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The two of them were drinking their beers leisurely instead of having to pound them like the rest of us.
“Don’t hate,” Aaron countered. “Hufflepuffs are the best. Friendship and all that shit, right, Ollie?”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Aww. Don’t deny me, you big Brit. You know you love me.”
Sophie giggled, as did Viv and Julie, but I was more focused on how Ryan was watching my girl.Formergirl. Whatever.
Was I being just as awful as he was when he first showed up here? Trying to mark my territory when she’d clearly moved on? Finding out Aaron and Sophie had connected this week was a punch to the fucking gut. I quickly decided that wasn’t the case because I believed I still had a chance, even after she’d asked for space.
Then again, so did Ryan.
Aaron broke the tension when he suddenly shouted, “Potter!” while pointing at the TV. We all took a drink and settled back into the lull of the movie. Sophie was looking at the staircase longingly, and the struggle to keep her eyes open became more apparent as the game continued.
We watched a bit more, and suddenly, the scent of coconuts intensified as Sophie rested her head on my shoulder. I looked down, finding her beer cradled between her thighs, her hands limp, and her eyes closed. My teammate was down.
I looked up at Aaron when he signaled me. “You good?” he asked.
Nodding, I snaked my hand around her back to keep her anchored to me. I didn’t want her falling face-first onto her beer bottle. It was a safety thing.
And a desperation thing.
Aaron gave a thumbs up and continued watching the movie, one hand on Sophie’s leg and the other resting on the armrest.
If this was the only moment I would get with Sophie for a while, I would need to make do. I memorized every eyelash as they fanned her rosy cheeks, every lock of hair twisted and windblown from her walk earlier. I was a sad sack, but I was a sad sack with a beautiful girl under my arm, even if only for the rest of the movie.
We finished the second movie, Ryan glaring at me for most of it, and I gently ran my hand down Sophie’s arm to wake her up. “Soph, the game is over.”
“Mmm. Yes, Professor Dumbledore. Just like that.”
Aaron’s shoulders shook as he held in his laugh.
“Time for bed, Soph,” I tried again.
She snuggled closer, straining upward, and pressed a kiss to my neck. My knees went weak, my stomach flip-flopped, and my breathing stalled as pain gripped my chest. As much as I loved having her lips on me, she was in dreamland. She would regret it, and I would be damned if this was how we started rebuilding things. She needed to be fully conscious.
I shifted my weight, leaning her over toward Aaron, who wrapped his arms around her. “Sophie girl, Hogwarts is changing their wardrobe, and they want you to design their new robes.”
Her eyes flew open, and she whipped her head up, searching the living room. She turned toward Aaron with what I can only assume was an epic glare. “That was a dirty, dirty trick.”
“But it worked.” He waggled his brows and pointed at the ceiling. “Let’s go get ready for bed. You with me tonight?”
She turned, finding my eager-looking face. “Yeah, I’m with you, Aaron.” She held eye contact with me even while she spoke, and it felt like a knife to my soul. I wished she were saying those words to me.
“Goodnight, Diego,” she whispered as she held me captive with her gaze.
Aaron hopped up, extending a hand to Sophie, and the two wandered up the stairs while the others lounged around on the couches or started cleaning up.
Shit.
Oliver was already looking at me when I turned in his direction. So was Ryan, for that matter, and I knew he would make a play soon. He had given Sophie some space today, but like a tiger looking for prey, he was lurking and waiting for the opportune moment. Ryan had been all bluster from what we’d seen so far, but his icy eyes were far too calculating to not be putting a plan together.
Oliver tilted his head toward the patio in invitation, and I agreed with a jerk of my chin. We were both on the outs with Sophie, and it was time to work with each other instead of against each other.
Ryan tracked my movements as I gathered up some bottles and dropped them in the recycling bin before following Oliver. We sat at the same patio set where we’d had our two-on-one chat with Sophie. Since we got here, it had become something ofourspot.
Oliver ran a hand over his face and sighed like the world was weighing on his shoulders. I sat in the chair across from him, rubbing my knees and trying to bring some warmth back. The night had turned colder and the clouds that had hovered on the horizon all day had moved closer, blocking out the brilliant starlight I’d grown used to.
