11. Travis
ELEVEN
“I THINK I’M tapped out.” I waved my hands as East tried to hand me another shot. I didn’t know how he was still upright after everything we’d consumed, but I was definitely more affected than he was. Maybe those rattlesnake shots were stronger than I thought.
“I thought we left all the pussies at home.” He dangled the small glass in front of my face. “You know. With Caleb.”
“Shut up.”
“Why? You want to forget him, don’t you? That’s why we’re here.”
He wasn’t wrong. I could’ve asked any of the guys to leave the party, but I’d chosen East, who was now determined to get me to the fuck-me-up level I’d requested.
Now that was a friend.
Before he could say another word, I reached for the shot and swallowed it back in one fiery gulp…
“FUUUCK ME.” I groaned, but the sound was muffled from my face being half smashed into the couch cushion. Jesus, had I not been able to make it to my bed last night?
I tried to remember how I’d gotten home, but everything after that last shot was fuzzy as hell, and the throbbing in my head wasn’t helping.
Every time I swore off a night with East, I went back for more, though this was the first time I’d ended up passed out on the couch. Hell, at least it was mine and not some random’s. That was something.
I didn’t have the energy to keep my eyes open as I did a mental check of my body. Head: attached but currently being attacked by a hammer, check. Stomach: slightly queasy but not at level head-in-a-toilet, check. Arms: would probably have feeling in both if I wasn’t lying on top of the left one, check.
All in all, not one of the worst hangovers I’d ever had, and nothing a few more hours of sleep wouldn’t fix.
As I shifted sides to give my arm a break, the blanket covering me slid onto the floor. I grabbed it and threw it back over me, snuggling down into its warmth.
Two seconds later, my eyes flew open.
Something about that wasn’t right. East had practically shoved me inside my condo before leaving—I remembered that now. I’d felt a wave of dizziness on the way to my room and had gone to sit on the couch and then just decided to lie down. I hadn’t even been able to kick off my shoes, much less get a blanket from somewhere, so where had it come from?
Through the battering ram smashing my head, I heard cabinet doors open and close, then the sound of running water, followed by heavy footsteps headed in my direction. I kept my eyes closed, hoping Caleb would ignore me and keep on moving, but then he slammed something down on the coffee table that rattled, and I jolted awake.
“Rise and shine.”
The bottle of pain reliever and a water mocked me, and I hitched the blanket up to cover my face. “Go away.”
“We’re gonna be late to school. Get your ass up.”
Ugh. School. I forgot it wasn’t the weekend. “Fuck off. I’m taking a sick day.” The gravel in my voice at least made it sound like I was sick, not that I needed an excuse.
“I don’t think so,” Caleb said firmly. “You’re the one who chose to drink down an entire bar, so you can deal with the consequences of feeling like ass.”
“Gee, thanks, Dad.” I burrowed down into the couch so he’d get a clue I didn’t plan on going anywhere, but suddenly the blanket was ripped off me.
I jerked upright, which sent a wave of pain through my head, and squinted up at Caleb. “What the hell?”
“You’ve got ten minutes.” He glanced at the time on his phone. “Make that nine.”
“I told you I’m not going?—”
“I’m here to make sure I’m a good influence on you, remember?” I wanted to knock his smirk off with my fist. Once my arm woke up, anyway.
“Whatever. It’s not like I’m gonna tattle to Dick?—”
“But I would.”
I stared up at the no-bullshit look on Caleb’s face and narrowed my eyes. “Did you cover me up last night?”
The question seemed to catch him off guard by the way he blinked several times before clamping his jaw tight. “No.”
I could see right through that lie, but the question was…why would he bother doing anything remotely decent for me?
“Yes, you did.”
Caleb glanced at his phone. “Eight minutes.”
Grunting, I popped the top off the pills and swallowed a few with the water I was surprised wasn’t something worse. Like vodka. Or vinegar.
Shuddering at the thought, I got to my feet slowly, and when the earth didn’t move, I figured it was safe to take a step. Then two.
“I don’t know why you’re trying to deny it,” I said. “I obviously didn’t put the blanket over myself.”
“Riiight. Because you were in such a clear mental state that you remember all the details.”
He had a point there, as much as I hated to admit it. I couldn’t picture Caleb giving a shit about whether or not I’d freeze, so…maybe I was imagining things.
Annoyed I’d even brought it up, I dropped the subject and headed into my room for the world’s quickest shower. That at least made me feel more alive, but Caleb yelling out, “Three minutes,” when I’d barely toweled off meant there wouldn’t be time to make sure I looked mind-blowing today. A pair of dark designer jeans and a hat to cover this mess of hair would have to suffice, but damn if I wouldn’t make grunging it out look good anyway.
I stormed out of my room, about to ask Caleb if he was happy, but all I saw was our front door swinging shut. That asshole had left without me.
Hiking my bag up my shoulder, I booked it outside to the elevators, and as Caleb looked over at me, the door slammed shut.
“Motherfucker.”
“Headache?”
“Nope.”
“You’re a shit liar.”
“Who says I’m lying?”
Caleb’s look was full of derision. “You’re trying to tell me your head doesn’t hurt right now?”
“I didn’t say that.” Because my entire body ached right now. Not just my head.
But before Caleb could argue his point further, the elevator door swished open and he stepped inside, taking a spot on the far left side of the car. That was fine by me. If he could stay out of my way for the rest of the day, week—hell, year—my life would be just peachy.
But Caleb, being Caleb, couldn’t ever do anything I wanted.
“So,” he said from his corner of our current cell. “Where’d you end up running away to last night?”
I looked up from where I’d been aimlessly scrolling through my socials and tried to channel my Dairiest scowl. “I didn’t run away.”
“No? I was positive it was your sorry ass I saw bolting for the exit through the smoke you left in your wake.”
I cocked my head to the side. He was so damn cocky up there on his pedestal, wasn’t he?
“You were lookin’ at my ass?”
Caleb opened his mouth as if to deny it, but then shrugged and did his best to keep his cool. “Was pretty hard not to, since you face-planted on our couch last night and didn’t move until I woke you up this morning.”
Interesting sidestep there. But even in my hungover state, I could see through that lie. I pushed off the wall and noticed the way his shoulders became rigid and he took a great interest in the doors of the elevator.
“You weren’t talking about this morning. You said when I bolted for the exit. That was last night.” Then, just to piss him off, I reached up and ran my finger along the band of his headphones where it was looped around his neck. “Were you checking me out, brother?”
Caleb turned his head until our noses were practically touching. “Stepbrother, and you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
I wanted to deny it. Wanted to spit the lie out just to give him a taste of what it felt like to be rejected so quickly, so harshly. But I couldn’t get the words out.
Instead, I did what I did best. I threw that shit right back at him.
“I’ve never been the one to deny it. That would be you. Something I see you’re sticking with even after looking at me longingly last night through the flames.”
“Longingly?” Caleb snorted and looked away. “I guess you could say that. I was longing for the day I could drag you through them.”
“Sure you were. But just so you know”—I leaned in and put my lips right by his ear—“I wasn’t the only one who noticed.”
The elevator dinged, saving Caleb from having to answer, but a flush crept up his neck regardless. He could try all he liked to deny the truth, but we both knew what it was. That was why things always got messy between us.
Caleb marched out of the elevator and through the foyer. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was the one doing the running now. But I had a feeling it had more to do with wanting to be on time for class, since the last time he showed up to Livingston’s late, we were punished in the worst way ever.
“You don’t have to run, you know,” I said, even as I jogged to catch up with him. “Scotty is paid well to break speed limits and deliver us on Astor’s doorstep on time.”
Caleb screwed up his nose. “I’m not taking the Sprinter.”
“You’re so fucking stubborn.”
“And you’re delusional if you think I’m going to be trapped in a confined space with the seven of you.”
“Technically, it’s six now, since Preston pissed off and left me with you?—”
“Even worse. He’s the only one I liked.”
“Liar. And would you slow the hell down?”
“No. Like you said, I’m going to need to find a taxi that’ll speed to get me there on time.”
As the valet pulled open the door for us, Caleb stepped out into the soaring porte cochère where the van waited for us with Scotty standing by the passenger door.
I reached for Caleb’s arm, drawing him to a halt. “You’re seriously going to get a taxi?”
“I’ve been getting one since I moved in.”
“Yeah, but that was before East threw you a welcome-back party.”
“Oh?” Caleb faked a look of concern. “How rude of me. Did I forget to tell you all fifty million times? I’m. Not. Back.”
He pulled his arm from mine, and as he walked over to the valet stand I stood there staring after his obstinate ass. If he wanted to climb in the back of some sweaty, germ-infested taxi cab to get to school instead of a luxury van, no skin off my nose.
“Trav? Is that you?”
I spun around to see West’s head poking out of the Sprinter, a shit-stirring smile on his face as I climbed inside and Scotty slammed the door behind me.
“What? You stare too hard at that Golden Boy of yours and go blind?”
“No.” He chuckled and pulled my hat off. “But you in this hat and no makeup had me doing a double take.”
I snatched it out of his hand and jammed it back on my head as East eyed me from across the van.“Yes, we were all a little confused for a second there. But then we saw you all but begging Caleb to look your way and clued in that it was you.”
I graced them all with the finger and a hearty “Fuck you,” which had them all laughing, then Scotty started up the engine. As he pulled out of the porte cochère, my eyes shifted to where Caleb stood waiting for his cab, and it took everything in me not to point out to each and every one of them that I wasn’t begging him to look now, was I?
But who was he looking at? Me. That’s who.
Because he could deny it all he wanted, but Caleb Reeves was back, and so were all of the messy, inconvenient feelings he always brought with him.