Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
CAL - PAST
“What the fuck is that thing?” Eddie asks as he peers down the alley at two eyes staring back at him.
“I think it’s a dog… a half-dead dog,” Tate says. “Can we help it?”
“We don’t have time to deal with dogs,” Devon states, trying to usher us along.
I feel like it’s the first time I’ve stopped awkwardly trying to analyze Grayson since I hopped in a plane to come here hours ago.
No… before that. My mind has been in turmoil since the kiss two nights ago, after which, he’s said not a damn thing.
There wasn’t a “Sorry I kissed your face” or “I would like to kiss it again,” which I’d definitely prefer.
Instead, when I pulled up to return his car yesterday, he gave me a cheery smile, asked if I enjoyed driving his “beast” around like it was some sports car instead of a very average vehicle, and told me he’d see me bright and early tomorrow…
which is now today. I have spent hours in a plane with him, some of which we were very much alone for as everyone else slept, and still nothing.
Not a single word, look, wink… or even a scowl.
Maybe he doesn’t remember? Maybe he was really drunk and has no recollection of the event at all, and I’m forever destined to pine after him since I got a taste of those lips.
My betrayer of a mind is on a constant replay of him pressing me into the side of his car, his lips on mine, drawing me in… and walking away.
“Hey, poor buddy,” Grayson says as he opens his bag and pulls out some beef jerky he’d been snacking on during the flight over here.
He tears open the bag and dumps it on the ground while the mangiest-looking dog I’ve ever seen creeps over to us.
His skin is red and crusty, with hair only growing in patches here and there.
But his hairless tail still works as he devours the jerky and then looks up at us like we’ve just granted him the greatest gift one could ask for.
“I might have something,” I say while I scavenge, though I don’t have much more than some crackers, but I give them to the dog anyway.
“What the fuck are you two doing? Come on,” Devon orders, and I realize the rest of the group has left us.
When Grayson moves away, I reluctantly turn from the hopeful eyes the dog is still giving us, feeling bad that we’re leaving him behind, but I know that I don’t have the opportunity to do anything with him.
We’d simply stopped here to grab some food and are now heading back to the truck to finish the operation, so hauling a dog around with us wouldn’t exactly be the easiest thing to do.
“Uh… I think… we might have created a problem,” I comment as I notice the dog following us.
“Just pretend we don’t see him and maybe Devon won’t notice,” Grayson says with a grimace. “Maybe if there’s time after the operation, we can come back for him if he’s still here.”
“And how will you get him home?” I ask, quite skeptical.
“I… don’t know yet,” he admits.
“This is called stealth,” I say as I look back at the dog trotting right behind us. I assumed he’d get bored after a block or two, but it looks like he’s in it for the long haul.
And I’m left questioning if I want to rush ahead to catch up with the others so I don’t have to awkwardly walk next to Grayson or if I want to slow down enough that we have the longest possible time together.
I glance at him and he catches my eyes.
“Did you decide anything about school?” he asks, which is not necessarily a question I’d been hoping for.
“Oh… uh… no. But I did talk to my advisor about possibly looking into other programs and majors.”
“Good. You need to do what you enjoy.”
“I will.”
“What are you two fuckers chattin’ about?
” Eddie asks as he slows before turning around so he’s walking backwards to face us.
I notice Devon has parted from the rest of the group since he’s taken a phone call and has put enough distance between us that I can’t hear what he’s talking about, which means he also can’t hear what we’re talking about.
“Grayson was telling me about that time you suavely kissed him,” I say, which makes Eddie roar with laughter.
“I forgot about that.”
“Did I tell you about that?” Grayson asks with a laugh. “The other night?”
“Yeah.” If he doesn’t remember telling me about that, does that mean he doesn’t remember the kiss? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Grayson shakes his head. “Oh, that was hilarious and also not at the same time.”
“He turned me straight,” Eddie says.
Audrey lightly smacks his chest. “You were straight to begin with.”
“Well, for one second… I was curious,” Eddie says. “I regretted my choice that day. Should have picked a man who knew how to kiss.”
I’m quite positive Grayson knows how to kiss.
He knows how to kiss so fucking well that for the past two days, it’s damn near all I can think about…
okay, maybe not the kiss itself but what that kiss meant.
Does it mean he likes me? Does it mean he was drunk, and when he’s drunk, he just kisses whoever looks his way?
“You crammed your tongue down my throat like you were reaching for gold. It’s no wonder you thought I was a horrible kisser!” Grayson says.
“No, no, no. I kissed Audrey at some point too. Audrey, tell him that I’m a much better kisser than that.”
“It felt like you were licking my tonsils,” she says, which makes everyone laugh.
“You just can’t win, Eddie,” Tate decides. “You know that, right?”
“What I’m hearing is that all of you are so goddamn jealous you think I’m the best,” Eddie declares. “And I am. Thank you.”
“How did he come to that conclusion?” I ask.
“In Eddie’s mind, everything that’s said about him pertains to how magnificent he is. He’s easily confused,” Grayson explains.
“Fine, I will have to show off my kissing skills,” Eddie says as he puckers his lips and looks around for who might be a willing victim. Audrey, the only female among us, grimaces and quickly looks away, which makes Eddie’s eyes narrow.
Tate hastily backs behind Grayson, as though Grayson will save him. Which means that Eddie’s eyes fixate on me since I’m the only victim left standing. He does some weird fish pucker thing as he comes at me. “Calvin. Please!”
“That’s not my name, so… I’m not quite sure who you’re talking to, so I will be off.”
“What the hell is Cal short for if that’s not your name?” Eddie asks. “My name’s short for Howard.”
“How?” I ask, but he just laughs, so I don’t know whether he’s joking or not.
He scrutinizes me. “Callio, Callafonso, Calli…opinope.”
“I know it,” Tate says.
Eddie’s interest is piqued. “I will kiss you if you don’t tell me.”
That threat immediately makes Tate spill. “It’s Calyn.”
“What kind of name is that?” Eddie asks.
“It’s a ‘my mom thought it sounded fancy then realized she hated wasting her favorite fancy name on me, so she named the dog that and began calling me Cal’ kind of thing.”
“Excuse me, what? You were replaced by a dog?” Eddie asks before hollering, he’s laughing so hard.
Grayson, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to enjoy the joke as much. Instead, he’s giving me a look of concern, so I avert my eyes.
“You’re so much better than that dog,” Grayson assures me.
“That’s debatable,” I say. “It was a really nice dog.” I glance back at the dog following us. “He certainly looked better than that thing.”
“I’m sorry that everyone got distracted, but we were definitely going to kiss,” Eddie says as he puckers up his lips again.
And for some reason that may or may not have to do with me wanting to see if I can spark some drunkenly buried memory out of Grayson about kissing me, I step forward and kiss Eddie right on the lips.
I was going for just a simple peck, but Eddie’s all in, and I soon find out exactly why Eddie should be dubbed the worst fucking kisser I’ve ever encountered.
Grayson grabs Eddie’s hair and jerks his head back, pulling him away from me. “You’re not drunk enough for this.”
“He’s not? I’m the one who’s not! Why do you do that when you kiss?” I ask.
Eddie pretends to twirl his mustache. “Skills.”
“Skills, my ass,” I say. “Tate, you haven’t tried it yet; let’s see what you think. I really think we should get another opinion on it.”
“Nah, nah,” Eddie says. “I filled my curiosity up to the brim. I think my issue is that every time I kiss a guy, my tongue is trying to get out of the situation.”
“What the fuck was your excuse for me, then?” Audrey cries.
“It’s because you smell like a man.”
“Because I use men’s bodywash, your body rejected me? But strangely enough, you’re the only one here trying to kiss all the men in our party,” Audrey reminds him.
Devon, who’d been ahead of us on the phone, comes back, oblivious to the hell we’ve been subjecting ourselves to.
“Devon feels left out,” Tate says as he flips a coin. Supposedly, it’s his lucky coin that will keep him safe.
Devon hurriedly shakes his head. He doesn’t even know what’s going on, but he’s prepared to stay out of it.
“I don’t know what I feel left out of, but I’m going to guarantee that if it involves Eddie, I’m not interested.
” Of course this makes everyone laugh while Eddie still pretends to twirl his mustache.
“All I’m interested in is how fast Grayson pulled me off Cal. Like what the fuck? You want him for yourself, then kiss him yourself,” Eddie tells him.
“Let’s stay out of matters that don’t concern us,” Audrey says.
“Listen to Audrey, Eddie. And… why the fuck is that dog following us?” Devon asks.
“Go on… shoo.” He tries to wave it away, but the dog has no interest in wandering off.
He’s staring at us with such sad eyes that I want to scoop him up and take him home, but the state of his skin makes me decide I’ll love him from afar.
“He’s fine,” Grayson says.