Tanner’s phone rings, silencing the chatter. He slips out the door instead of answering. Probably tired of us eavesdropping.
“Then Ellie has to go and be my girl,” Liam quips.
Travis looks at me expectantly. I was planning on eating a pint of ice cream and crashing in my hotel bed, but again I don’t want to have FOMO.
“I’ll protect you, Liam,” I say, sweetly.
“Do you want to dance?”Liam asks in my ear.
“Do you?”
He lifts a shoulder, gazing around the busy club. We’ve been sitting at a table, almost like we’re hiding back here, though I don’t know why. But I promised Liam I wouldn’t leave him.
“Are you having a bad time?” he asks, seemingly guilty.
I give him a smile as I lie. “No.” I like people-watching sometimes, but I’d rather be in my room, eating my ice cream—it’s donut flavored. His eyes scan the area, like they’ve been the whole time we’ve been here. “Are you ok?” I finally ask. What is his deal?
His head slowly turns toward me. “Yeah. I’m fine. Just a lot of people here.”
My brows dip. “There were ten times more at the show tonight.”
He nods but doesn’t say anything.
Travis is on the dance floor, a drink in one hand, a girl’s hip in the other, as she grinds all over him. We agreed to act normal to not draw any attention when we’re out. So I don’t care that he’s dancing with her. It’s what he should be doing.
“You know what? I do wanna dance!” I tell Liam after sitting for too long. He hesitates, but when I arch my brow, daring him to deny me, he smiles, showing me his dimples and taking my hand. He leads me to the dance floor and parks us right beside Travis. The song switches to a slower tune, so I snake my hands around Liam’s neck. He places his high on my waist.What a gentleman.
I try my best not to pay attention to Travis. If there’s one thing I hate more than attracting a clingy hookup, it’s looking like one. It’s hard, though, when the girl is practically humping him right next to me. I peek, nosiness getting the best of me. The blonde he has in front of him has her face buried in his neck, one hand in his hair, one in his shirt, like she’s clinging to him for dear life.
Travis glances over at me. His brows dip low, and his hand on the girl’s back falters, as if he’s unsure suddenly. I turn away, not wanting him to think I care or that I’m upset. Because I’m not. Not really…
Liam continues to dance with me, even when the DJ switches to something faster. He lets me shake my ass—keeping a perfectly safe distance—for two songs. When we head back to the table, Travis is there, alone.
“Should we leave now?” Liam asks eagerly.
I’m ready. I can’t stop thinking about my ice cream.
“Not yet,” Travis says, tipping his beer bottle back for another drink. He better not be taking any sleeping pills tonight.
Liam pouts.
I cross my arms over my chest, glancing between the two of them as they stare at each other.
“Liam, I saw a cute redhead earlier.” Travis stretches his neck, searching the bar.
“I’m ok. I’m pretty tired, actually,” he says, shooting a pleading look at me.
“My God, dude, how long’s it been since you’ve gotten your dick wet?”
“Travis!” I scold.
He waves me off and grabs Liam’s arm, dragging him in the booth next to him. “Seriously, is there something wrong with...” He glances pointedly at Liam’s crotch.
Liam’s eyes go wide, and I swear his face gets red. “No!”
“If you stop using it, it’ll fall off. That’s not a myth.” I roll my lips to keep from laughing. “Are you giving yourself some love?”
“Jesus,” Liam sighs, exasperated. “If I stay a little longer, will you shut up?”
