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Coop:You got Frankie?
Archie:She’s sitting right here. Getting ready to do homework.
Jake:Why don’t you grab Coop and come join us?
Surprise unraveled through me,and I glanced up as Jake typed. “This is…”
“Yep, it’s my date,” he said. “But you’re relaxing right now, and I want to see you keep relaxing, and we didn’t get to hang out last night like we all wanted. So homework? Hang out? Arch doesn’t mind, do you?”
“Nope, and there’s still time for you two to go out later if you want—we can finish that list while we wait for Bubba and Coop, then we’ll be all earnest and shit and do our homework. Frankie can rap us with a ruler if we get out of line.”
“That’s hot,” Jake commented, and I groaned.
They both grinned as Jake’s phone buzzed.
Bubba:On our way.
“See,”Jake said before he closed the message and pulled me back against him so I could face Archie again, and Archie tugged my feet into his lap. “Let’s finish that dating list. Weird museums are on the to be decided list. What’s next?”
Ian:See you soon.
Biting back a smile,I switched screens. Jake inviting them to come over and then planning to stay here was exceptionally sweet. I hadn’t enjoyed seeing them the night before—so much had been going on, and I missed them. I’d made up with Archie. Coop and I were in an okay place, but we could be better. Jake and I were apparently okay, or at least we weretrying.But Ian deserved better than he’d gotten from me, and he’d been great the night before in the end, and he’d taken me home and hadn’t put any pressure on me.
Archie squeezed my foot, dragging my attention back to the present. “Sorry—um…next is bowling.”
“Not it,” they said in unison, and I laughed.
“What’s wrong with bowling?”
“Not a damn thing, get Bubba to take you. He likes it,” Archie said.
“I don’t mind it, but we’re all pretty competitive, or are you not remembering ninth grade? Josh Traynor’s birthday party at the bowling alley?” Jake reminded me, and I frowned.
“Did I go to Josh’s birthday party?”
“No,” Archie said suddenly. “You didn’t. You had the flu.”
“Oh shit. That’s right.” Jake snapped his fingers. “You were sick, you had a fever or something, and we sent cake home with Coop for you, but he said you couldn’t eat it.”
I had literally no memory of that. But I’d had like Type A flu or some crap and I’d been dead to the world for a week. The guys had all gotten my homework for me, and when I started to feel better, they went out of their way to help me get caught up.
“So you guys got competitive at the party over bowling?”
“Yeah.” They sounded like a pair of guilty kids.
“What did you do?”
“Maybe we save that embarrassing bit of our history for another day,” Archie suggested. “Get Bubba to take you to bowling. You’ll have fun. What’s next?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Jake whispered in my ear, ignoring Archie’s glare. “Archie just acted like a dick and doesn’t like to be reminded of how much of a dick he was.”
“Bite me, Jake,” Archie snorted, then tipped his bottle up for a drink and motioned to my phone.
Curious, I squirmed a little, and Jake picked me up and sat me on his lap more properly, and I squeaked. But—it was more comfortable. Clearing my throat, I read off, “Have a picnic in the park.” Which we had all actually done.
“Check,” they answered, and I grinned wider.
“Play mini-golf.”
