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“Yes,” I say.
“Why?”
Because I want to spend time with you. Because I want you to meet the guys. Because I want them to meet you. Because it might be cool to hang out outside the walls of my apartment sometimes.
“It’ll be fun,” I say instead.
“Uh…” He opens and closes his mouth for a few seconds.
“I want you there.”
“Yeah, okay.” He takes a deep, fortifying breath, like he’s afraid he’s going to refuse unless he gets the words out as soon as humanly possible.
“Okay.” I grin at him.
“I have to work on Saturday.” He frowns and still looks hesitant, but he powers through that. “I’m done by ten, though, so I can come after that?”
“Sounds good,” I say.
He rolls his eyes and mumbles something I can’t decipher.
I leave it be.
RYKER
The Dive is a shabby bar just off campus. Everything in here has seen better days, from the bar counter to the booths that line the walls to the paint on the ceiling. Then again, drinks are cheap, the music is loud, and the atmosphere is laid-back. It’s mostly students here most days. Tonight, the whole team has showed up and invited everybody they know along, so by the time I get there, it’s standing room only.
At the front of the room is a small stage and an even smaller dance floor. Some band I’ve never seen or heard before is playing on the stage. They’re not bad. That’s not to say they’re good either, but they fit the vibe of this place.
I grab a beer and push my way through the crowd to the back of the room, where Soren, Bailey, and a few other guys from the team have settled in.
One of the girls gets up with a grin and sits down in Soren’s lap, so I grab the spot she left free in the booth.
Lake shows up about twenty minutes after ten. He stands by the door and looks around, tall enough that he’s easily visible over most people’s heads. I take a moment to just look at him since he hasn’t noticed me yet.
Everything inside me swirls and storms and flows and swells. Twists into knots and unravels in the next breath.
I’m in way over my head, and I don’t even care.
I want him.
Everything about Lake Oliver Bates calls out to me.
His tall, wiry body.
His messy hair.
His raspy voice.
The sardonic quips that make up half of his vocabulary.
The way he lets his guard down around me and only me.
And then something else hits.
Something much bigger.
I can see us together. I can see myself five years from now, in a future that includes Lake.
