AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Or something. It’s been infuriating, fascinating, and damn well annoying watching you two screw up this year. I mean, mostly it’s been Kody fucking shit up and you sitting back and letting it happen, but man, it’s nice to see you wearing your lady balls with pride.”
I laugh and shake my head. “He’s not yet forgiven for all the crap he’s pulled.”
BJ inclines his head, half acknowledgment, half consideration. “Kody is the best at punishing himself, Lavender. You don’t have to forgive him quickly, but don’t throw all his mistakes back in his face when he makes new ones. He’ll carry that guilt for the rest of his life if you let him.”
I nod. Kodiak wears his mistakes like scars that scratch up his insides. “I know better than to do that to him.”
BJ smiles, and there’s something wistful in it. “It must be kind of messed up to have found your soul mate before you even understood what it meant.” He ruffles my hair and pushes out of his chair. “I gotta head to class.”
I check the time. It’s still early but I can head to the theater, so I gather my things and leave with BJ.
After I finish up at the theater, I check my phone. I have a message from Kodiak telling me he’s been thinking about me all day. He doesn’t elaborate, but I’m 1000 percent sure I know what he means.
I also have a message from River saying he’s out for the night, but to text or call if I need anything. He’s been doing that a lot lately—the not coming home part. So has Maverick, but that’s not entirely unusual. Regardless, it means I won’t have a chance to talk to him about Kodiak, since it isn’t something I’m interested in doing over the phone.
I do, however, fill my mom in on the fact that I’ve moved back into the house with my brothers and tell her not to worry about Kodiak because I can totally hold my own. Thankfully she had yet to mention the dorms to my dad, so that was one freak-out neither of us had to deal with. I also drop a mention of the summer internship opportunity, but blow it off as unlikely since I’m only a sophomore and they pretty much always take juniors or seniors. But, I tell her, it doesn’t hurt to submit an application so I’m familiar with the process. She agrees.
Before I can change my mind, I stop by my professor’s office and let her know I’d like to apply so she can send me the forms.
It’s after six by the time I get home. Maverick, BJ, and Quinn are sitting in front of the TV playing video games, a mostly empty pizza box on the table in front of them.
Maverick looks up for a second but doesn’t bother to pause. I sort of expected an immediate confrontation of some kind. Instead, he goes back to furiously pounding on the controller. “There’s a nondescript black package on the counter from Gigi.”
“Awesome.” I cut through the living room. Obviously she ignored my mom’s request to stop sending me sex-positive items.
“Wanna grab me a beer?” Mav calls.
“Me too!” BJ adds.
“You all have legs. Why can’t you get your own beers?” I drop my backpack on the kitchen island and check out the black bag on the counter with a set of cherries on it. So discreet. I tuck it in my backpack so I can open it later, when I’m in the privacy of my own room.
I pull three bottles from the beer fridge. It’s actually supposed to be for wine, but no one in this house is sophisticated enough to drink that, so it’s filled with beer and random girly coolers that I sometimes drink.
I take a few deep breaths, prepared for Maverick to come in here and say something about the whole Kodiak thing, but BJ pops his head in instead. He yells something toward the living room about wanting a snack.
“Who’s telling Mav?” he asks as he opens the pantry door and grabs two bags of chips from the top shelf.
I had no idea they were there because I’d have to stand on a freaking chair to be able to see them. “Kodiak.”
BJ arches a brow. “When’s that happening?”
I shrug. “I figured he would’ve said something by now.”
“Kody disappeared into his room as soon as he got home, and Mav seems oblivious as usual, so I’m gonna go ahead and surmise that’s not the case.”
I cross my arms, annoyed. “Well, I’m not going to be the one to tell him.”
BJ snorts a laugh. “Might wanna give your boy some incentive, then.”
“My boy.” I roll my eyes. “You’re going to have a field day with this, aren’t you?”
“Hell, yeah. I’ve been waiting years for this to go down. I can’t wait to see River flip his lid.”
