I wink.
And even with the music blaring, the lights flashing, people dancing all around her—it's quiet for me. Quiet in that kind of way that feels like everything else just blurs out until it's only her.
Her face turns the softest shade of pink before she looks away, trying to hide the smile tugging at her lips.
And I'm gone. Absolutely, unapologetically gone.
I'm pretty sure this is what they mean when they say "whipped."
No, scratch that.
Iinvented the damn word.
I'm still staring at her like she's the only person in the room when something jabs into my ribs. Hard.
"Ow—dude, what the hell?" I choke out, jerking my head toward the culprits.
Of course. The twins.
On my left, Liam's grinning ear to ear. On my right, Luke's smirking into his drink, clearly enjoying himself.
"Bro," Liam drawls, leaning in close, "you've been staring at her for—what—twenty straight minutes? You even blink?"
Luke lifts his cup at me, smirking. "Still holding the title of Captain Whipped, I see."
Cody nearly snorts his drink. "Someone get this man a leash before he runs onto the dance floor drooling."
Elijah chuckles from across the table, cool as ever. "Face it, boys. Our golden boy here is a goner. Whipped to hell and back."
Kentaro, sitting at the far end, doesn't even look up from his glass. He just takes a sip and mutters, "Embarrassing."
But there's a hint of a smirk tugging at his mouth—theKentaro versionof applause.
I shoot them all a glare that's supposed to look intimidating, but judging by the way they're all wheezing, it's not working.
"Laugh all you want," I say, grinning like an idiot anyway. "At least I got the girl. I'll wear the Captain Whipped title like a badge of honor."
Because the truth is—I don't even care how whipped I look.
If being head over heels for Caroline Pennington means I've lost my cool points, then fine. Take 'em all.
I'll gladly trade every ounce of my pride for just one more of her smiles.
The guys collectively groan—faces twisting like they just bit into a lemon. Liam fake gags, Luke throws a fry at me, Cody mutters something about losing brain cells, and Elijah just shakes his head.
I can't stop laughing.
They can roll their eyes all they want; one day they'll get it.
When they finally fall stupid in love, they'll understand exactly why I'm sitting here smiling like a damn fool.
"Unapologetically shameless," Cody adds, shaking his head. "You're not even trying to hide it anymore."
"Why would I?" I shrug, eyes flicking back to Caroline. "She's the best thing to ever happen to me. You'd brag too if it was you."
Liam makes gagging noises. "Jesus, man, you're hopeless."
"Hopelessly in love," I correct. Their reactions just make it funnier. I'm half a second from choking on my own laugh watching them look physically pained by my cheesiness.
