“Oh really?” I pinched his side and he squirmed, laughing. The sound was music to my ears.
“Fine! You were very sexy out there.”
Aria stepped up to us, Robby attached to her with his arm around her waist. She was even more attractive up close. Good for Robby. “I had to find a handheld fan a few times there. They were so flushed I thought they were going to explode from the heat.”
“Shh, don’t tell our secrets,” KC shot back. “He has a big enough ego as it is.”
With KC on one side and Oliver on the other, an ease blanketed me. My shoulders relaxed and a bubble of happiness expanded in my chest until it felt like I could take on the world. I’d tried hard drugs exactly once in my life, and being with these two was a hundred times better than the high the coke had given me. Hell, their presence won over getting a tattoo.
“I was telling Aria we should go on a double date, all five of us.” Robby bounced on his feet like a goddamned golden retriever. He was all smiles, and I wasn’t sure what anyone could do to make him unhappy. No, that was a lie. Taking Aria away from him might do it.
KC glanced at me, the corners of his lips quirking. “It’d be nice to have more friends around here who know us as a throuple and we can go out with.”
“Yeah, it would.” I tightened my grip on them both. “Robby, we’re in. You tell us a day and time, and we’ll be there.”
“Awesome sauce! Well, teammate, I’ll see you tomorrow? I think we deserve to celebrate with our loved ones.” Robby winked.
Aria giggled. “It’s not even noon, Kyle.”
“Morning delight, then.”
I shook my head as they walked away after saying their goodbyes. Admittedly, it wasniceto have new friends, especiallyones who knew me, KC, and Oliver at the same time. We hadn’t even had time to meet each other’s friends yet. Ripley was too busy to drop into New Gothenburg, and he was about the closest thing I had to family. I supposed I’d met Sophie now, and she was Oliver’s only true friend. He’d mentioned some people from classes in passing, but it didn’t seem like they ever hung out.
We understood each other when it came to not having many people to rely on. I hadn’t heard KC mention many people in college other than the quarterback who pissed him off, either.
“KC, sweetheart, do you have any buddies at school or on the team?” I asked him as we headed toward Shakira. We’d decided to bring her because I’m a show-off and I love my baby. KC and Oliver knew it, too. I tugged Oliver’s elbow to make him avoid a puddle on the ground. “You haven’t mentioned a lot of people. Wasn’t there a guy you hang with sometimes?”
“Yeah. Ozzie. We’re in some of the same classes and he’s on the team. But we don’t hang out much. He’s the president of a frat and he’s busy with that. He wanted me to pledge, but I’m not interested in Greek life.” He made a face that had me and Oliver laughing. “They’re a bunch of bro dudes who probably jerk each other off every night.”
“Sounds fun,” I teased.
KC quirked a grin at me. “Not my thing.”
I unlocked Shakira and she chirped at me. KC opened the door for Oliver to slide into the back. Her metallic magenta paint glimmered in the sun, and I couldn’t help but reach out and pat her roof. She was too damned beautiful. The only girl in my life.
“If I didn’t know for a fact you love fucking me and Oli, I’d be worried about your relationship with Shakira,” KC said.
I smacked him on the ass. “Real human holes only, sweetheart.”
He rolled his eyes as he slotted his big body into the passenger seat.
After I stashed my gear, I got into the front and hit the ignition. “You should invite Ozzie over sometime.” I glanced at KC, then looked at Oliver in the rearview mirror. “And Sophie while she’s still in town. If we want to be in each other’s lives, I want to get to know them, too. They’re important to you both.”
“Who are you and what happened to Ren?” Oliver crossed his arms and gave me a smug look.
“Oh, he’s still here. If you’re not careful, Kitten, he’ll pull over somewhere private and fuck you in Shakira. Then, she’ll really get some action.”
Oliver’s cheeks flushed, and so did KC’s, and I didn’t miss the waybothof their faces got red.Well, well, well. Isn’t that interesting?I made a mental note of that. Later.
12
OLI
The burble of the other customers around us was a cheerful counterpoint to the thoughts burning and churning through my head. I’d done my best to ignore them at the rink. Tried hard to get into the spirit of things and be a shiny happy person to represent Ren. Why couldn’t I just forget about Mom and Dad? Why couldn’t I just let all that crap go? She’d made her choice and it wasn’t me this time.
A man near the counter dropped a mug of coffee on the way to his table, and there was a round of cheering and clapping, even from the workers. My cheeks heated with empathy. I would not be pleased if that were me. I guess it didn’t matter much because a guy behind the counter was already handing him a new mug.
Grounds and Gears was a great coffee shop. The soft gray walls dotted with photographs of motorcycles felt homey in a way I couldn’t quite pinpoint. Maybe the atmosphere was down to the happy employees who were laughing and joking together behind the counter. Overhead, red globes with lightsinside dangled from the ceiling and they swayed a bit each time someone opened the door.