AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Kaiden
It wasThursday before I got to see Lily again. Aaron invited us over to his house to hang out and she was there with Ashleigh and Poppy.
The second she and the girls entered the shed, my heart did this weird little flip. Fuck, she was turning me soft, but I couldn’t find it in myself to care.
“Hi,” I said as she made a beeline for me.
“Hi.” She smiled, and Aaron snorted.
I flipped him off, causing everyone else to laugh. Apparently, we weren’t doing a good job at being discreet.
Lily’s gaze dropped, her cheeks an adorable shade of pink.
“No Peyton?” Bryan asked.
“She’s working an extra shift.”
“Bummer.” He sank down onto the couch.
“I think it’s time to call it quits. Peyton isn’t interested in the Brymeister.” Gav punched his arm.
“Hey, no need to crush a guy’s hopes. She might still want a piece of this.” He pointed at his chest. “She’s been at practice every day this week.”
Lily frowned, as if it was news to her.
“I don’t think she’s hanging around for you, dude. I think she has a new interest.” Cole snickered.
“Who—?” Bryan’s brows furrowed and then his eyes widened. “Xander?” he growled. “The guy is pushing thirty.”
“Twenty-eight,” Lily corrected.
“Case in point. No way he’d go for a girl in high school.”
“I would hope not. My dad would kick his ass all over the football field.” Strained laughter spilled from her lips.
We hadn’t moved from our position by the pool table. I wanted to move closer, to slide my fingers into her belt loops and pull her into my body. But we hadn’t exactly discussed how we planned to navigate things around our friends.
All week at school, we’d avoided being too close. But it didn’t stop the back-and-forth text messages, and the long, lingering looks across the cafeteria at lunch or in the hall as we passed each other on the way to class.
It wasn’t enough though.
Everyone else was sitting around on the couch and beanbags. It was safe to touch her.
Just for a second.
I extended my fingers, brushing them against Lily, and she rewarded me with a megawatt smile.
“So I was thinking,” Aaron said, “tomorrow after the game we should ditch Lindsey’s party and check out the county fair instead.
“Will there be girls?” Bryan asked.
“I guess.” Aaron shrugged.
“Count me in. Guys?” He glanced at Gav then me. Lily tried to snatch her hand back, but I held it firm. Bryan couldn’t see, and if he could, he wouldn’t say anything.
He knew the deal.
“Yeah, I’m in. Lily?”
