Chapter 21 #2
I point at her. “No. Do not even think about it.”
She raises her hands in mock surrender.
Lily chuckles into her wine. “This is my favorite book club meeting ever.”
Vivian leans in, gleeful. “Okay, but what did he say?”
I let out a miserable laugh. “Oh, he said plenty.”
Quinn gasps. “Oh my god, did he ask questions? Please tell me he had loads of questions.”
I make a strangled noise.
Lily hums, then giggles. “Should we have a moment of silence for his innocent brain?”
Vivian straight up guffaws. “I mean, was it innocent, though?”
Quinn points aggressively. “That’s the real question. Inquiring minds must know.”
“Oh my god, stop,” I groan, pressing my palms to my eye sockets. “He made fun of it. He—he practically narrated it out loud with a goddamn dramatic reading voice. Okay? And I’m pretty sure it broke his brain.”
Carlie laughs into her glass. “I’m actually in love with this.”
I glare at her. She better not write about this.
Tasia bites the side of her lip. “Okay, but was he making fun of it? Or was he, like, a little bit into it?”
Vivian gasps, gripping Quinn’s arm like he will somehow anchor her to the room. “YES. Did it turn him on?”
I choke violently. “WHAT? No—”
Quinn grins. “That’s a very strong denial. I can say with certainty that if I weren’t already gay, that scene alone would have me flipping to the poly team.”
I gawk at him.
But in the back of my brain, now I’m actually wondering.
Did it—
I mean, he was flustered for a second. His face kinda flushed. I mean, I didn’t look down or anything—not that I would. Dear god, what in the freeze-dried hell is this?
My phone vibrates again.
I glance down, praying for it to be literally anyone else.
Nope.
It’s Joel.
Joel: Come on, Ace. Have you asked them about the Dirty Bastards thing? Inquiring minds want to know.
I stare.
I stare hard.
I groan, loudly, tossing my phone onto the table.
“What now?” Vivian practically sings as she reaches for my phone.
I sigh dramatically. “He wants me to ask if any of the guys would be game for starting a Dirty Bastards book club. Yes, he knows I’m here and we maybe sorta talked about who else comes to the meetings.”
Once again, for a single moment, absolute silence.
Vivian cackles. “You know what this means, right? If he read it, and he got flustered, there’s no way he wasn’t at least a little turned on. And now he wants to start his own book club? Come on. That’s not a coincidence, that’s a coping mechanism.””
I blink. My brain stops.
Wait. No. That’s not—
But—
Oh my god. What if it is?
I groan into my hands, but it’s too late. The thought is already there.
And now I am never going to recover.
Quinn beams. “Turned on or not, I’m in, baby. Tell him he has his first recruit.”
Carlie leans forward, intrigued. “Oh, this is interesting. I’ll have to ask Adam.”
Vivian grins. “This is sexy.”
“Oh my god, I just realized—” Quinn clutches his heart. “This is my calling. I can be the gay liaison between the two factions of Dirty B’s.”
I glare at all of them. They’re ridiculous.
Tasia snickers into her wine. “I can’t believe you’ve manifested this.”
I shoot her a look of betrayal. “I did not manifest this.”
Lily hums. “Didn’t you, though?”
Carlie taps a finger against her chin. “I mean, this is just a logical progression. If we have the Dirty Bitches, of course a Dirty Bastards had to form. The universe demands balance.”
Quinn nods sagely. “Yin and yang. Equal but opposite forces. A sacred brotherhood to match our sacred sisterhood.”
Vivian is full-on wheezing now. “Oh, I love this so fucking much.”
I groan, dragging my hands down my face. “I hate this.”
“I don’t think you actually do.” Lily smirks.
I open my mouth to argue, but—
BUZZ.
I freeze.
Every eye in the room locks onto me.
Tasia sets down her wine glass with a knowing glint in her eye. “It’s him again, isn’t it?”
I consider throwing my phone across the room to avoid checking. Instead, I glance at the screen.
Yep.
Joel. Again.
Joel: So? What’s the verdict? Is Quinn in? Did he already start drafting an initiation ritual?
I squeeze my eyes shut. I am going to die in this bookstore. Right here. Right now.
Vivian, still vibrating with excitement, leans in. “Well? What did he say?”
I take the longest breath of my life. Then I slowly look at them all. I shouldn’t tell them. I really shouldn’t.
“Joel wants to know if you’ve already started drafting an initiation ritual, Quinn.”
Quinn practically levitates with glee.
“OH. MY. GOD.” He slaps the table, thrilled beyond measure. “He sees my potential. He knows my worth. I feel so honored. ”
“He doesn’t see anything. He hasn’t even met you in person yet,” I slap back.
“Yet—” Quinn gasps, “You all heard that right? She said yet. There will be a meeting coming soon.”
Vivian is actually wiping away tears of laughter.
Carlie just shakes her head, grinning. “Honestly, this I’d put in a book, too.”
I groan loudly, hating everything. Absolutely everything.
My stupid phone buzzes again. Can’t he take the hint? I haven’t responded to any of these asinine texts.
“What now?” Vivian asks, rocking on her chair.
I glance down, and immediately want to die.
Joel: Oh, also—already asked Ethan. He’s in.
I choke on air.
“Oh no,” Carlie gasps in what sounds like delight. “What did he say?”
I grab a napkin off the table and scream into it.
“Oh my god,” Vivian claps her hands together, absolutely losing it. “WHAT. DID. HE. SAY?”
I lift my miserable gaze. “He asked my brother already. Apparently, he’s in now, too.”
“This is the absolute best day of my life,” Quinn says, fanning himself.
Carlie’s expression is one of awe. “Oh my god, Joel moves fast.”
Vivian leans in, grinning so wide it’s terrifying. “So. Just to summarize. Joel, number one—keeps texting you. Number two—invented a book club for men to match yours. And number three—has immediately recruited Quinn and your brother.”
“And apparently London,” Lily says, holding up her phone.
“Holy shit. Someone kill me,” I mutter under my breath.
Vivian bats her eyelashes. “But you still hate him, right?”
I groan, leaning back and resting my gaze on the ceiling. “I hate everything about this.”
Lily pokes my arm. “Are you sure?”
I lift my head just enough to glare at her.
But then I make a fatal mistake.
I glance back down at the text thread. And there it is. Another new text.
Joel: I think this makes us book club rivals. That means we need a tournament. What’s the best way to prove superiority—dueling? Feats of strength? Reading comprehension?
And god help me—my stomach does a little flip and…
I smile.
I feel my face betray me in real time.
Before I can stop it. Before I can correct it. Before I can bury my feelings deep where they belong.
Vivian gasps.
Carlie gasps.
Lily gasps.
Tasia, quirks an eyebrow.
Quinn faints theatrically.
And just like that—
I am never living any of this down.