“There’s no way this won’t end in disaster,” Knox says. I wince, but he’s probably not wrong.
“Agreed,” Whit says, and pours us each another shot.
“There has to be a way. I can’t give her up,” I tell them, despite the looks they’re throwing in my direction. “Is this the part where you talk me out of it?” I question.
“Nah,” Whit tells me, “it’s too late for that. You never stood a chance.”
“Truth,” Knox says, tracing the rim of his shot glass with his finger. “Besides, that’s not what we do. We’re right here with you, Ty. Brothers by choice. And if this all goes south?”
“If?” I raise my eyebrows, still clinging to a shred of hope, no matter how foolish that makes me.
“When this shitstorm hits, we’ll be here, man. It’s what we do.”
And to that, we drink.
***
Six hours later, I find myself back on the steps in front of Phoebe’s dorm. But unlike that night a few weeks ago, I’m not here to check up on her, and I’m not going to be shy about wanting to be near her.
I’m just here to give my girl a goodnight kiss.
In the meantime, I scroll through my phone, mindlessly wasting twenty minutes.
“Ty? Is that you?” Phoebe walks up the steps and I reach for her arm and pull her down close to me.
I brush a kiss across her lips. “How was work?”
“Good. Really good. And I’m ready for my civics test. But, what are you doing here?”
I shrug. “Just wanted to see you.”
“Well, that is a lovely answer. You can see me anytime you like,” she says, and the teasing tone in her voice has me thinking dirty thoughts.
“But...Mel’s home tonight and she invited some friends over for a low-key night. And this time, it’s on our turf. You could come upstairs for a bit, but...”
I shake my head. “Nah. Go be with your girls. But first, give me a kiss?” She leans into me, her body pulled close to mine, and I can feel every curve, every dip. I press my palm to the small of her back, holding her close as our mouths fuse together. A catcall from the street below has us breaking apart before we’re ready to.
“So, yeah...I really don’t want you to leave,” she tells me.
“I don’t want to go,” I say honestly. “But I should. And don’t worry, Phoebe, we don’t need to rush. We have all the time in the world,” I say, almost believing the lie myself.
Chapter 10
Phoebe
I’m perched on the comfy couch in Ian’s living room. He and Mel and I just got back from seeing the theater department’s production ofLittle Shop of Horrorsand Ian is dissecting every minute of it while Mel is dancing around, singing off-key, and getting all the words wrong. I’d join in, but I’m too busy sneak-texting my boyfriend.
My boyfriend.
It’s only been a week or so, but I keep finding excuses to use that word. It’s driving Mel and Ian crazy. I know they’re happy for me, despite all their warnings, but I’m sure I’m driving them nuts with how damn besotted I am.
But it’s hard not to be. First off, my boyfriend is one good-looking man. And don’t even get me started on those tattoos. And he’s smart. And funny. And charming in his own Darcy-like way.
Ty:Having fun? How was the show?
Phoebe:It was really good. How was the hockey game?
BU’s home opener was tonight, so Ty, Knox, and Whit all went to cheer Booker on. Even though we see each other three times a week for tutoring, and we text a lot, there’s not a whole lot of time in either of our schedules for dating. But we’re making it work.
