Oblivious to the tension, Travis smiles, holding out his hand. “I’m Travis.”
“My boyfriend,” I add in, earning a confused side-eye from Travis at the same time a wicked smirk slides on Robbie’s lips.
“Is that so?”
“Uh…” Travis fumbles. It’s only for a second, but fuck, I really should’ve told him about this beforehand. “Yup, that’s right.” Travis regains himself, looping his arm through mine, Robbie following the movement.
His wide grin, the one I used to find so charming, intensifies as he meets my gaze. “I didn’t know you had a boyfriend, Matty.”
That nickname coming from him makes me want to peel every layer of skin off of my body.
“Why would you, Robbie?” I quip back as dryly as possible. My grip on the glass in my hand is so tight, I wouldn’t be surprised if it shattered under the pressure. “If you’ll excuse us, I’m going to go find my sister.”
Robbie’s eyes narrow momentarily before he rights himself. “Of course.” Turning to Travis, he says, “It was nice to meet you. Maybe I’ll see you at the wedding.” With one last smile that looks more like a sneer, he turns and leaves, and it’s like I can breathe again.
As soon as Robbie is out of sight, Travis turns to me, his arm still linked with mine. “What the hell was that about?”
Heaving a sigh, I drag a hand down my face. “Let’s get some more drinks first.”
Travis looks like he doesn’t want to let it go, but eventually, he follows my lead to the bar. We end doing a couple of rounds of shots, like we aren’t at some pretentious rich family’s house for a respectable engagement party. A couple side-eyes land our way, but I couldn’t care less. As soon as we down our third round of shots, Ally lets us know dinner is starting.
This should be fun.
Absolutely no surprise to me, given the type of people Scottie’s family are, there’s a seating chart. Ally and Scottie sit up by Travis and me, and just my fucking luck, Robbie is across from me, only a few seats down. My body couldn’t be more tense even if I tried, nor do I think I could force myself to relax either. Sweat drips down the back of my neck, lining my forehead, and my palms are slick as hell.
Travis must sense my unease and my anger because his hand slips under the table, resting on my leg just above the knee as he glances over at me, mouthing the question, “You okay?”
I nod, hating how obvious I am. I need to pull myself together and make it through this dinner so we can go home. Being around Robbie as little as possible is the best option for everyone involved.
His stare is weighted as he watches us from across the table. I try to avoid his gaze as much as possible, but like my brain has a mind of its own, my eyes flit over from time to time, rage boiling inside of me when I see him watching Travis. The urge to lunge across the table and pluck his eyeballs out with my bare hands is strong. He has no fucking business looking at him. He’smine.
30
TRAVIS
I’m gonna go out on a whim and say Robbie and Mateo used to date.
Mateo won’t give me an outright answer, not that we’ve had time between eating and talking to his family, but it’s the only reason I can think of why he’s behaving as weirdly as he is. The way his body language shifted when Robbie walked up to us when we were having a drink, the way he’s stiff and even more growly than usual, and the way his jaw seems to be permanently clenched tight.
He looks uncomfortable and unsure of himself, something I’m not used to seeing from him. It’s unsettling, and I find that it doesn’t sit right with me. I don’t like knowing that something about Robbie puts Mateo on edge. What’s even more surprising, and quite horrifying, is the fact that I find myself wanting to do something to make it better.
Maybe it’s why, after we finish up with dinner, I grab Mateo by the hand and lead him to the dance floor. “Dance with me, Matty,” I murmur as I wrap my arms around his neck, hauling him in close. One quick glance to the left shows Robbie’s eyes on us, and it only takes a single pause from Mateo before he folds, placing his hands on my hips as our bodies sway together to the slow beat ofYou Are The Reasonby Callum Scott playing throughout the room.
A smirk grows on Mateo’s lips. “What is this,cariño?”
I shrug innocently. “Something about the way he keeps looking at you, and the way you get all agitated around him, makes me think we need to be making him jealous. And well, you put on a nice show for Nathaniel for me. Figured it’s the least I could do.”
An emotion I can’t quite name passes over Mateo’s features, his fingertips gripping onto me tighter as we continue to sway. The song is sweet—too sweet—and I’m not sure if that’s the reason for the sudden shift in the room or maybe it’s all in my head. Swallowing thickly, my gaze stays locked on Mateo’s. The weight of his stare is overwhelming; it makes me want to squirm and hide.
His mint green eyes dip down to my lips a moment before he wets his own. “He’s my ex-boyfriend,” he croaks, voice gravelly. “He’s to me who Nathaniel is to you.”
Without fleshing out that statement, he’s said all I need to know. Just like that, the image of this cold, heartless monster I’ve held in my head since I’ve met him morphs into something a bit more human. With that one sentence, Mateo’s letting me see his vulnerability, even if he doesn’t realize it.
I don’t know any details, but I know Robbie hurt him. And that little piece of knowledge makes my blood boil for reasons I don’t quite understand, nor do I think I want to try to. It makes my skin prickle and my heart race, creating this burning feeling inside of me. It makes my throat thick and my stomach twist into knots.
This flood of feelings pouring through me is the only reason I can think as to why I do what I do next.
Mateo inhales sharply when my mouth brushes against his full, plush lips. My hands move around until I’m cupping his face, and it’s about that same time his mind and body seem to kick into gear. My lips part as his tongue slips inside, my insides lighting up like the Fourth of July. He tastes like the tequila he was drinking and the feel of his rough, scratchy beard brushing against my freshly shaven face feels too good.
