I missed whatever happened, too caught up in my own head. But it's hard not to miss the bond the two of them have formed. They laugh and joke, similar to Coop and Addie, but there's something else there too. And if I think about it too hard, I might screw it all up. Coop deserves someone like Mateo in his corner.
I'm spiraling, and I can't tell if it's good or bad or somewhere in between. Everything is so fucking confusing. Maybe I need another apple session.
Mateo catches me staring and winks.
"Dude," Addie says walking into the kitchen.
I jump, startled. Yup, I need to clear my head somehow because I didn't hear her come in the house.
"Fucking, Kevin," she continues when no one acknowledges her.
"What happened?" Charlie asks. "Wait, is this Mateo's Kevin?"
Addie plucks an olive out of the small bowl on the counter and pops it in her mouth.
"Mm-hmm," she confirms as she chews.
"He's not my Kevin," Mateo says. "But yes, that Kevin."
"So what did he do now?" I ask, fully invested. What can I say? For someone who doesn't want other people in her business, I'm a nosy bitch.
"He hasn't been bad since you left," she says, gesturing to me. "I think Gus had a talk with him and Janessa. But today, oh my God, he was a miserable prick. So not only did I have to serve the asshole, but then…then I had to hear all about how the two of you were caught being cozy in Baltimore."
"I thought that died down?" I ask, but I'm not sure who I'm asking. Mateo or Addie?
It's Mateo who answers.
"It did, mostly." He shrugs. "But rumors have claws, and they like to dig in."
"Well, some rumors are rooted in truth," Addie says, side-eying her brother. "And Kevin seems to think this rumor is the hottest truth to come out since his scandal." She lets out a sigh. "So he's telling everyone with a pulse you're using my brother for money."
"What the hell?" I ask, crossing my arms. I fucking hate that dude.
"Ignore him," Mateo says, looking from Addie to me. I don't miss the apologetic look on his face when he gets to me.
And when I turn to Addie, I don't think she did either.
"Fucking, Kevin," Coop says.
"Yeah," Addie agrees, tilting her head to the side, but not looking away from me. "Fucking, Kevin."
Dinner is delicious as always, and my crazy smart kid uses the time to tell everyone all about his new school. How nice the teachers are, and how much the kids enjoy learning. He even raves about gym class, which is beyond my comprehension. He's always hated gym.
"And Mateo, guess what?" Coop asks.
"What's up, punk?"
I have to admit, I hated the nickname at first. Every time it left Mateo's mouth I wanted to smack him, but now I see it for what it is. Endearment—and it pulls at my heartstrings. The ones that aren't supposed to be there, because this is just sex. I catch Addie's eye and offer her a small smile. Just sex.
"I'm taking extra classes after school starting next week. Twice a week I get to take a video game coding class."
"That's awesome," Mateo says and fist bumps Coop. To me he says, "And no camera required."
It takes me a second, but then I laugh.
"No, no camera needed."
"Why would you need a camera?" Coop asks.
