“Good job, mijo! I’ll get you some ice cream now.” Santiago smiles, ruffling Isaiah’s hair.
Santiago returns with a bowl of Oreo ice cream, and Isaiah claps his hands. He takes a big spoonful and the ice creamsmears all over his mouth. “This is so yummy. Do you want some ice cream, Uncle Maddox?”
“No, I’m not ready for dessert yet,” I say, shaking my head. “I’m gonna eat another burger.”
“Another one?” He gasps, his big brown eyes bulging out. “How can you eat so much?”
The guys erupt in laughter.
“He always eats like he’s been starving for days,” Elijah says.
“Be a dear and fix me another plate.”
“Get your own damn plate,” he replies, settling deeper in his seat. “I’m comfortable right now. I don’t feel like getting up.”
“You’re a bullshit-ass host.” I get up from my seat, and Elijah flips me the middle finger.
When I return from the kitchen, Andrés glances up. “So, how did the meeting at Dauntless go?”
I haven’t brought it up, and I was hoping they would forget about it. But I’ve been talking about the collaboration with the guys all week because of how excited I was.
“It went well.” Picking my beer up, I take a swig. “I’m going back next week to discuss in more detail what I want.”
“Sweet. I’m so excited for you, man,” Santiago says with a smile. “I love their clothes. They have the best quality.”
Elijah wiggles his brows, a devilish smirk dancing on his face. “Were the fashion designers hot?”
The encounter I had with Annalise flashes through my mind, her harsh words replaying.
“Nothing you do could ever fix things between us. So do us both a favor and stop trying, okay?”
The bottle digs into my palms as I grip it tighter, my knuckles whitening. My vision blurs and the world around me begins to sway out of focus.
“Hey, man, you good?” Santiago pats me on the shoulder, worry etched in his face.
Taking a deep breath in, I stare at the ground. “I, uh… I saw Annalise today.”
The room falls silent at the mention of her name. Everyone stops what they’re doing. They stare at me, anxiously waiting for me to continue.
Tipping my beer back, I chug the rest of it and then bring them up to date on what happened.
“Damn, bro. That must’ve been hard,” Santiago says softly.
“Seeing her again… Did it bring back any old feelings?” Andrés asks.
I wave my hand in the air. “Nah. That ship sailed a long time ago. I’ve moved on with my life. If she doesn’t want to try to be cordial, so be it.” The lie tastes sour on my tongue.
“He’ll be fine, boys. All he needs is a sexy lady to warm his bed tonight.” Elijah holds his fist out, and I bump it.
“Yep. Nothing a good lay can’t fix.” I smile, but I can tell it doesn't quite reach my eyes.
“Fucking around and avoiding your feelings isn’t healthy, man.” Santiago shakes his head.
“What feelings?” I scoff. “I’m over her.”
Pulling my phone out, I scroll through my contacts and shoot a text to Hannah Chen, a model I’ve hooked up with in the past.
What are you doing tonight?
