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As I’m drifting off, I swear I hear him murmur, “You’re the only one I want, Bea. Only you.”
But in the morning, I wake up alone.
“This needs more of something, but I don’t know what.” Hemi frowns at the guac.
I dip a tortilla chip into the concoction and take a test bite. “A little lime juice and a dash of salt and we’re all set.”
“Thanks for hanging out with me tonight,” Tally says.
Hammer gives her a side hug. “We’ve got you.”
Tally went on a date that ended badly. They went to a movie with a group of friends, and at the end of the night, he dropped her off and kissed her. It was a sad, overly tongue-filled experience. He’s already suggested they go out again, just the two of them, via text. So now she has to tell him she thinks they should just be friends. Poor little thing is stressed out.
“Maybe it wasn’t as bad as I’m remembering it.” She spins her phone on the table. “Or maybe he was nervous. That could explain it, right?”
“So you’re saying you imagined that he was basically making out with your chin?” Hammer asks.
Tally crosses her arms on the counter and drops her head. “It was so weird. Why did it have to be so weird? It was literally the worst kiss ever.” She lifts her head. “He’s so cute. Maybe he’s teachable, though? Maybe it’s a fixable problem?”
“Do you want to be the one to fix it?” I ask.
She wrinkles her nose. “No. I really don’t.”
“Then you let him down easy. But not today.” Hammer pushes the bowl of black licorice candies toward her. They’re Tally’s favorite. “Today we eat guac and candy and feel bad about shitty kissers.”
“Amen to that.” We clink our glasses and all take a drink.
My phone rings, the tone telling me who it is. I assigned a song to everyone at the top of my contact list. “Hey, ’sup?”
“My cock. Wanna come ride it?”
I snort a laugh. It’s been a week since the anal devirginizing. It took a couple of days before sitting down didn’t induce a wince, but man, it was worth the slightly uncomfortable aftermath. I’d been irked that Tristan was gone when I woke up, and even more irritated that he hadn’t left so much as a note. But Brody had asked to shoot the puck with him, and he hadn’t wanted to wake me before he left. He sent peonies to my work with a slightly inappropriate card that I had to hide from my colleagues. “Such a tempting offer, but I’m with the girls,” I tell him.
“I hoped to see you tonight.” The disappointment is clear in his tone.
“We have a girl emergency. But we can do dinner and a sleepover tomorrow night,” I suggest.
“Are you okay?” Concern laces his tone.
“Yeah. I’m fine. It’s not a me emergency.”
“Right. Okay. How late will you be with the girls?”
“I’m not sure. I wouldn’t wait around for me.” I don’t want to leave early just so Tristan can get a vagina fix.
“I think I’ll go out with Flip tonight,” he grumbles.
My stomach tightens. “Don’t sound so excited.”
“I want to spend time with you, but you have plans.” He sighs. “Tomorrow you’re mine, though?”
“Tomorrow I’m yours,” I agree.
“Have fun with the girls.” He ends the call without saying goodbye. Irritation flashes through me, but he does that with everyone.
“Everything okay?” Hammer asks.
“Yeah, Tristan wanted to hang out, but I have plans, so now he’s going out with Flip.” I set my phone on the counter facedown and take a hefty gulp of my drink.
“Does that worry you?” Hemi asks.
I shrug. “We’re spending all this time together, and my heart is pretty invested. I think it’s the same for him, but I don’t know if he’s ever going to be at a point where he’s willing to label it.”
“He’s totally in love with you,” Hammer says.
“He is,” Hemi agrees.
“He looks at you like you’re the sun,” Tally adds.
“But can he commit? That’s the thing.” I blow out a breath. “I find myself trying to build my life around his. He travels half the year, so I’m going to need some assurance. As nice as it is to hear from everyone else that he’s in love with me, I’m not sure when or if he’ll ever be able to tell me himself.”
CHAPTER 26
TRISTAN
“Nate, man, I’m sorry.” I keep shaking my head. My brother messaged a few minutes ago to ask if I was home and if he could video-call me. I’d just gotten home from practice, and I’m always up to talk to my brother. But I wasn’t prepared for the reason why.
“It’s such a gut punch. I thought we were going through a rough patch because of our workload this semester. Now I find out she’s interested in some other guy.” His voice cracks, and he clears his throat.
