“Gabi,” Chris murmurs, leaving my lips so he can trail kisses down my jaw and neck.
“Hmm?” My breath comes out heavy and husky, and I keep my eyes closed, feeling his touch everywhere.
“We’re here,” Chris whispers against my ear, before reclaiming my lips.
God, I want him so badly. We’re just a second away from being inside our apartment, but I can’t bring myself to move, not wanting to miss a single second of his lips on mine.
“Open the door,” I whimper as I grind myself against his leg. “I need you, Chris.”
“Fuck.” His groan makes my clit throb, and I feel his hand reach around me to unlock the door.
We stumble inside the apartment, immediately grasping at each other, desperate to get rid of the clothes between us.
“Surprise!”
My eyes widen as I pull away from Chris and spin around, only to see my friends standing behind me. Their eyes mirror mine,wide with surprise, and I swallow, wondering what the fuck is happening.
“I fucking knew it,” Aiden says with a grin, holding out his hand. “Pay up.”
Groans echo as Grayson and Lucas reluctantly pull out cash and hand it over to Aiden.
“I’m so happy I’m too broke to make any bets,” James says with a chuckle.
My brows furrow as I shake my head. “Can someone tell me what’s going on?”
“I bet you guys would get together,” Aiden says with a grin as he pockets the cash.
I narrow my gaze at him. “Yeah, I got that. The question is why the hell did you guys bet on us, and what are you doing here?”
“We wanted to celebrate with you, since we technically missed your birthday,” Madi says. “But I see you guys are busy,” she adds with a smirk.
“And the bet?” I ask, raising an eyebrow at the guys.
Grayson lets out a sigh. “This guy was so cocky, claiming you two would be together by the time you got back,” he says, gesturing toward Aiden, who still wears a smug grin. “And I really wanted to shut him up and prove him wrong.”
I raise my brows. “So you bet against me?”
He shrugs. “It was so obvious how you two felt about each other, but I figured you’d hold off for at least a week.” He rolls his eyes. “But obviously that didn’t happen.”
Rosie chuckles at Grayson’s reaction to losing and turns her attention to Chris and me. “So, are you two finally together now?” she asks eagerly.
I glance at Chris, and he smiles as he reaches for my hand, our fingers intertwining. “Yeah,” he says, his chocolate eyes never leaving mine. “We’re finally together.”
“Thanks to me,” Aiden chimes in with a grin.
I raise an eyebrow skeptically. “You literally did nothing.”
He lets out a scoff, crossing his arms. “I take offense to that,” he says. “I think I did a lot to help you guys realize your feelings for each other.”
My eyes soften and I let out a laugh. He might not have been the reason we got together—though he clearly thinks he is—but he helped me a lot during a time when I didn’t have anyone to confide in. What I had told Chris was the truth. I talked to Aiden about him. But what he didn’t know was that I told him about how I felt about Chris. About the first time I ever felt my feelings change for him, and how I missed him so much.
“I feel like I’ve missed out on a lot,” James says with a frown. “I hate living so far away.”
I let out a laugh. “Me too,” I say with a sigh. “You’re the only funny one around.”
“Excuse me?” Aiden pipes in, and Leila narrows her eyes at me.
“Yeah, what was that?” Chris says with an arched brow, amusement written on his face.
