"You know I love you, right?And I want the best for you.I just want you to be happy."
Her words hang in the air.I blink, unsure of how to respond."You do?"
She sighs but doesn’t say anything more.
"Right.Good night, Mom," I say, forcing a smile.Without waiting for a response, I leave the room, shutting the door softly behind me.
Wants me to be happy, huh?Sure.
I cross the hall to Fox's room, feeling a little awkward about sleeping in his bed alone.I shut the door behind me and reach for the light switch.
"What the—!"I gasp, stopping dead in my tracks.Fox is lying on his bed, shirtless and in sweatpants.His messy hair and mischievous grin tell me everything I need to know.
"You don’t want your mom to know I’m in here, do you?"he asks, his voice low and teasing.
I blink at him, still processing."What are you doing here?I thought you left with your mom!"
He smirks, patting the bed."I missed you.And I wanted you in my bed."His tone is calm, but his eyes glint with that familiar intensity."Now get over here—and take your shirt off."
I sigh, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks, but I oblige, pulling my shirt over my head and tossing it aside.
"When did you get here?"I whisper as I climb onto the bed.
"Not long ago," he murmurs, already pulling me into his arms."A few minutes before you and your mom came back."
"And what did you tell your mom?"I ask, smoothing his hair back as he leans over me.
"That I was visiting my frat house.It’s the weekend, remember?"He presses a soft kiss to my forehead, then my nose, and finally my lips.
"You planned this, didn’t you?Asking my mom to sleep in my room so you could sneak in here?"I raise a skeptical brow at him.
Fox chuckles quietly, his tongue darting out to wet his bottom lip."Caught me," he admits."Now, can I kiss you?"
I smirk."Since when do you ask for permission?"I tease, looping my arms around his shoulders and pulling him closer.
His lips crash onto mine, and just like that, we're lost in each other, the rest of the world fading away.
The game is intense, with our school facing off against the University of Iowa.It’s only a few minutes in, and Iowa seems to be leading.I glance at the field as Fox passes the ball to Blaze, who narrowly avoids being tackled.He moves with a fluidity that’s hard to miss, his confidence radiating even from this distance.
“What’s up with you and Blaze?”I ask Landon, shifting my attention back to him.
Landon hesitates, his gaze fixed on Blaze.He’s sitting beside me on the bleachers, and I know he’s here more for Blaze than the game.Two weeks ago, I had a conversation with Blaze about Landon.Blaze admitted he still cared about Landon but expressed frustration that Landon always seemed drawn to every attractive guy on campus.
It was clear there was unresolved tension between them.
Long story short, Blaze hates the idea of Landon seeing other men.
“We’re… trying to see if we can still work things out,” Landon says, shrugging.There’s a flicker of vulnerability in his tone that I rarely hear.
I smile, nudging him lightly.“And?”
He hesitates, watching Blaze on the field as he passes the ball effortlessly to Fox.
“We maybe kissed.Two nights ago.”
“What?Landon, ‘maybe’ kissed?”
“Jesus, Cam.Don’t give me that look,” he mutters, rolling his eyes.“Yes, we kissed.I called him and told him we needed to talk.He asked me to come over to his apartment.I went, we talked… and then I kissed him.”Landon’s voice softens.“I didn’t really give him an answer, though.I freaked out and left.”
