Chapter 12 #2
“Or maybe you two will get back together,” I offer. “You were together a long time. Maybe you just need some time apart.”
Adam shoots me a confused look.
“Nah, I don’t think so.” Rhett runs a hand through his hair, making the long top fall to one side. “It’s weird, though. I haven’t been single since I was fifteen.”
“You were together for six years?” Now I feel even worse about them breaking up. That’s such a long time to have history with someone.
“Yeah. Fucking forever, right?”
“That’s way longer than I’ve ever dated anyone. I can’t imagine.”
“What about you two?” Rhett asks us. Then he looks at me. “Is this a thing? Are you his girlfriend?”
“Oh, uh…” Nothing like being put on the spot.
“You haven’t talked about it, huh?” Rhett grins. “You know what might cheer me up?”
“What?” Adam asks. He steps closer to me, almost as if he’s trying to reassure me with his presence.
“If you wait another three weeks to make it official. I’ll be fifty bucks richer and, really, what’s another month?”
The bet. Of course. Rhett is the most competitive guy of the group. It probably would make him feel better. Boys are strange.
“We’re not jumping into anything,” I say. Adam and I haven’t talked about it, but I think that’s true. It’s true for me. While being Adam Scott’s girlfriend sounds amazing, he was just telling me how he needed to switch things up and get out of old patterns.
“Except each other’s beds?”
Adam’s phone alarm goes off. “It’s time,” he calls loud enough that Heath and Ginny can hear.
“Let’s go.” He shoves Rhett. “You keep talking, and I’m going to forget about your broken heart and get pissed at you for saying shit like that to my—”
“Your girl?” Rhett grins. “You were going to say your girl, weren’t you?”
Adam’s mouth pulls into a straight line. I link my arm through his. “Come on, you two. I think I know where they are. Dakota mentioned something about finding a good hiding spot near the library.”
“I gotta take a piss.”
“Now?” Adam complains.
“I’ll be quick,” Rhett promises and jogs toward the nearest building.
When he disappears inside, Adam turns to me. “Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be. I expected it. Though not from Rhett.”
“I guess we should have talked about what to say. It’s my fault. Any time I’ve hung out with a girl this much, she’s been my girlfriend.”
“It’s okay. Really. You don’t owe me any explanations. I’m perfectly content not labeling this and hanging out. You want to break your routine, and I just want to spend more time together.”
“That’s the thing, though. I’m not sure I’m okay not labeling it.” His lips come down to meet mine, and his hands circle my waist. His face is cold, but his mouth and body are warm, and I snuggle in closer to both.
“I’m back.” Rhett falls in beside us.
He’s opening another beer when I pull myself away from Adam.
“How many have you had tonight?” Adam juts his chin toward the can.
“Don’t know. Not enough. Maverick promised there was a point in which I’d forget everything, including my name, but I still know it. Rhett. R-H-E-T-T.”
“Are you drunk?” I ask through a laugh. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Rhett drunk. Sure, he drinks when we all hang out, but it’s never altered him in any way I could tell.
He winks at me and keeps on spelling his middle name and then his last name.
Well, this is new. I don’t even think he’s looking for Maverick and Dakota.
I’ve been his partner more than anyone else, and I can say without a doubt he takes it far more seriously than the rest of us. He gets off on the competition.
Speaking of the competition, we’re the last group to find Mav and Dakota. It’s been over thirty minutes of us searching when we hear whispers and find Ginny, Dakota, Heath, and Maverick crammed together underneath a table outside of University Hall.
“Finally.” Maverick stretches out his legs. “Cramp. Fuuuck. I have a cramp.” He holds his calf and cries out.
Everyone else is laughing as he dramatically curses and rolls to his side. Adam crouches down beside him.
“Massage it,” he instructs. “Try to stretch out your leg again.”
“Fucking hurts when I do that,” Mav complains.
“All right. Stand up. Maybe that’ll help.” Adam helps him to his feet, and Maverick slowly puts pressure on the leg with the cramp.
“Damn, that was a bad one,” Mav says once he’s hobbling around a little.
“You need to make sure you’re stretching out really well every day.”
“Sure thing, Dr. Scott.”
On the way back, Adam sticks near Maverick. He’s walking on his own, but slowly and stopping every twenty feet or so to rub the muscle.
Ginny and Heath make their excuses as soon as we’re back and head to bed. Rhett starts up the Xbox. I sit next to Maverick on the couch. He’s screwing off the top of his Mad Dog when Adam comes from the kitchen with a Gatorade. “Perhaps you should try this instead?”
“I’ll use it as a chaser.”
Adam laughs quietly and sinks into the cushion beside me.
“I think I’m off, too,” Dakota says with a yawn. She stops at the door. “Are you sleeping here?” she asks me.
“Yeah. Running after classes tomorrow?” I’ve seen less of Dakota this week, and I think that’s harder on me than her. I need her, and I need us to be close like we’ve always been.
“I’ll meet you there.” She says good night, and then it’s just the guys and me.
Adam places a hand on my thigh, and I nuzzle into his side. He’s talking to Rhett and Mav about practices and then the game they’re playing on the Xbox. The long week of late nights has caught up to me, and at some point, I fall asleep only to wake when he lowers me onto his bed.
It’s dark with just a small amount of light from the sliding glass door that leads out to the deck from his room.
“Sorry,” I say, my voice is deep from sleep. “I guess I was tired.”
He strips down to his boxers and gets into bed next to me. “It’s okay. Been a long week.”
He draws me against him and kisses me. He tastes like toothpaste.
“I need to brush my teeth and wash my face,” I say as I pull back.
I also really need to take off this bra. It’s pretty and lacy with some awesome padding that makes my boobs look A-plus, but the comfort is more C-minus.
“Hurry back.” His tongue sweeps into my mouth, and he kisses me deeply before letting me go.
I do hurry, but by the time I get back, his eyes are closed, arm thrown over his face.
I grab one of his T-shirts and change into that.
Carefully, I get into bed, trying not to wake him.
One arm reaches around my waist and pulls me tight against his chest. His nose nuzzles into my hair, and he places a kiss on my neck. “’Night, beautiful.”