Chapter 9
ANTHONY
“Are you going to tell us who you’ve been eye-fucking all night?” Connor asks and hands me a bottle opener.
I pop the cap off my drink and toss it back to him. “Nope.”
“That’s fine.” Hazen leans closer so he’s right up in my personal space, and his face is nearly touching mine. “You don’t need to tell us. I can figure it out by following your line of sight.”
“Are you done?” I ask, holding still so he can finish whatever the fuck he’s doing. I’m used to his antics, and it’s best to just roll with things rather than fight it when either of the twins goes off the rails or lets their impulsive thoughts win.
“Almost.” His voice is pinched like he’s concentrating really hard. “Got it.” He pats my cheek and gives me a little hip check, knocking me sideways. “Dude. Personal space.”
Rath sidesteps me so I don’t knock into him as I stumble, and I manage to right myself without spilling my beer. “You’re lucky you didn’t make me spill,” I tell Hazen, then take a sip of my drink. “And?” I ask when he just gives me a big, cheesy grin.
“It’s either Rosemary or West.” He looks between me and where West and Rosemary are talking in the corner of the room.
“You think?” I ask.
“One hundred percent.” He glances at Rath. “Who’s your vote?”
“Neither.”
“That’s not a choice. West or Rosemary.”
“West.”
“Interesting.” He flicks his gaze to Connor. “Bro?”
“Same. Definitely West,” Connor says, being even more obvious than Hazen as he also looks between me and where West and Rosemary are standing.
“I have to concur.” Hazen bumps his arm against mine. “What’s the verdict?”
“Guilty.”
“Told ya I didn’t need you to tell us.” He tips his beer at me. “Now, care to tell us why you’ve been eye-fucking him all night?”
I tip my beer back at him. “Nope.”
“He doesn’t need to tell us that either,” Rath says dryly. “He’s been doing it for three years.”
“No, this is different.” Connor’s gaze is shrewd as he assesses me.
“You’re seeing things,” I tell them.
They’re not wrong. I have been staring at West for the past hour; it’s just more fun to deny it.
“Sure we are.” Rath says in a placating tone. “You just keep believing that.”
“Someone should probably tell your boy it’s Tuesday,” Hazen comments. “How many has he had?”
I swing my gaze back to West. “Five,” I say and take another sip of my beer. “Why do you think I’ve been watching him?”
That’s not the entire truth, but it’s not a lie either.
I started watching West because I was curious how he was doing after I sent him the video last night. He seemed fine and was joking around and being the life of the party like usual when I got here, then he started drinking.
The first beer went down in less than five minutes, and he downed the second in twenty. Number three lasted about ten, and if my counting is accurate, he’s almost done with drink number five.
West is a big guy, and he can drink with the best of them, but five beers in just under an hour is a lot for a weekday, and a pretty good sign that he’s not okay.
“He’ll be fine,” I say as Damon walks into the room, his head on a swivel as he looks around.
He quickly spots West and strides over to him.
“Oof, someone tattled,” Connor says as Damon goes right up to West and gives him a look that clearly says “What the fuck?”
Interesting. Did West tell Damon what happened? I can’t see Damon scolding West like that if he knew his friend was going through something.
Rath catches my eye as he takes a pull of his beer and gives me a knowing look. I shrug one shoulder in a move that could mean anything.
I texted Damon when West started beer number five and the twins were off doing whatever they were up to before they came over to talk to us, but he doesn’t rat me out.
“Bro’s got some shit going on,” Connor says as Damon holds out his hand and West dutifully gives him his drink.
“It’s definitely woman trouble,” Hazen says as West falls into step with Damon and they leave the room together.
“How do you know that?” Connor asks.
Hazen leans a little closer to us and drops his voice. “McKenna was at Christian’s last night. And she wasn’t wearing a certain accessory she’s been flashing around for the past three months.”
Connor glances at the door West and Damon disappeared through. “This is why I say dating is stupid and relationships are a trap that should be avoided at all costs.”
Hazen holds his beer out to his brother, and Connor clinks the necks of the bottles together. “Well said.”
“Hear, hear,” Rath adds and tips his beer at the twins.
There’s a loud crash, then cheers erupt from the other side of the room.
Rath and the twins look toward the source of the commotion, our conversation effectively derailed, but I just swirl my beer around in my bottle, my attention on West and not on whatever is going on.
Hanging out in another guy’s dorm room without your ring on is a bold move for someone who’s supposed to be happily engaged, and I’m assuming the only reason it hasn’t been spread all over school is that it was a small gathering.
And knowing the people Christian hangs around with, there’s a high chance there was something going on that they don’t want people to gossip about, so that’s also kept everyone quiet.
“That’s going to be expensive,” Rath comments.
I’m just turning to see what happened when my phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out to check my notifications.
A smile tugs at my lips when I see the messaging app I’ve been using with West is active, and I open my texts as the guys keep talking about whatever is going on in the corner.
West: I hate you
Another text appears in the thread, then three more in rapid succession.
West: no I don’t
West: I shouldnt’ve answered you that night
West: is that a word? It doesn’t look like a word
West: I forgot what I was going to say
Tucking my drink under my arm, I quickly type out an answer
Anthony: do you hate me or do you hate what I showed you?
West: both
West: but also neither
Anthony: you don’t hate me
West: I want to and it pmo that I don’t
West: will you be honest if I ask you something
Anthony: depends what you ask
West: do you go to my school?
Anthony: yes
West: why didn’t you tell me that?
Anthony: you didn’t ask
West: would you have told me if I asked
Anthony: maybe
West: your annoying
Anthony: you’re drunk
West: not drunk
West: just blissfully buzzed
Anthony: on a Tuesday?
West: you’re the one who decided to tell me my fiancée was sucking face with a random nobody at a party on a weekday
West: a party she told me she was going to with her friends for a girls night btw
“Yo,” Hazen says, punching me in the arm.
I look up from my phone.
Connor shoots me a knowing grin. “Who are you talking to?”
“No one.”
“Sure,” Hazen says with a smirk. “And that’s why you look like you want to climb through the phone and devour whoever it is.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I say innocently.
“Come on,” Connor says, his tone teasing. “Share with the rest of the class. What’s that thing they taught us in first grade? Sharing is caring?”
“Said the guy who buried his spare set of poles so he wouldn’t have to share them with Haze when he lost his on that insane wipeout over the break?” I raise my eyebrow at him.
The twins are two of the most competitive people I’ve ever known, with Rath being a close third, and they’re the absolute worst when it comes to sharing.
They’d take a bullet for each other without hesitating, and they’d each burn the world to the ground if something happened to the other, but they’ll do literally anything they can to avoid sharing whatever they have with their brother.
“You know, a stupider man than me would grab your phone and check for themself,” Hazen says, casually leaning closer and tilting his head so he can see my screen. “But I’m not a stupid man.”
“You’re also not a subtle one.” I angle my phone away from both him and Rath, who’s also not so subtly trying to read off my screen. “And I dare you to try and take it from me,” I add as I look back down at my texts.
West: not my fault you didn’t wait until the weekend to send it to me
Anthony: technically I did send it to you over the weekend and you’re the one who waited until yesterday
West: fuck
West: then I guess it’s my fault im drinking on a tuesday
West: why is there no onesday?
West: or maybe thats what Wednesday is supposed to sound like and we’ve been saying it wrong all this time
West: do you sound it out when you spell it too?
West: gotta say wed-nes-day in my head or I get it wrong
West: that was a lot of words and now they don’t look like words anymore
Anthony: because you’re drunk
West: blissfully buzzed
Anthony: my bad
West: and horrifically horny
West: no, that’s not a good one it doesn’t sound right
West: need a better illiteration
West: no that’s not right either
West: alliteration?
West: thank fuck for auto correct because spelling is hard rn
Anthony: because you’re drunk
West: yes I am
Anthony: and you’re horny
West: yeah
Anthony: and what do you want?
West: to get fucked
Anthony: interesting choice of words
West: oh shit
West: I meant I want to fuck
West: why did I tell you that???
Anthony: because you’re drunk and horny
Anthony: and there’s nothing wrong with wanting to get fucked
“I’m gonna draw a dick on him if he doesn’t look up soon,” Connor says, his threat cutting through my concentration.
“I dare you to try,” I say, not looking up from my phone.
West: maybe not but that doesn’t mean its okay for me to want that
West: why did I just tell you that?
Anthony: because you’re drunk
West: a good person would stop texting with me so I don’t keep dropping drunken truth bombs like this
Anthony: I’m not a good person
Anthony: but I do have something in common with you
West: what?
Anthony: you want to get fucked, right?
West: yeah
Anthony: well good news because I want to fuck you
“Can you at least go over there and ignore us?” Rath gives me a little shove.