They look relieved and laugh knowing I’m not mad about it. I actually feel a little jittery inside, knowing they were talking about me, about us. How long ago was this? Why did they think we’d become a thing? What made them believe we’d get together? I have so many questions, but I won’t ask them.
“You got a killer poker face. I genuinely thought you were mad,” Kai says.
I shrug indifferently. “I don’t care. Date, or time frame?”
Daniel’s face softens and continues caressing my back.
“It started as a time frame, but we all had the same time, so we set a date,” Gray answers. “I said March 16th.”
“March 21st,” Kai says.
“March 22nd,” Noah adds.
“March 28th,” Angel says.
“All in March? You all really believed we would?—”
“Yeah, Danny went batshit on Bryson over you,” Gray whispers because he’s a few feet away from us. He’s playing beer pong, but I swear he keeps glancing in our direction every so often. “And apparently, he has a little gem thing in his wallet that you wore? Yeah, we knew it was going to happen.”
My head swivels down at him. “The rhinestone? You still have it? I thought you threw it away?”
He looks a little bashful, his cheeks tinting pink. “I couldn’t get rid of it.”
“You guys can do that couple shit later. Tell us who got it right.” Noah interrupts the moment, looking disturbed by our interaction.
“Gray. He was the closest,” Daniel states. “It was March 17th,” he proudly and happily announces.
I thought he was going to say the 28th, but the moment I took a chance on us, it was official for him. Even though we weren’t labeling our relationship yet.
“Fuck yeah, pay up, bitches.” He stands, lifts his palm upward, and curls his fingers in and out.
I watch in disbelief as they all pull their wallets out and each hand him a hundred dollars.
“They’re ridiculous. You see why I needed to move out?” He kisses my shoulder.
I stifle my chuckle as Gray makes a show of counting his money and smelling it too.
“What a glorious day. We need drinks. We need to celebrate.” He chugs the rest of his drink and waltzes off merrily into the kitchen.
My phone vibrates in my pocket. “I need to answer this.” I hold it up, showing Daniel it’s Vi. She’s on a date and said if things weren’t going well, she’d call me. “I’m going to go outside.”
The baseball players aren’t the only ones here. Their closest friends and girlfriends are here, along with their friends. So much for a small get together.
“I’m going to use the restroom and then I’ll be out there,” he says, kissing my temple before I get up.
Not too long ago, this open public display of affection would’ve made my skin crawl, but now I want to drown in whatever he’s willing to give me.
“Okay.” I flash him a smile and quickly make my way to the backyard. There are people littering the yard and pool, and it’s loud but not as loud as inside.
I answer, pressing my phone to my ear as I walk away from everyone. “How shitty is the date? One through ten? Ten beingget me the fuck out of here.”
She quietly laughs. “As good as dating a frat boy will be. It’s a five-ish.”
“Do you want me to pick you up?”
“No, no. You’re with Danny,yourboyfriend.” I hear her muted squeal followed by a giggle.
“Shut up.” I smile into the phone. “I don’t mind leaving.”
