Austin finally lost the battle and laughed.
“No, I mean,” I tried again, my cheeks burning as heat rushed to my face. “It was just me and Cherry all night.”
Killian’s cheeks turned pink, his mouth falling open. I covered my face with my hand, painfully aware of the image he’d probably formed.
“What Blair is trying to say,” Austin cut in smoothly, “is that Cherry and her crashed at my house after the party.”
I nodded, silently thanking him for finally telling the story correctly. Killian’s expression shifted as understanding clicked into place, the confusion draining from his face at last.
“Is she here?” Levi interrupted. “Cherry?”
“Yeah,” I smiled at him. I’d noticed the way he looked at Cherry the night before, and it wasn’t how boys usually looked at her. Most boys saw her as a wild ride, something to experience. Levi looked at her like he wanted to keep her safe.
“She’s in there with Lucas,” Killian said, his voice edged with something sharp. He’d noticed it too. “They kind of have a thing going on.”
“Oh, they do?” Levi didn’t look worried in the slightest. “You can let him know he’s not doing a very good job of being there for her, then. After last night—”
“Last night when Cherry lost her phone,” I cut in quickly, shooting Levi a look. Cherry would be furious if anyone knew more than she wanted them to.
“Right,” Levi said, picking up on it immediately, though his brows knit together as he did.
“Well, if you’ll excuse us,” Killian continued, the edge still there, “they’re waiting for us.” His gaze dropped to my hand, and I could tell he was debating whether to take it. I wasn’t sure why. He’d barely worked up the nerve to ask me out a few minutes earlier.
“Actually,” Austin said, his voice confident and unhesitating, “now that we’re here, we’ll join you guys.”
“Um,” Killian started. But for some reason, I spoke first.
“That sounds fun,” I said, the corners of my mouth lifting before I could stop them. Austin’s smile in response was instant and infectious. He looked at me like those three words alone had just made his night.
“Lead the way,” he said with a wink.
I nodded, suddenly at a loss for words. My stomach fluttered with something that felt a lot like nerves. I shrugged slightly at Killian, who wore a sour expression I didn’t need to question. It was obvious. He saw Austin and Levi as competition, and I think he knew that he and Lucas simply didn’t measure up.
We turned back toward the entrance when I felt something against my back. I startled, then realized it was Austin’s hand. He’d placed it there lightly, so lightly it almost felt imagined. I wanted to turn and look at him, but I didn’t. I kept my eyes forward. Instead, I wondered how it was possible that his touch was so subtle. He wasn’t even touching my skin, just the tight red shirt I wore, and yet it was all I could feel. If he wasn’t really touching me at all, then why did it feel like it reached my entire body?
If the tension that formed when we reached Cherry and Lucas at the table hadn’t been so awkward, it might have been funny. Cherry’s reaction was immediate. Her smile dropped as she tore her gaze away from Lucas and focused on us instead, her expression cycling through emotions at warped speed. Confusion came first when she noticed Austin and Levi beside me. Her eyes widened as they flicked to me, then a flush crept up her cheeks when she spotted Levi. Panic followed almost instantly, her alarmed gaze snapping back to Lucas, before returning to me a second later.
She raised her eyebrows, a slow smirk forming on her lips. That’s when I realized she wasn’t really looking at me. She was looking at my back, more specifically at Austin’s hand, still resting lightly against the red fabric of my work shirt. To me, it felt like minutes passed while I watched her process it all. In reality, it happened so fast I wouldn’t have been surprised if no one else noticed. Butjudging by Lucas’s expression, his jaw tight and brows drawn together, he definitely had.
Cherry recovered effortlessly. A flirty smile bloomed across her face, her eyes sparkling as she spoke. “And who do we have here?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but Levi beat me to it. “We ran into Blair outside,” he said smoothly. “Austin and I came to catch the game. Figured we’d join you.”
I pressed my lips together as Levi’s voice rolled out in a low, sultry purr, completely different from the tone he’d used with me earlier. It had the desired effect. Cherry’s face lit up as she bit her lip, her gaze sweeping down his body without subtlety.Lucas who? And Lucas clearly noticed too, because he spoke up quickly, glancing at Killian, who still stood awkwardly beside us.
“Actually, if you guys don’t mind,” Lucas started, trying to sound more confident than he felt, “we were kind of—”
“Oh, we don’t mind,” Austin cut in easily. The contrast between their voices was stark. Lucas sounded like he was forcing confidence. Austin didn’t have to try.
A flicker of disappointment moved through me at his words. I hadn’t planned on being around him tonight, but I couldn’t deny the warmth that had spread through me when it suddenly became a possibility. The feeling didn’t last long. Levi slid onto the bench beside Cherry, positioning himself between her and Lucas. He wore a sly smile, one that told me he knew exactly what he’d just done. I suppressed the giggle that threatened to spill from my lips. I tried to catch Cherry’s eye, but she was already occupied, her attention very clearly elsewhere.
Austin’s hand returned to my back, firmer this time. He applied gentle pressure, guiding me forward. I looked up at him, andwith a small nod of his head, he gestured toward the now empty bench. I followed his lead, sliding into the seat. Austin sat down immediately after me, leaving only one remaining spot for Killian, who was now entirely cut off from my side of the table. And from the smug look on Austin’s face, he knew exactly what he was doing.
Austin and Levi looked completely at ease in the booth with Cherry and me, while the other two boys sat stiffly, like someone had just canceled spring break. I wasn’t sure why, but that confidence was magnetic. It reminded me of Cherry’s, the kind I’d always been drawn to. But when it came from Austin, it stirred something entirely different in me. I jumped slightly when Austin leaned in close, his face near enough that I could feel his breath as he spoke.
“So, Yellow,” he said quietly, “what’s good here?”
“Um,” I managed, when he didn’t pull back. I glanced at him, fighting the sudden rush of nerves. “Not much, if I’m being honest.”
