35. Deacon
Chapter thirty-five
Deacon
I never thought I’d be walking around campus in a tight-ass V-neck shirt, khakis, and a sailor’s hat. One time was laughable, but twice? I didn’t even recognize myself when I looked back on last year’s Halloween. Cassie chose our costumes, and I wanted to stay in instead. She cried and told me that she knew I was mad about something, so I went out with her anyway.
Lyla glanced at me playfully as she fastened her earrings in front of the bathroom mirror. “You didn’t tell me Cassie already invited you to this party.”
I quickly crossed the hall so she could lower her voice. I leaned against the door frame and gestured to our living room full of guests. Nathan and Andre started a game of Flip Cup with Charlie and a few other people we invited to pregame.
Lyla grinned at her reflection. “To be fair, Charlie already knows this is fake. And come on, some bantering before we go out? We sound even more like a real couple.”
I didn’t argue with her. Cassie loved to pick fights before we went out. They were usually about something I did earlier that week that suddenly became relevant to the present. It was like she reserved all her anger for one pivotal moment during the weekend .
“Fine,” I admitted. “Cassie invited me to a party last weekend. But to be fair, you do your best work when it’s unscripted!”
Lyla zipped up her make-up bag. “Okay, Daddy Deacon.”
Don’t go there. I wasn’t sure if the dip in my stomach came from the words themselves or because Lyla said them. Nope, nope, nope.
“Let’s go, Olive.” I tugged Lyla out of the bathroom and joined the small crowd in the living room.
Charlie handed each of us a shot glass and winked at me. We cheered for Halloween 2016, and then we were off.
The house party Cassie invited us to was only a ten-minute walk. It was customary for a house party to have an open door. People were good about passing through if they knew someone, but Bowling Green's community atmosphere was always welcoming.
I pulled on Lyla’s hand, so she walked in front of me. A few cheers from the stairway greeted us, and multiple guys looked Lyla up and down while we got our bearings.
I slid my fingers over her bare hip and dropped my mouth to her ear. “Let me get your drink. Don’t take anything—”
She smiled over her shoulder. “Deacon Scott. Do not give me the spiked drink chat in the middle of a house party. This isn’t my first rodeo.”
“Charlie!” Michelle ran toward us in a fuzzy creature costume. “I’m glad you guys came! There is pong downstairs. Do you want to play?”
“Go get the drinks,” Lyla yelled as Charlie dragged her away, “and meet me downstairs!”
I weaved through the crowd until I found the kitchen, relieved to see coolers with cheap beer instead of giant punch bowls of drinks. I grabbed two Natural Light cans, and when I turned around, Cassie was in front of me. She stood next to Clara and a girl I didn’t recognize. All three of them wore matching black leotards and animal ears. Cassie’s left bunny ear folded when she peered over at me.
“What are you supposed to be?” I asked once she got closer. Her eyes grazed my chest, and I forgot how tight my shirt was.
“Regina George from Mean Girls .” Cassie giggled and gestured to the girls behind her. “Clara is Gretchen, and Sophia is Karen.”
In the movie, Cady Heron described them as slutty costumes with some sort of animal ears. Her words, not mine. “Your costume definitely makes more sense with that information.”
“Where are your roommates? Did Lyla come in with you? I must’ve missed her.”
“Were you watching me?” I teased. I slipped past her, stopping at the top of the stairs.
Cassie smiled. “Just happy you’re happy, Deacon. I’ll be down there in a bit.”
When someone shared that they wanted you to be happy, the words were supposed to sound endearing. Cassie used the same tone at Shots when she said, “Same old Deacon.”
I reminded myself that I had planned my life out with Cassie. She wasn’t just the girl who broke my heart in front of a coffee shop. She was the girl who stared up at me through dark lashes with a smile that could tempt me to do anything. It was the look she gave me during our first year of dating—when things were exciting and new. It was the look she used to give me before she watched me lose everything. That look dwindled long before she called to break up with me, and the closer I got to Lyla, the more I realized how far gone those feelings were.
When I got downstairs, Lyla was high-fiving Charlie. There were now two fuzzy creature costumes and the four of them were each down to two cups in their pong game. Andre and Nathan cheered from the pool table when Charlie’s ball fell into the front cup.
Lyla stood on her toes and peered at the only cup left on the table. She dropped down to her feet again and popped her hip, accentuating how her skirt rested right where her ass met her thigh. Lyla Brooks was a sexy Olive Oyl, and I was happy we couldn’t get her hair to stay pulled back in that weird bun. I liked the way her light brown waves sat above her lower back. She was cute with her hair up, but I loved when she wore her hair down.
I sat her beer on the corner of the table and kissed her temple. “Don’t slip, Brooks.” She giggled when Charlie shoved me away from the table.
“Get out of here!” Charlie laughed. “You’ll just distract her.”
Lyla closed one eye and dramatically lined up the shot. Her foot popped once the ball left her hand, and I didn’t have to look to know she made it.
She threw her arms around my neck, and I placed my drink on the table beside hers. She gave me a quick kiss on the lips and trailed up my jaw. She nipped my ear lobe and whispered, “Go with this, okay? She’s behind you.”
She didn’t need to say anything else. I gripped the backs of her thighs and lifted her off the ground. She tightened her hold around my neck and laughed when I tugged on her bottom lip with my teeth. I wanted to kiss her, but not in a room full of people. Suddenly, a performance kiss wasn’t enough.
“Get a room,” Charlie said as she reset the cups for the next game.
I gestured to the door behind her. “That one?”
She raised her eyebrows, impressed by my bold statement and the actions that followed it.
I removed my hand from the back of Lyla’s thigh to open the door. She tightened her legs around my waist, and I grasped the hair at the base of her neck. I tugged so I had a better angle and pressed my mouth to hers. This kiss was different than the one we had a few moments ago. We were still in view of everyone in the basement, and as soon as my tongue parted her lips, she reached behind me and closed the door.