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The waitress comes over and after giving our drink orders, Isla continues the conversation. “Let me get this straight, you’re all just going to stay at the house and eat cold Chinese food on Thanksgiving?”
Beau looks at her with the same bafflement I’m feeling. “Who says it’s going to be cold?”
“That’s just so sad,” she says again, looking at Torryn. “Isn’t that just so sad, T?”
Torryn hums as she checks her phone again. “A real tragedy,” she deadpans.
“No one said it was going to be cold,” I argue. “We are capable of getting hot take out.”
Torryn pats my knee. “I believe in you.” She’s praising me, but it sounds so damn condescending. When did our ability to order food for ourselves get called into question? And why? “But my grandma invited you guys to dinner on Thursday if you’d like to come.”
“She did?” James asks at the same time Beau confirms, “All of us?”
“Yes and yes.”
Isla beams at her best friend as Torryn slips her phone back into her pocket. I was wondering what had her so entranced on it. She’s not one to usually get hung up on it. More often than not, she forgets it exists.
“When did you ask her?” I can’t help but want to know when she decided to invite us.
The waitress comes back with our drinks at the same time Tate and the other guys walk in. The girl, Colby, is with them again and Isla tells James to move so she can sit across from her. The interaction makes Wilder smile as he slides in after her. I’m pretty sure they’re just friends though. When he flirts with the waitress and Colby doesn’t even bat an eye, I’m sure of it.
“In the truck,” Torryn answers.
Beau places his hand on his chest and stares at her. “That is actually so sweet of you, Torryn. I didn’t know you could be so kind.”
She gives him an absolutely disgusted look. “Don’t.” He cracks up laughing and the guys that just got here look over at us confused.
“Torryn’s being nice and Beau’s being a dick,” I explain, making Xander scoff in disbelief.
“Didn’t know you knew how to be nice,” he snarks to her, but she just arches a brow, sipping on her coke.
“That’s why you weren’t invited.”
His mouth parts open in shock and his narrows on her. “Invited where?”
I shake my head at her antics. Especially when she refuses to answer him after that. James ends up asking what their plans all are and to no big surprise, they’re all celebrating at Tate’s dad’s house. They also don’t live very far from the college, growing upless than forty-five minutes away in one of the smaller suburbs outside of the city. Colby is the only one who tells us she’ll be with her own family.
“Until Zac and I jailbreak you,” Wilder teases.
“They aren’t that bad,” Colby defends quietly, a slight flush to her cheeks.
Zac looks like he wants to scoff his disagreement, but holds back. Wilder nudges her playfully. “Of course not, we’re just that much more fun, North,” he teases.
“Hell yeah we are,” Zac agrees.
Tate shakes his head, but makes eye contact with her. “You’re always welcome to join when you’re done with your family. Emery would probably appreciate the company. She always gets tired of being the only girl around.”
We fall into more casual conversations after ordering our food. I’m starving after the long bus ride home. One of the reasons I love Barney’s is that they serve fries how other places serve bread or Mexican restaurants serve chips. I like having them to snack on while we wait for our burgers to arrive.
I place my hand on Torryn’s thigh, missing the warm weather when she still wore shorts almost every day. She leans into my touch as we listen to Zac and Wilder tell us some story about a party they went to last weekend. It’s almost like I can see Tate’s blonde hair turning gray before my eyes. I nudge her and lift my brows as I subtly nod in his direction where he’s smashing a French fry in his fingers.
Torryn snorts before nodding her agreement. They really are going to give him an aneurysm.
Another group walks into Barney’s and heads towards the pool tables near us. I don’t think anything of them at first until I hear a familiar and chilling tinkle of laughter. I’m not the only one that tenses at the sound. Wells and James do as well, their eyes flashing to mine.
I give them a tight smile, my hand gripping Tor’s thigh a little tighter. She’s so damn quick to pick up on these things. Immediately, she’s holding my hand in hers, reassuring me with her presence alone. Her eyes scan over the crowd that just settled across the way from us.
“That’s her?” Tor’s tone is clipped and sharp, making a few heads at our table turn our way. I swallow thickly and laugh nervously, running my hand through my hair, as I grip her hand tighter.
