He let out a low chuckle, shaking his head as he continued to look at me like I’d said something fascinating. I didn’t understand it. I didn’t understand the way he was looking at me either. I was just me. There wasn’t anything especially captivating about that.
“So what happened last night?” Lucas cut in, breaking whatever spell had settled between Austin and me.
“Oh, you know me,” Cherry said, slipping into a tone I recognized instantly. “I just drank too much.” It was her lying voice. That caught Austin’s attention immediately. He pulled back, his expression shifting as he glanced at Levi, then back to Cherry.
“Yeah, it was kind of weird,” Lucas added. “You were really out of it.”
“There was mad drama after you two left,” Killian chimed in. “Someone beat the fuck out of Brandon.”
“You know him?” Austin asked sharply, his focus snapping to Killian.
“Yeah,” Killian shrugged. “Old buddy from Hawking.”
“Yeah?” Austin’s voice hardened. “Get better friends.”
Lucas and Killian exchanged uneasy looks, their confusion obvious. The awkward tension that had settled over the table when Austin and Levi arrived hadn’t lifted once. Now, it had multiplied. I watched Cherry closely as her eyes moved between the four boys, her mouth pressing into a thin line. And even though it had been her idea to stay after work, it seemed she wasn’t in the mood for the awkward tension of competing teenage boys.
“Well,” Cherry said slowly, “this was fun. I promised Blair she’d get home in time to feed her sea monkeys, so…”
“Sea monkeys?” I mouthed at her, shaking my head.
“What?” she mouthed back, her smirk undeterred.
“I guess I have to go feed my sea monkeys,” I said, surrendering to her lie. Austin’s smile spread wide as he looked at me. He didn’t even try to hide it. He stared openly, unapologetically, and it sent a shiver through me, like I’d stepped into a pocket of cold air.
Killian and Lucas, meanwhile, looked openly annoyed. They didn’t try to mask it. I think they knew, just like the rest of us did. Especially Austin and Levi. This wasn’t a fight they were going towin. They stood from the booth, as did Austin and Levi, giving Cherry and me room to slide out.
“Well,” I said tensely, avoiding Killian’s glare, even though it felt like it landed squarely on me. “Nice seeing you.”
“I’ll text you, Lucas,” Cherry said, looping her arm through mine.
We waved quickly to Austin and Levi and started toward the exit. I was surprised, for what felt like the hundredth time that night, when Austin and Levi fell into step beside us. Austin’s hand settled at my back as naturally as if it had always belonged there, despite the fact that we were barely more than strangers.
“You guys are leaving?” I asked, confused. “I thought you came to watch the game.”
“Fuck the game,” Austin said easily. Then he paused. “Wait here for a second, Yellow. Please.” His hand left my back as we stopped. I watched him turn and head back toward the table, his movements sure, deliberate. He rapped his knuckles against the wood, startling Lucas and Killian. “Oh, by the way,” Austin said lightly, a smile on his face that made no sense to me, “find another dealer.”
He turned away before they could respond. I didn’t miss their expressions, though. Judging by the snort Cherry let out, neither did she. They looked completely stunned, like they had no idea what the hell had just happened. Join the club. Austin rejoined us, his hand returning to my back without hesitation. Smoothly. Like it was exactly where it was meant to be.
“What the hell was that?” Cherry asked once we stepped outside. Her voice carried equal parts amusement and concern. “You know we’re friends with them, right?”
“Is that right, Yellow?” Austin asked, his attention settling squarely on me.
“Not really,” I shrugged. The answer only seemed to deepen his smug satisfaction.
“I don’t like that guy,” Austin went on. Even though the four of us stood in a loose circle, it felt like he was speaking only to me. “He… I don’t know.”
“You seemed to like him well enough before tonight,” Cherry said, voicing exactly what I’d been thinking. She looked between Levi and Austin like she was trying to peel back layers, and knowing Cherry, she probably could.
“Anyway,” I cut in, trying to defuse the tension that was creeping off Austin in waves. I could tell he was fighting something, his thoughts pulling him somewhere darker than this moment deserved. “It was nice seeing you guys again.”
“Nah,” Austin said, shaking his head as he held my gaze. “It’s like that, Yellow? All that talk about fate, and you’re ready to leave so quickly?”
I flicked my eyes toward Cherry, fully expecting her to burst out laughing at the mention of fate. Instead, she was focused on Levi, who was speaking to her quietly with a grin that said he was enjoying every second of it.
“I can’t abandon my poor sea monkeys,” I laughed. “I don’t want to give them mommy issues.”
Austin chuckled, the sound low and coming from his chest, his eyes never leaving mine. I didn’t understand why his stare felt so intense, or why it made me feel almost weightless. “Can I drive you home?”
