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"I thought we were only friends because you were coerced into it."
Lincoln bites his lip to stifle a smile. "After the other night, I've re-evaluated my stance on friendship."
What's your new stance on friendship?" I inquire, genuinely curious.
"That I can make room for one more friend," Lincoln doubles down. "Just one. You. And if you don't want to accept my friendship offer, I'm rescinding my new stance and returning to the old one."
I chuckle, no longer able to hold back my laughter. "What was the old one?"
Lincoln doesn't miss a beat as he responds, "Ronan is an idiot, and I don't need more friends. I have three, and that's more than I wanted to begin with."
I reach out and pat his arm in a consoling way. "You don't need more friends. I only have like two." I quickly retract my hand after speaking, not wanting to give the impression that I'm overly fixated on him. Which, let's be real, I kind of am, but he doesn't need to know that. He'd probably reassess his stance on friendship if he could read my thoughts.
Frowning, he questions, "Who's your second friend?"
I list my two friends using my fingers to keep track. "Leia is the first, and Liam is the second."
Lincoln appears genuinely perplexed that he's not my second friend. "Not me? I thought I was your second."
"You're now my third," I reply with a hint of teasing in my voice.
"Third?"
"Yes."
"Third?"
He seems to be on a repeating-word spree today.
My attention is suddenly stolen by a loud shout, causing me to turn toward the abrupt sound. Another shout follows, and the voice calling my name is all too familiar.
"Sutt! Smut!"
I'm frozen in shock as I watch my brother skate toward me and Lincoln. I try to shake off the shock, but I can't help but wonder why my brother is here.
"Elliott, what are you doing here? You can't be talking like that! There are children around."
Elliott comes to a stop right in front of me. "I don't have any games this week, so I figured I could come to help. And I can talk however I want. No way these little pea-brained children know what 'smut' is."
I scold him, "Either way, I told you not to call me that. It's not as funny as you think."
Elliott reaches out for me, but I swat his hand away, hoping he'll explain himself. My initial annoyance fades rather quickly because I've missed my brother too much to give him a hard time. I jump up and wrap Elliott in a tight hug. He responds by scooping me up, swinging me around gently, and setting me back on my feet.
But as soon as my feet touch the ground, I'm pulled back by a strong arm that wraps around my waist. I look up at Lincoln, feeling his arm on my waist and his hand firmly on my hip. Our bodies are nearly pressed together. The unexpected intimacy leaves me flustered. I didn't expect Lincoln to touch me like this, especially not in front of my brother. The other night felt like a one-off, but this is a whole new level of closeness.
Elliott observes Lincoln's actions, winks at me, and then proceeds to thoroughly embarrass me. "Your cheeks are getting red, sister."
I groan and mumble, "Stop," trying to salvage the situation before I melt into a puddle of humiliation. I awkwardly introduce them, waving my hand back and forth between the two. "Elliott, my, uh, friend Lincoln. Lincoln, my brother Elliott."
Lincoln's grip on my waist loosens once he knows who Elliott is to me, but he still looks a bit starstruck when I glance at him. It dawns on me that he must be a fan of Elliott.
Elliott extends his hand to shake Lincoln's, and Lincoln fumbles to remove his hand from my waist to return the handshake.
I can see Lincoln's mind racing as he tries to come up with something to say. After what feels like an eternity, he finally manages to speak, though it's a bit strained. "You're like my favorite player ever. We've also met before."
Elliott grins at me like this is his idea of a good time but chooses to tease me instead. "Well, well, well. Sutt, your friend is my number one fan." He pauses. "Wait. When did we meet?"
Lincoln groans, "I didn't say that," and then adds, "Last year at the Boston arena during preseason. I came to meet with the coaching staff."
