Devin’s face falls and I know instinctively that he’s reacting to the change in my mood. To something he saw on my face or in my voice. “It’s one meal.”
“You’re preaching to the choir.”Which is why it’s best to change the subject. The last thing I want to do is bring him down. “What about you?”
His entire demeanor changes and his face lights up.
“Thanksgiving is the social gathering of the year in my family. Mom spends the entire week preparing and my extended family comes in from all over the state.” He chuckles. “It’s cool though. I don’t get home much during the school year, so it’s nice to see everyone.” He glances up at me and there’s a mischievous glint in his eye. “The best part is kicking my uncle’s ass at flag football. My team has a six-year winning streak.” He puffs out his chest. “Soon to be seven.”
A laugh bubbles up from my stomach and I shake my head. “Nice.”
“It is. In fact, it’s one of my favorite traditions.” He holds up a hand, as if expecting more snark. “And before you go feeling sorry for him, you should know he used to run the score up on my team when I was a kid.”
I arch a brow. “So you’re saying the competitive streak runs in your family?”
“Damn, right.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
It’s something I can’t afford to forget. Not even for a second.
“Oh, no.” Devin rocks back on his haunches, studying me. “You’ve got that look.”
“What look?” I ask, not meeting his eyes as I confirm the mic batteries are properly charged.
“The one that says you’re sweating our term paper.”
“Well, I wasn’t until you brought it up.” My stomach twists. “But now that you mention it…”
“Relax. We aced it.”
“I like your confidence.” Still, I won’t be satisfied until I see the grade for myself. “I wish Mac would just hand our papers back already. They’re in his bag.” Which is laying on the anchor desk like a beacon of academia. “If he’d just pass them out, then we’d all be able to concentrate.”
Devin chuckles, low and deep, the sound reverberating through my body as he grabs a cable that’s snaked around the cart. “We’ll have our grade soon enough.”
I sigh. He’s right. This isn’t the time to worry about things beyond our control. We need to finish the audio setup and impress Mac with our flawless execution. He’ll be announcing the candidates for the Sports Stream internship soon, and I need to be on that list.
You’re not the only one counting on that opportunity.
My palms go damp, and I glance at Devin. He’s still working on the cables, a tuft of chestnut hair obscuring his forehead, completely oblivious to my attention. Mac hasn’t given us a specific date, but with the semester drawing to a close, it seems likely he’ll announce the candidates any day now.
Even if we both make the short list, only one of us can land that internship.
Mierda. I really should’ve thought this through before we started sleeping together. It didn’t seem like a big deal at the time. The fight for the internship seemed so far away. A distant worry. But now it’s here and… My chest tightens. The last thing I want to do is take an opportunity from Devin. He wants it—no, needs it—as badly as I do.
I never imagined our enemies with benefits arrangement might develop into something more. We may not be #couplegoals, but I care about Devin and I don’t want to hurt him.
Not now, not ever.
He’s a good person. Smart. Caring. Motivated. A rockstar in bed. That he actually likes my snarky side is just the icing on the cake. He’s nothing like the fuckboy I imagined.
And that’s a problem why?
Because even though I told myself it was just sex, somewhere along the way, I developed feelings for Devin.
Feelings I can’t—won’t—allow to impact my future.
That shouldn’t be a problem.
After all, we’re just friends with benefits.
