Chapter 56 #2
“Hey, stop bothering her,” Lively's voice came from behind me, warm and amused, and I felt his body heat a second before he wrapped an arm around my waist, casual as all get out, like he owned me.
He tugged me flush against him, his chin resting lightly on my shoulder like this was normal now.
It was , of course, but I saw the way my teammates' eyes widened at the small act, every single one of them clocking it instantly.
"Aww," Matt cooed, lacing his fingers together under his chin. "Look at the captains. Domestic already."
My cheeks went hot and I glared at him, but he just fluttered his lashes at me in response.
“Wish this was you, asshole?” Lively said and Matt scoffed.
“I’d love to keep breathing, thank you very much,” he said, before glancing at me, with fear in his eyes. “I-I mean, you’re totally great and all but I…”
I gave him a deadpan stare. “You all are just here to piss me off, aren’t you.”
"Hey, we're just trying to celebrate this very auspicious day when both our captains become a couple!" Evan said, his voice carrying the kind of formal tone that suggested he'd been practicing the sentence, and they all turned to look at him with varying degrees of surprise.
"What?" He blinked, confused by their staring, his sandy hair falling into his eyes as he looked around the group for support, but found none.
"Didn't think you knew big words like 'auspicious'," Rina drawled, and Evan sputtered in sheer affront, his face reddening as he opened and closed his mouth like a struggling fish out of water.
"So." Dylan clicked his fingers, the sound sharp and commanding, before they could devolve into a fight.
Then he turned to look at me, his eyes twinkling with barely contained laughter, and I knew that he was laughing on the inside at those things Lively had been yelling from behind the door.
That much was proven true when he said, "Are you guys a couple or not? "
Just like that, the living room stilled again. Eleven pairs of eyes zeroed in on me, intense, focused, as if I was going to deliver some kind of prophecy or something. I felt Lively tense behind me…just slightly, just enough. His body went still, his breath hitched against the back of my neck.
He really didn’t know what I’d say. He was definitely thinking that I might laugh it off. He genuinely didn’t know if I was serious or not. Probably thought that this— us —was still up for debate.
Cute . Did he think my confession, and everything else that’d happened, was a joke?
Turning slightly so my body was turned towards him, I curled my fingers around his throat, feeling the rapid flutter of his pulse beneath my palm, satisfied by his sharp intake of breath, before I faced our combined teammates and said, "Yeah, we're a couple now."
I could feel Lively relax against me, his body melting into mine like he'd been holding himself rigid with tension, even as a brief silence descended around the apartment. For one stupid second, It felt as if the world had actually stopped turning.
Then—
"Um..." Randy frowned, squinting. "Doesn’t it look like she’s kinda…choking him?"
Ah.
"It—" I blinked, looked at my hand, still wrapped around his throat, and flushed, snatching my hand back. I’d done it without thinking! "It’s... not like that."
Except…what else could it be? Shit. Lively made a sound that was somewhere between a gasp and a very satisfied laugh, but I didn’t dare turn around to look at him. I could feel his smile pressed against the side of my head like a brand. The idiot was totally shameless.
Dylan snorted, eyes crinkling. "No, no, look, the kinky bastard’s into it."
That broke the silence. The hallway exploded. Laughter rippled out like a wave, messy and uncontrollable, no one even bothering to hide behind coughs anymore. These assholes were doubling over, slapping knees, shoulders shaking, the whole works.
“Hey, I mean, we’re not judging.” Dylan added with a wink. “Y’all do you.”
Matt elbowed Rina, that shit-eating grin plastered on his face. "Pretty sure she does him ."
My jaw dropped. "Excuse me?!"
But from behind me, Lively’s laugh was low and rough, the kind that curled in my stomach like smoke. "He’s not wrong."
"Shut up," I snapped, slapping my hand over his mouth again.
He licked it. "What?" he said, voice muffled but smug. "It’s true."
"Shut it," I warned, low and dangerous, "before I shut you up."
His cheeks went pink. " Promise ?"
"Ugh, break it up, horny gremlins." Gina groaned, putting her hand over her eyes, lips spread wide in open amusement at my expense.
Before I could say anything to that, Dylan clapped his hands again.
"Alright! Bring out the goods!" He announced in a pretty good announcer impression.
My eyes narrowed when they all parted like the sea, moving with the kind of synchronized precision that suggested they'd planned this whole thing, and Sarah stepped forward holding up a cake.
My eyes bulged as I took in the sight of it—a rectangular sheet cake decorated with what looked like two hockey sticks crossed over a heart, the frosting a garish combination of our team colors.
I blinked. "What the hell is that?"
Lively was chuckling behind me, the sound vibrating through his chest and into my back, resting his jaw against my shoulder so I could feel the scratch of his stubble against my skin.
"A cake." He murmured, enjoyment rife in his voice.
That pissed me off, for real. My expression went deadpan. "Yes. I can see that, fuckface." I turned back to look every single person in that living room in the face. Suspicion already bloomed in my chest, and I asked, “Where did you even get the money for this?"
My teammates all turned in sync toward the Rink Runners with matching evil grins, their faces lighting up with the kind of mischievous satisfaction that came from pulling off a successful prank, as Zoe said, "Oh, no worries, the Rink Runners took care of the bill."
The Rink Runners looked a little annoyed, their faces showing varying degrees of resignation and mild frustration, but before I could ask what Zoe meant, Gina stretched out a bread knife to me. The metal caught the light from the hallway fixtures, gleaming like a small sword.
I didn't want to take it, embarrassment still churning in my gut like a storm at sea, but I couldn't refuse the soft glow I saw in my friend's eyes—the kind of gentle warmth that spoke of genuine affection and care.
I folded like a cheap tent. I took the knife, the handle cool and solid in my palm.
Sarah brought the cake and stood in front of us both, her smile bright and genuine, and with Lively placing his hands on top of my own, his fingers warm and steady against my skin, we cut the damn cake.
The blade sliced through the frosting with a satisfying resistance, revealing layers of chocolate and vanilla beneath.
I let go of the knife, and that was when Lively grabbed it, cutting out a small chunk of cake. Before I could react, he cupped my jaw and tilted my face toward him.
“What are you—?”
Shoop.
He shoved the bite into my mouth before I could finish, and sugary sweetness burst across my tongue.
"Heck yeah!" Logan whooped, and the eruption of cheers that followed was so loud I nearly flinched. Lively shielded my face with one hand, grinning like an idiot while our teammates clapped and howled like we’d just won the Cup.
Pop!
Another party popper exploded, raining fresh confetti into the already chaotic room. It fluttered into my hair, down my shirt, probably into my damn soul.
And still—despite the absurdity, despite the mortification crawling across my skin like static—I laughed. A real laugh, sharp and completely unplanned.
There was warmth blooming in my chest now, slow and steady, and maybe the cake helped melt away the edge of my bad mood, but it wasn’t just that. It was ridiculous. Loud. Over-the-top. But it was also perfect …something that felt a lot like home.