Chapter 2
CHAPTER
TWO
SILAS
It’s finals week, so the campus has been pretty quiet, and I just finished one for my Biomaterials class. It was fucking hard, but as a biomedical engineering major, it’s a requirement. Sure, I hope to be drafted, but I also want to have a life after football.
When my dad had a heart attack while I was in high school, the pacemakers they tried wouldn’t work, and it took a while to get one to fit and work properly.
So, through that process, I became interested in biomedical engineering.
I want to help build better instruments that are more universal and also cost-effective.
The whole process and all the medical bills nearly wiped out my family’s farm.
I’m still dwelling on the last answer on my exam when I walk into the house and smell something sweet. I set my backpack down, and I can hear Charlie and Brooke talking in the kitchen. They’re giggling about something that I can’t make out.
It’s pretty common to come home to them baking or cooking for the house.
We still rotate weekly for family dinner, and even though Brooke doesn’t live here, she added her name to the calendar at the beginning of the school year.
She’s just as good of a cook as Charlie is, but her desserts, specifically her cupcakes, are my favorite.
“How are my favorite girls doing?”
They’re standing next to each other, so I walk over and step between them and wrap an arm around them both.
Brooke has her long brown hair in a ponytail, falling down her back.
She’s wearing a Walker T-shirt that is way too big for her—hanging off a shoulder, exposing a bra strap—and some loose gray sweatpants.
It’s a typical college-girl look, but somehow, she makes it sexy.
“Favorite girls, huh?” Charlie looks up at me with a smirk.
“Absolutely.” I drop my arm from Charlie’s shoulders, but leave the other draped around Brooke. “The only ones that count. Arbor and Lily are cool too, I suppose.”
“Why don’t you make yourself useful and help make a salad? I’m finishing up the pork tenderloin, and Brooke needs to frost her cupcakes.” Charlie elbows me in the stomach, which doesn’t hurt, but I place a hand on my abdomen, acting like it did.
“Okay, I gotchu.” I reluctantly let go of Brooke, but I don’t miss her smile when I glance down at her. “What do you need me to add to it? The usual?”
I’ll admit, I wasn’t much of a cook—or any help really—in the kitchen when I first moved in, but I’ve learned a lot from my roommates, and I’ll go as far as to say I’m pretty decent now. I can work my way around a kitchen.
“Yeah, just carrots, cucumbers, and maybe some red pepper if we have any.” Charlie takes a knife out of the butcher block and hands it to me.
“You got it, tiny terror.”
I move to the refrigerator and start taking out all the vegetables I need, lay them on the cutting board, and get to work.
As I cut, I keep glancing over at Brooke as she ices the cupcakes she made.
These ones are pink, and when she licks her thumb to get a smidgen of frosting off, I inwardly groan at how cute but sexy she looks doing it.
“So, back to our conversation. Are you going to go?” Charlie asks Brooke.
She shrugs. “Yeah, I’ll go. It’s just been …
kind of weird with us lately, and I can’t really figure out why.
I think he was stressed about finals, but his classes were easy for him this semester, so I don’t know.
Maybe he’s just not really into me. It almost feels like it’s an obligation for him to hang out with me. ”
Call me intrigued. I’m dying to hear more, and it’s taking all of my self-control to keep my mouth shut and just listen.
“Well, I think you just need to talk to him honestly about how you’re feeling. I learned that lesson the hard way. Don’t let him play mind games with you. See how it goes tonight, but I definitely think you should have a conversation, B.”
“It’s just awkward, and I don’t want to sound like a whiny girlfriend, especially if I’m not really sure where I want this to go, you know?” I see Brooke look over at Charlie.
“Right. Well then, I guess you need to figure out how much you care, but don’t waste your time on something that doesn’t work. You deserve to be happy and have someone treat you like the badass goddess you are.” Charlie bumps her shoulder into Brooke’s.
“Thanks, Char. Don’t mention this to my brother. I don’t think he likes Eli that much after the whole no, Sint Maarten is the superior island conversation.” Brooke rolls her eyes.
Charlie winces. “Yeah, Beck was …”
“Ready to lay him out?” Brooke laughs.
“I mean, yes, pretty much. It was just the know-it-all attitude that pissed him off.” Charlie smiles.
Brooke sighs. “I know, and I wish I could say that was an isolated incident, but it wasn’t. I don’t know why he does that. He’s definitely smart, but I feel like he wants to shove it in people’s faces sometimes. It’s a huge turnoff and honestly embarrassing.”
“Then don’t go to the game with him tonight. Just hang out with meeeee.”
“No, I told him I would go, so we’ll see what happens.”
I clear my throat. “What game?”
“The basketball game. We play State, so Eli and a few of his friends want to go.”
I had no intention of going to the game tonight, but I have a feeling that’s about to change. “That’ll be fun. But don’t you need to study for finals?”
She shakes her head. “I took my last final today. My Thursday and Friday classes were papers, and I submitted those last week.”
Charlie’s phone rings before I can say anything more. “It’s Beck. I’ll be right back. Can you keep an eye on this tenderloin for me? I should only be a minute.”
“Yeah, right!” Brooke yells after her. “Tell him I said hey.”
I dump everything in a bowl, then move closer to Brooke because I want to be near her. “What flavor do we get tonight?”
She has an icing bag in her hand. “I just did vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting. Nothing fancy today.”
I lean into her. “Can I have a taste?”
Her hand jerks, and she messes up the design on her cupcake. “Um, yeah, they’ll be ready in a few.” She takes her finger and wipes it around the edge, where she messed up.
I take her hand with the glob of frosting on it and pull it to my lips. “May I?”
She doesn’t say anything, but her eyes are glued to my lips.
I swirl my tongue slowly around her finger, but don’t put it inside my mouth. “It’s delicious, just like it always is.” I wink at her and smile.
“Thanks,” she whispers.
“So, a basketball game. What time do you need to leave?” I try to settle back into a normal conversation with her, even though my thoughts are on spreading this frosting all over her and licking it clean.
“Oh, shoot,” she says, looking at the clock. “I need to go soon to get ready. I might not be able to eat.” She wipes off her finger and moves to the oven to check on the tenderloin. “It looks like it needs a little more time. I’ll wait for Char to come out, and then I should probably leave.”
I don’t want her to go, but I also need to make plans to get to that game too. “I’ll take care of this if you need to take off.”
She steps back to her cupcakes, looks at me, and smiles. “Really? That would be a huge help.” She pipes frosting over the cupcake she messed up, holds the bag of frosting to her lips, and squirts some into her mouth.
I hold in the groan trying to break free. Why is that so hot?
“Yeah, no problem. I’ll even clean up your mess.” I tug on her ponytail.
“Thanks, Silas.” She sets the bag in the sink, then washes her hands. “I guess I’ll see you later.”
“You coming back here tonight?” I ask, hopeful.
“Oh, no, probably not. I might stay with Eli, but I’m not sure yet.” She dries her hands quickly with a paper towel, then tosses it in the trash on her way toward Charlie’s room.
“Great,” I mumble to myself. “Douchebag.”
Brooke walks back into the kitchen and grabs the mint-green Stanley that she always has with her. “Bye, Silas. Thanks again!” She smiles and waves at me as she moves toward the door.
I follow, just so I can watch her go. “See you later, Cupcake.”
Her hand is on the doorknob, but she turns and looks back at me. Her mouth opens in surprise, and when I wink at her, she blushes. With an awkward wave, she pulls open the door and walks out.
The second the door closes, I get my phone out of my pocket and text Aston and Ace as I walk to Bo’s room. His SUV is outside, and Chelsea’s car isn’t here, so I assume he’s home.
Silas: Come to the basketball game with me tonight.
Ace: What? Why?
Silas: Because I want to go.
Ace: I can’t, dude. I need to study. If I don’t pass this test, I’m fucked, and my mama will kill me.
Aston: He ain’t lyin’. He’s on her shit list right now. He has to study, but I’ll come with you. I’m the good twin. I’m passing all my classes.
I pull up the basketball schedule on the school’s website and see the game starts in two hours.
Silas: Pick me up at six thirty. Don’t be late.
I knock on Bo’s door. “Callaway, open up.”
He pulls open the door, shirtless and looking like he’s been running his fingers through his hair. “What’s up?”
“I’m gonna hit up the basketball game tonight. You should come with me.”
Bo leans up against the doorframe and crosses his arms. Bo is the kind of guy who can see right through you, and right now, he can probably read the intent on my face.
“Why?” A slow smile breaks across his face.
I look at him pointedly. “Because I’m a fan.”
“Ha! Since when?”
“Since tonight. Are you gonna come with me or not?” I hold my hands out in front of me.
“This is about Brooke, isn’t it?”
“You’re really gonna make me say it?”
“If you want me to go with you tonight, yeah, I do want you to tell me.”
“Yes, it’s about Brooke. She’s going with that douchebag. I overheard her talking to Charlie about him when I came home. I’m telling you, something about that guy just irks me. He doesn’t deserve her at all.”
“And I’m sure Linson would want you looking out for her, right?”
“Exactly. I’m just looking out for her since he can’t be here.”
“Uh-huh.” He sucks in a breath. “Okay, let me finish reviewing this one chapter for my exam tomorrow, and then I’ll take a break and go to the game with you. Dinner almost ready? I need to eat before we go.”
“Thanks, man. Yeah, I think it should be ready soon. Chelsea want to come too?”
“Nah, she has one of her big exams tomorrow, so she’s locked in. I probably won’t see her tonight at all.”
“Okay. Aston is picking us up at six thirty.”
“Fuck that. I’m driving. He’s a horrible driver.”
I fist-bump him. “Thanks for coming with me.”
“Yeah, well, I can’t let you do something stupid.”
I place a hand on my chest. “Who, me? I’m offended.”
“Right, but what about that time—”
“Dinner’s ready!” Charlie yells from the kitchen.
“Saved by Little King. Let’s go eat.” I chuckle.
I shoot off a text to Aston to let him know we’ll pick him up as I walk into the kitchen.
“Do you need any help?” I pocket my phone and walk toward Charlie.
“I got it. Oh, maybe just set out the silverware and napkins. I put the plates over there on the island, so you can put everything next to those. It’s just the three of us since Brooke left and Casey and Noelle went out to eat.”
“You got it.” I grab the items and set them next to the plates. “So, tell me the truth. What do you think of this Eli guy?” I know I’m revealing my interest in Brooke, but I need to know what’s going on.
She looks at me and scrunches her mouth and shakes her head. “I’m not really a fan, and she knows what my thoughts are. But it doesn’t really matter what I think or what Beck thinks. She has to make that decision for herself, you know?”
“Right, but do you think he treats her well? Anytime I hear you guys talking about him, he sounds like a dick.”
“Oh, he is for sure. But for some reason, she found a connection to the guy. He’s her first real boyfriend, so Beck and I are just trying to be supportive and let it play out the way it’s supposed to.
And at the end of the day, if he’s who she wants to be with, we’ll all have to find a way to get along with him because we’re family,” she says as she cuts the pork tenderloin.
I try to take in what she’s saying, and I guess I get it, but I don’t like it.
“Why are you asking? You like her, don’t you?” She smirks.
“I mean, she’s gorgeous and fun, sure, but I’m not into her like that. I don’t want some asshole fucking around with her either.” I shrug, trying to act nonchalant.
Bo walks in and grabs a plate. “What are you guys doing just standing here? We’d better eat fast if we’re going to the game,” he says.
I look over at Charlie, and she’s leaning against the counter, smiling at me.
“Just playing a game of Bullshit, and Silas is losing.”
I can’t stop the laugh that comes out. I guess I’m more obvious than I thought.