He runs a hand through his hair and blows out a puff of air. I grab my extra hoodie and pull it on over my head, then shove my keys in my pocket. Evan grabs the blanket from my truck and carries it as we walk to wherever it is we’re sitting.
“So we found a spot to sit and set all the blankets out, and not two minutes later Jeremy and a couple of other guys decided the open spot next to us looked good to them. So yeah… We’ve got some neighbors.”
We walk up to the area and sure enough, there’s the jackass, and a few of his friends, including some guy I don’t know, butted up against our stuff.
Wonderful.
“Whatever. I’m gonna pull a page out of Rylee’s book and pretend they don’t exist.”
Evan smirks at me. “Yeah, good luck with that.” Good luck with what? He chuckles at my expression then turns to the group. “Look who I found, y’all.”
Most everyone waves or says hi as Evan whips my blanket open and adds it to the collection on the ground, then flops down onto one side of it, near Tyler. My eyes find Dacen immediately. The guy I don’t know sits beside him. That’s fine. What doesn’t feel so fine is how close the guy is leaning in or the flirty expression on his face. I grit my teeth. Guess I know what Evan’s warning was about. Dacen looks over and smiles, but it falters a little at my expression. I’m not actually trying to be a dickhead so I reel it in and wave at him, one flick of my wrist, and sit down beside Evan. The guy next to Dacen is still talking to him but he seems oblivious to that fact, focused on me instead. It makes me smirk and Dacen flushes and looks away.
Why is he so fucking adorable?
I stretch my legs out and lean back on my hands. There are a ton of people here tonight. I elbow Evan in the side and he turns toward me with his brow raised. I nod my head toward Dacen’s direction. “Who is that?” My voice is so quiet it barely even qualifies as a whisper because they’re very close and I don’t want them overhearing.
His eyes flicker over to them and back. Like me, Evan is capable of being tactful when it really matters, thankfully, and he answers in a low voice. “You missed the annoying introductions. It’s Jeremy’s cousin, Owen.”
I tune into Dacen and Owen’s conversation. They’re no more than three feet away from where I sit so it’s not like it’s hard to hear. They’re talking about the movie, which should be getting started in the next few minutes. Owen clears his throat and abruptly changes the topic, asking Dacen a question that makes my blood boil.
“So are you here with someone?”
Even through his long-sleeve shirt and jeans the tension in Dacen’s body is visible. He glances over at me and whips his head away again when our eyes lock. “Um, I mean,” he waves his hand around, gesturing toward everyone. “All of them.”
Owen shakes his head and chuckles. “No,withsomeone, like, are you single?”
My eyes narrow. Dacen fiddles with the edge of the blanket he’s sitting on, and then crosses his arms and scratches along both of his elbows. He doesn’t look my way. I want him to look at me. I want him to come sit his ass beside me. I want everyone else to disappear. None of that happens, obviously, and Dacen still hasn’t answered the question. I don’t know what I want or expect him to say, but I need to hear his answer. I pull my legs up and cross my ankles, casually resting my arms on my knees.
“I—” Dacen’s voice falters. He draws his shoulders back and sits up taller. “Yeah, I am. Single, I mean. No boyfriend and I’m not dating anyone.”
“Cool.”
There’s still noise and laughter throughout the area, but here on this group of blankets? Silence. I’d filled my boys in—not in graphic detail—on what’s been going on between Dacen and I. They’d teased me relentlessly for ten minutes and then moved on. There’s either a very coincidentally timed lull in everyone’s conversation right now, or they’re all absorbing the weight of Dacen’s words, just like me. Owen’s a clueless bastard of course, so honestly, I can’t be mad at him. I’m not mad at Dacen either. I’ve been as clear as possible that I don’t date and we’re not dating. So I’m notmadat all. Although I’d like to punch the smug look off Jeremy’s face. But this tight feeling in my chest, the way my jaw is clenched, and the prickling feeling in my stomach? I’m pretty sure that’s disappointment. And I have nobody to blame except myself.
Owen turns to one of the other guys he’s with and a few seconds later the conversations all pick up again. I exhale shakily. A breeze gusts through, ruffling the edges of the blankets before calming again, and Dacen shivers. He’s only got one layer on, and the evenings have been cooler even though our days are still warm. Evie whispers something to him, and he looks down at his hands and shakes his head. She knocks her shoulder into his gently and he gives her a small smile. My brain screams at me to do something, to fix this weird tension, but I can’t. I don’t know how. The breeze kicks up and Dacen shivers again. Without giving it any thought, I grab the back of my hoodie and yank it over my head, then pull my arms out of the sleeves. Static crackles from the movement and I run a hand through my hair to tame it. I toss my sweatshirt over to Dacen and it lands in his lap. He looks up at me, startled, and I nod toward it.
His fingers grasp the material and after a silent stare down—we seem to have a lot of those lately—he pulls it on. When his head pops through the top I catch a peek of his smile. He tucks the dimples away again as he smooths down the front of the sweatshirt, but his face is still lit up. I like the way he looks, and I especially like to see him wrapped up in my clothes. Most of the outdoor lights turn off as the first movie finally gets started and everyone turns their attention to the giant screen. I bring my knees up into my chest and flop my forehead down onto them. I don’t know what the hell is going on anymore. When I roll my head to the side, beside me my phone lights up. I pick it up, unlock it, and then smile into the darkness.
DACEN: Thanks, Sweet Cheeks.
32
Dacen
It’s a little after midnight when I get home. I let the puppy out and then take a shower before bed, a quick one because I’m exhausted. After drying off I throw on a pair of boxers and glance at the bathroom counter where I’d set Ryne’s sweatshirt after getting undressed. I chew on the inside of my cheek. How desperate does it make me if I sleep in his shirt? I decide since nobody can see me it makes me not desperate—kinda like the whole ‘if a tree falls in a forest and nobody’s around to hear it does it really make a sound’ thing—and throw it on. I pad through the bathroom doorway into my bedroom and then plop backward onto my bed, legs hanging off the side, thinking back over the night.
After the two movies were over while everyone else was busy chatting and folding their blankets, Ryne stepped over to me and whispered in my ear. My heart still races when I think about it.
By the way, D, I like you best with no clothes on, but seeing you in my shirt makes me wanna do naughty things.
I’ve done practically nothing but envision those naughty things ever since then. Well, that and think about how I want to shake him. The constant back and forth, the combination of his sharp, curt actions followed by soft words, the almost vulnerable expressions that slip out, it’s all bewildering. Trying to understand Ryne is like trying to navigate a complex labyrinth while blindfolded. Sometimes you’re lucky and manage to fumble your way around the correct corner. Only unbeknownst to you, a cunning warlock has surreptitiously shifted the walls, and once again you’re headed in the wrong direction. It’s not even a ‘one step forward, two steps back' kind of thing with him. It’s more like a ‘one step forward, two leaps into another dimension—oh and watch out for that black hole’ kind of thing.
Maddening.
I start to doze off when my phone dings. The way I’m lying down is wicked uncomfortable and I groan as I roll over and swipe my phone from the nightstand.
RYNE: You awake?
