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Six Months Prior: Winter Break 2022
Ijust got home from college this afternoon after my most stressful semester of school yet and with a hellish week of finals behind me, I came straight to the bar to meet my friends.Our high school senior class was super close. There weren’t any cliques; every friend group just intermixed making us one of the closest graduating classes our school had ever seen. Even four years later, we all go to the same bars when we’re home. The same parties. The same restaurants. The running joke is you couldn’t see a Riverside High School alumni without seeing at least three more in tow.
Lucas isn’t home from NYU yet and his older sister, Raegan moved out and is living with her boyfriend across town, which means Theo has the house to himself tonight. Something I haven’t stopped thinking about since Lucas texted me that he won’t be home until early next week. The last time I’d been in Theo’s house when no one was home was this past summer.
We’d made out for hours, losing track of time until we heard Lucas’ car in the driveway and I fled out the backdoor, narrowly missing getting caught.
I’d made out with my best friend’s dad.
And I wanted more.
It’s several degrees below freezing and still snowing in Pennsylvania, but we’re used to winter precipitation, which means nothing short of two feet of snow is cause for bars to close early. Still, the chill outside whips through the bar and cools the air every time the door opens and shuts.
The second he walks in, I feel the atmosphere shift.
I turned twenty-one this past semester, so I’m not surprised at the look of shock that crosses Theo’s face when he spots me. He narrows his gaze darkly before his eyes dart up in confusion, and I think he’s trying to recall my birthday to see if I’m even old enough to be here. His gaze finds mine again and then drops to the glass in my hand holding a clear liquid and a lime perched on the side of it.
I tilt my head to the side and give him a cocky smile before turning my back to him to face my friend Aurora hoping that it’s enough to entice him to come over. Aurora, who goes by Rory after an ongoing obsession withGilmore Girls, turns towards me with a tiny glass full of amber-colored liquid. She sinks her teeth into her brightly painted red lip. “Fireball!” She looks at something behind me and gives me a wicked smirk. I know why.Everygirl in our graduating class—Raegan’s too for that matter—has a crush on Theo.
Everyone except me, of course. I’m immune to his charms, obviously. Lucas and Raegan are like my honorary siblings which means Theo Graham is like a second dad.
At least, that’s what I say when all of my girlfriends gush about how fine he is.
“I’m sorry, are you old enough to be here, young lady?” His words are low and smooth and warm my insides like the shot of Fireball in my hand.
I turn around and meet his gaze, slowly raking my eyes up his body. I scoff and press a hand to my chest, giving him my most shocked and disappointed look. “You’ve known me for eight years and have been to at least five of my birthday parties and you don’t know that I’m twenty-one now?”
He shakes his head and chuckles before looking at Rory who somehow has a third shot of Fireball.
“Aurora.” He quirks an eyebrow at her as she holds the tiny glass out for him.
“Mr. Graham! Take a shot with us,” Rory says.
“Now, you know it’s Theo.”
“Andyouknow it’s Rory,” she flirts, batting her long full lashes that are only highlighted by the round frames that sit perched on her nose like a sexy librarian and I can’t ignore the pang of jealousy that floats through me. “Your son isn’t here yet, so you have to fill in.” She rolls her eyes.
“I can’t believe you two are old enough to take shots.”
“Really? Because we’ve been taking shots in your basement since we were sixteen,” Rory admits with a cheeky smirk and my eyes go wide at my friend’s confession.
“Rory!” I squeal and she laughs loudly, tossing her head back before downing her shot without waiting for me or Theo.
“Oh, we aren’t old enough to come clean yet? I always assumed he knew. My parents did.” She shrugs.
“I had an inkling,” Theo says and I wonder if my parents were the only ones who believed that we were all perfect angels whenever I had people over.
Someone calls Rory’s name from across the room and she slips away with a wave and a hug to Theo before moving through the bar, leaving us alone.
“Should we take this?” I ask and he shakes his head.
“I’m a little old for Fireball.” He sets the glass on the bar behind me and I wish he hadn’t because he’s close enough for me to smell his sinfully sexy cologne, taking me back to being in his arms and rubbing against him, andyep, now I’m horny and about to say something bold.
“Oh? Here I thought you liked indulging in things you might be a little old for?” I raise an eyebrow at him and his eyes widen as he stares me down. His eyes close slowly and when he opens them, they’re full of lust and maybe a little irritation at me for bringing up something we have never spoken of out loud.
“You’re playing with fire, Avery.”
“Am I?” I shrug. I down the shot of the cinnamon flavored whiskey I’ve been holding, set the empty glass next to his full one, and reach for his to down before he can protest.
