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It didn’t take long for more people to connect with us, and eventually Aubrey came back and tried to talk to me about what was happening. I couldn’t answer because I didn’t even know.
Having him there, still sort of pretending to be my boyfriend, made things calmer. I thought it would’ve been awkward, even painful, but it felt normal. Like we’re a damn perfect match.
“Come here,” Ethan called for us, motioning to where he and Ezra sat with Aubrey on the couch near their window overlooking downtown.
“You okay?” Ezra questioned when I sat down, patting my shoulder.
“Why aren’t you okay?” Rowan asked, looking between Ezra and I. Waving him off, I sat next to Ethan and Aubrey on the couch and let Rowan sit by Ezra. Heather passed by, her red and black blur catching our attention.
“Don’t you remember when you wore that in college?” Ethan snickered, pulling her head to his as he held his arm around her shoulders, kissing her.
“I remember kissing Aubrey that night,” Rowan started laughing at the memory. “I swore Ethan was going to kill me. He had such a crush on you, Aubs.”
“You knew he liked her and you still kissed her?” Ezra gaped, shaking his head at Rowan.
Aubrey looked at me, and I could feel her panicked eyes searing mine. “Uh-uh,” she corrected. “It wasn’t me.”
Reaching for the beer bottle in Ethan’s hand, I lifted it to my lips and swallowed. And swallowed. And avoided their eyes, which were all on me.
Ethan pointed at her, then me, then back again. “Mer?”
“Look,” I told them, wiping some beer from my mouth, “it’s really not a big deal.”
“Not a big deal?” Aubrey screamed, pointing at me. “You hated Rowan’s guts because he didn’t know it was you.”
“That’s why you hated me so much?” He stiffened, his blue eyes burning a hole in mine. “Meredith?”
“Aubrey, what the hell?” Ezra groaned, standing up and swatting at Ethan’s head.
“Time to play!” Heather sang, running from the hallway with an empty bottle in her hand.
We all stood when she came close to us, the bounce in her step making the ladybug wings wiggle behind her. I wasn’t sure who felt what, and at whom, but we all stood there waiting to see if Heather was really attempting to play spin the freaking bottle.
As Ezra moved around us to join her, I moved next to Rowan, feeling protected by his imposing frame even if he was upset.
“We’re going to talk about this,” Rowan warned, his expression cold and hurt as he spoke to me.
“Who wants to choose?” Heather beamed, waving the bottle between all of us.
“Holy hell no,” I replied, hiding behind Rowan.
Breathing in that moment was dangerous because Rowan smelled more delicious than I remembered. His warmth radiated from beneath his shirt as I moved closer to him, almost touching his back with my forehead.
“Spin the bottle?” Rowan muttered, tipping his head so I could hear him. “Is she serious? I want my cat back.”
Laughing, I dropped my head against him, his warm muscles anchoring me, before Rowan reached around and held his palm against my back.
There was some discussion about which game the almost-thirty-year-olds wanted to play and somehow nobody but me disagreed when Heather put her bottle on the floor and changed some rules.
“Whoever it lands on gets to pick their date for seven minutes in heaven,” she announced. “Let’s just hope this doesn’t land on Ethan,” she teased Ezra, “or Rowan.”
“I’m good,” Rowan quipped, stepping backward with me behind him. “I’m going to sit this round out.” He stiffened, but nobody else noticed. They were all swooning over him and anything he said.
Peeking over his arm when Heather spun it, it relieved me when it landed on Ezra. I felt embarrassed for all of us there, wishing I was one who wasn’t near the damn bottle or one who was too tipsy to second guess how moronic it was.
Until it landed on Rowan.
“Seven minutes?” He confirmed with Heather, listening to her and Aubrey shriek and giggle. “Give us thirty.”
