to rein them in. “Oh, are you now? Doesn’t look that way to me.”
“Someone’s mind is in the gutter tonight.” He looks back to me, a dirty grin plastered on those sinful lips. “Is it all the sexy football players you’re watching on television? It’s okay if you say yes. I know they’re pretty irresistible.”
More like the one currently pinning me against the wall.
My mouth curls up in a smirk. “It’s more like what happens when I’m forced to hang around all you Neanderthals. Makes my brain revert back to the baser instincts.”
He shakes his head with a soft laugh before pressing his lips to mine in the briefest kiss. Like it’s natural—a habit, even, before he steps away and heads back down the hall.
I wait a few seconds before following, and the second I step out of the hall, the entire living room erupts in cheers. Shouts and hollers and even a few ass smacks are exchanged between the group, and I realize it’s because the game is over.
“I take it New England won?” I ask Wyatt, who is standing in the kitchen watching this group of idiots act like…idiots.
“Yep,” he says with little to no enthusiasm.
“Apparently Nashville thought the QB for New England was gonna go for a Hail Mary, but he threw a short pass to one of his receivers. The same one from earlier—Grady. He caught it and ran it in for the winning touchdown.” He blows out a long breath and shakes his head. “Football is fucking weird.”
“Football players are weird,” I correct him, watching them all celebrate a team that isn’t even theirs. Nevertheless, I can’t help smiling when I see the big grin on Holden’s face.
Unfortunately, my best friend chooses the same moment to step into my view, blocking Holden from sight.
“Hey, I didn’t realize you’d be here,” Kason says with an awkward chuckle. “Not exactly your scene, but I would’ve caught a ride with you had I known.”
Well, damn. The guilt sure didn’t take long to join the party with his arrival.
My teeth roll over my bottom lip and I glance over to Wyatt, hoping to possibly find a way out of this conversation. But he’s already slipped out of the kitchen to rejoin the rest of the group.
Shit.
“I didn’t even think about it, honestly. Theo invited me over, and I figured…why not, ya know?”
Kason nods, but it’s stiff and a bit jilted. I don’t miss the way his attention keeps diverting over his shoulder to the living room as we stand here in awkward silence, either.
“This is gonna sound weird,” he starts, still looking, “but is something going on with you and Holden?”
Panic hits me in an instant. “What? No, why would you even think that?”
“I saw you two talking a little while after I got here, which was strange enough considering the way you were at each other’s throats the entire time in Florida. And with you saying you were on a date a couple of weeks ago…” He trails off, leaving me to fill in the blanks.
And I realize, this is it.
The moment of literal truth.
The one when I should finally come clean about the whole thing with Holden and let the chips fall where they may. And I want to—God, I fucking want to, because I’m sick and tired of drowning in guilt and hiding my feelings for Holden.
But even as the words form on my tongue, I’m helpless to let them slip free. Powerless to the fear of what will happen if they do, because the mere idea of losing either of them feels unbearable at this point.
“It wasn’t him,” I say quickly. “And as for us speaking…I guess ten days in the same house kind of makes you get over your differences.”
Lie, lie, lie…like a fucking rug.
He must believe it, in any case, since he simply nods and accepts my words as the truth. However, it’s the relief in his eyes that only makes the guilt churning in my gut grow to vomit-inducing, and it’s then I realize two very crucial things.
Theo was right.
And I have not a damn clue of what I’m doing.