Chapter 16 #2
We stay there under the twinkling lights, smiling and talking with each other until the party dies down.
Riley texted me an hour ago letting me know she was staying with the guy she was flirting with.
I’m not surprised—at least I shouldn’t be.
Nights out with Reid and Riley often wind up like this.
Each of them snuggled up in some strangers bed, and me all alone with my kindle and my thoughts.
A part of me thinks about asking Callum if he wants to snuggle up in a bed together tonight.
Apparently, my hotel room is free now. Instead, I let his hand fall to the small of my back and I press up on my toes to plant a soft kiss to his cheek.
It feels childish and immature, but it still makes my cheeks flush.
“I’d love to do this again sometime.” He smiles down at me, and my heart flips. Callum grabs the back of my head, and I’m certain he’s pulling me in for a kiss… I’m going to let him.
I melt into his touch as I feel a warm brush of lips against my forehead. He’s a gentleman, I could use a gentleman.
He reaches behind my back and grabs my phone out of my back pocket. I slap his hand away gently. “Hey! That’s awfully presumptuous.”
I can’t take my eyes off of his fingers as they type his phone number into my contacts list. This feeling in my chest, I’ve never felt it for anyone but Reid. It feels good and I want to savor it—stoke it like a fire if I can.
I’m suppressing a giggle as his fingers brush mine while he finagles my phone back into my pocket. The giggle is gone the second I see Reid. He’s leaning up against the edge of the house, looking bored as he plays with the edge of his flannel.
Callum notices him too, so he grabs my hand and softly trails his thumb across mine before letting it fall between us. “Text me.” He winks and then he’s gone.
Annoyance pools in my gut as I get closer to Reid. “What are you doing here?”
“I wasn’t going to leave you at a party, Addie.”
My eyes roll back. “Could have fooled me.”
Under my breath, I mutter, ‘You only stay because you have to’.
“What did you just say?” It’s accusatory.
“I didn’t say anything.”
Reid’s jaw is set tight, almost twitching with tension. “No, I want to know. What did you say?”
“You-only-stay-because-you-have-to.” I barely get the words out.
“Woah. What? You think I only stick around because I have to? First of all, I don’t have to do anything. You’re my best fucking friend, and I thought the feeling was mutual. I wouldn’t want to be on the road for this long with anyone else.” Rage is simmering beneath his skin.
I’m at a loss for words. My mouth opens and closes on repeat as he fills in for me. “I’m not going anywhere, Addie.”
“Okay, if you say so.” My words are weak.
His eyes soften some, but there’s still an intensity there. “Why do you think I would ever leave you, Adelaide?”
Reid tugs off his flannel and drapes it over my shoulders. It smells like him, and I hate that it relaxes me. He grabs the front of the collar and forces me to face him. “No seriously, Addie. I want to know. What makes you think I would ever leave you?”
I shrug, tears welling up in my eyes before I even attempt to reply. His thumb brushes away the first droplet. “Addie, I will always be here for you…always make sure you’re safe.”
My heart thuds at that first part. Per usual, he follows it up with the assurance that he sees me as a friend, a responsibility. “Addie. You know I love you.” He’s pulling my head against his chest and ruffling my hair with his knuckles.
I still can’t speak—there’s so much I want to say. A clog of emotions is stuck in my throat and nothing comes out at all.
We walk side by side, bumping into each other every few steps. He opens the passenger door for me. “So, you and Callum, huh? That’s really happening?”
I force my nose up, breathing in a confidence I don’t feel. “Yeah, maybe.”
He turns the key in the ignition, and I swear I see his jaw tick again. Main Street is glowing under the streetlights as we make our way slowly back to the hotel. I bite my lip and fidget with my nails. “You didn’t have to come back. Callum could have driven me.”
Reid glares at me, and it turns my stomach sour. On anyone else, this shade of anger would signal jealousy. But on him, it’s something else.
His tone is clipped. “You know, I work hard too.”
Guilt settles in my gut, mixing with my anger. “Yeah. I know you do.”
My hand rests on his shoulder briefly before he shrugs it off. “No, seriously. I train hard for this. It’s not easy. It’s not easy for anyone.”
“I don’t know. It looks easy for you.”
Any romantic tension I thought might have been there diffuses completely when his eyes scan my body in a completely scientific manner. He finishes staring and says, “We’ll start a real training regimen next week.”
There’s no room for discussion. I could use the help. In an ideal world, it wouldn’t be my crush watching me struggle through crunches, but you can’t win every battle.
As he pulls into the hotel, I text Callum. I wasn’t sure I was going to, but this drive solidified it for me. I’m sick and tired of waiting for Reid to see me as anything more than a friend.