She beelines toward me.
“Happy birthday. I’m Sloane, Rhodes’ sister.” She holds her hand out to me and I shake it. “You’re the girl who has my brother acting like a complete fool.” She says this as a statement, voice dry as hell. Straight to the point.I like her already.“He’s been texting me constantly about you.”
I blink. “He has?” Rhodes talks to his sister about me? I side-eye him.
Sloane tilts her head. “Yes. Annoyingly. He’s in—” She pauses, catching the way Rhodes cuts her a warning look, his jaw ticing slightly. She smirks. “Well. Anyway.” She shrugs, assessing me once more. “You’re gorgeous. I approve.”
A laugh bursts out of me. “Uh, thank you. Good to know.”
Sloane flips her long hair over her shoulder and turns back toward the guys, leaving behind the undeniable truth that she just claimed me as someone worth caring about. She heads back toward her seat on the couch, in front of Beck. His eyes track her the entire way back into the room.
“How did you know?” I ask quietly, my voice nearly drowned out by the chatter around us. “I didn’t tell you it was my birthday.”
“An oversight on your part,” he chuckles, lips brushing against my skin. I feel his grin before I see it.
“Elsie pulled me aside a week ago,” he admits. “Asked if I knew it was coming up. I didn’t, obviously, thanks to you.” There’s gentle chastisement in his voice, but something softer underneath.
The weight in my chest eases a little.A quiet beat stretches between us. I shift my gaze back to the room.
Tyler is trying to toss popcorn into Callum’s mouth, missing spectacularly. Finn has a death grip on a bag of candy, swatting JD away from him. Beck is leaning in toward Sloane while she chatters on about something I can’t quite make out.
It feels so casual. Like we do this all the time, hang out with friends. Together. I exhale, letting myself settle into it.
Rhodes’ voice dips, softer now, close enough that it’s just for me. “Do you hate it?” he murmurs. “I figured there was a fifty-fifty shot you’d hate it.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “No,” I say. “I don’t hate it. Maybe a little embarrassed that everyone here is your friend. Or your sister.” I pause, trying to untangle the complicated feelings lodged in my chest. “I think…maybe I’m sad there wasn’t anyone you could invite that didn’t come from you. It’smybirthday, but I don’t have anyone else.”
Rhodes is quiet for exactly two seconds before he straightens up.
“Do you want me to kick them out?” he asks seriously. “They came, they surprised, they can leave.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “No, Rhodes. I really love it.” Another beat passes between us. “You want to know what I was doing a year ago today?”
He hums, waiting for my answer.
“A year ago today, I was drunk, surrounded by strangers. Istillwasn’t with any friends. I don’t think I’ve had real friends for a very long time.” I pause, thinking again. “I think maybe you guys are the first friends I’ve had that don’t care if I’m an Olympic figure skater. Maybe. It feels nice.”
“Guys,” Rhodes shouts. The room looks back up at him, expectant. “Who here only likes Monroe because she’s a highly decorated and successful figure skater?”
My face reddens and I elbow him in the side. He catches my arm easily and tucks me into him.
“Rhodes—” I say in warning. Nobody says anything for a moment while my face burns. These people don’t know me well enough to answer that question.
Then Finn raises his beer.
“That’s cool, but personally I like that Monroe has the best taste in candy. She clearly does, by the way. All you losers go for chocolate.” He shoves a handful of my Sour Patch Kids in his mouth and gives me a thumbs-up.
Beck leans forward, smiling. “I like that Rhodes finally has someone to check in on him that isn’t me or Sloane. We need more shared custody.” I can feel tearsforming at the edge of my lashes and attempt, poorly, to blink them away.
“Are we all picking our favorite things about Monroe?” Tyler asks. “Monroe, Rhodes is a lot less bitchy with you around and he’s punching less people in the face. The entire Wolverines team can thank you for that.” He lifts his beer up in a salute.
“Jury is still out on my favorite thing about you, Monroe, but I’ll get back to you in a few months,” Sloane says, sipping her drink.
I huff a watery laugh. Ireallylike her. The rest of the guys shout out other things they’ve noticed about me and I finally fail to keep back all my tears and one sneaks out, sliding down my cheek. Rhodes wipes it away with his thumb.
“See? Olympics or not. These people care about you. If you never skated again, the people in this room wouldn’t think you mattered any less.”
Silence passes between us before I get up the courage to say what I’ve been thinking all day. “Hey, Rhodes?” I say quietly.