“They don’t?”
I shake my head. If they did, then Kylen and I would be forced to kiss during the music video and I think both of us are relieved we didn’t have to. But honestly, I wouldn’t mind kissing him again. I mean, I know it would bring so many emotions to the surface, emotions we’re not ready to deal with, but I’d still like to kiss him again.
My face burns at the thought.
He shrugs. “So kiss during a different scene.”
“Stop talking about kisses and let’s play,” Jasper says. “Best of three, guys.”
Kylen and I pretend that Beck didn’t say the “K” word, and we concentrate on defeating the enemy. We end up beating Jasper and Leo again.
Kylen’s arms come around me, and this time, he presses his cheek to mine.
Chapter Thirty-One
Raven
“How do I know if I packed everything?” Sophie exclaims in a frantic tone as she runs back to her bookshelf for the millionth time. She’s not worried she forgot a shirt or an extra pair of socks for the junior ski trip—no, she’s freaking out that she didn’t bring enough books.
I laugh as I review the list I made on my phone. I’m also a little worried that I might have forgotten something. It’s Friday morning and we should be leaving for the lodge in an hour. Classes have been canceled today, since it takes about two hours to get there. We’ll return to school on Sunday evening.
We’ll be staying two nights at the lodge, and the last thing I want is realizing I forgot to pack enough underwear. Considering we pack every year for school, one would think we can do this in the blink of an eye. But the school only lets us bring one suitcase, and Sophie’s biggest dilemma is that books take up a lot of room, not to mention they can be very heavy.
“Maybe just bring your e-reader and read your ebooks on the trip?” I suggest as I zip up my suitcase. “That way, you won’t run out of room.”
She twists her lips as she considers it. I know she’s more of a paperback kind of girl, since she loves to hold the physical books in her hands, but sacrifices must be made, right?
With a sigh, she removes some of her books from her suitcase and places her e-reader inside. Then we review my list one more time to make sure we have everything we need before grabbing our suitcases and leaving our dorm room. Carly and Addie should be waiting for us outside, since they’re all packed and ready to go.
“I’m so excited,” Sophie says with a groan as we lug our bags down the stairs to the first floor. “Having fun skiing and ice skating and all the other activities with my friendsandmy boyfriend! It’s going to be awesome.”
“I know, right? I’ve been looking forward to this ever since freshman year, when we became friends. We barely do any activities together outside of school, not counting when we hang out in the summer, of course. And the fact that the four of us are sharing a room will be loads of fun.”
“Do you think you’ll hang out with Kylen?”
I shrug. “He might want to hang out with his friends.”
“I’m sure he’ll want to hang out with you, too. Either way, the seven of us will have the time of our lives.”
“You bet your butt we will!” Carly says as she waves and motions for us to come over. She and Addie are bundled up really well, since it feels like it’s zero degrees out here. It’ll be even colder at the lodge, so we had to make sure we packed a lot of sweaters, too.
“I couldn’t sleep all night,” Addie tells us as we wheel our suitcases to the main school building. “I’ve never been to a ski lodge before. I hope I don’t crash and break all my bones.”
Sophie jabs her elbow into her arm. “As if Caleb will let you fall and break anything. He’ll probably ski right behind you and catch you in his arms before your body can make contact with the snow.”
That causes her to laugh. “He’s not as overprotective as he was months ago. I think he’s loosened the leash a little.”
I snort. “Yeah, right. It’s the total opposite. Now that he’s madly in love with you, he’s more worried about you. It’s no longer just a job for him—you’re his life.”
“You make it sound so romantic.”
“Because it is, duh,” Carly says. “Caleb knows when to give you space to do your own thing and be independent and makeyour own decisions, but he’s always there to catch you if you fall. That’s the perfect boyfriend.”
“Ryder and Damian are the same,” Addie points out. “They also know when to give you space and when to help fight your battles.”
Sophie skips again. “I know, right? Now we just need Raven to find her dream guy and we’ll all live happily ever after.”
“Unless her dream guy is closer than you think,” Addie says before humming and walking ahead of us.
