“No, I think we’ll be okay.” There was a long pause across the line. “I miss you, Colin. It's weird because I didn't think it would feel this way being in a relationship with somebody.”
“I feel the same way,” I admitted. “At least the two of you have each other.”
“Yeah, but in some ways, that just makes an even bigger hole where you're supposed to be,” he admitted somberly. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and pull him against my chest until the sadness melted away.
“Damn, when did you get to be such a sweet talker?” I teased. I sniffled a couple of times and swallowed around the lump in my throat.
“Screw you. I am smooth as hell and you know it,” Daniel quipped. “Anyway, Zach’s dad wanted to talk to him, so I’m hiding out in his bedroom while they’re downstairs. I'll give you a call once he and his dad have hashed their shit out. I think it'll do him some good to hear from you.”
“Call whenever is good for you. I don’t care what time it is; if either of you need to talk, I’ll sneak away for you.” I nearly hung up when I brought the phone back to my ear. “I love you, Daniel. Make sure you take good care of Zach.”
“And who's going to take care of me?” Daniel teased. I could almost see his dramatic, kissable pout. I knew he didn't mean that and was trying to subtly point out that I was more than just a bit obsessed with making sure he kept Zach under control this weekend. I couldn't help it. I felt like I was shirking my responsibilities by not being there with them.
“Baby, you know I'll take very good care of you when we get back on Sunday night,” I purred. It wasn’t the right time to tease him, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted him to know he would be rewarded for putting up with Zach’s dad.
“Colin,” Daniel whined. “How in the hell am I supposed to go out there and pretend I’m not thinking about what you'll do to me?”
“If you want, you could always take it out on Zach's ass,” I suggested. “It'd be even hotter if you call me when you do it. Facetime, so I can watch. I'll tell you exactly what I want you to do to him. It'll be just like when we’re home.”
“Not just like it,” Daniel complained. “Fuck, I wish you were here.”
“So do I, babe. But it's only going to be a few days,” I reminded him. “Tell him he's not allowed to go to jail, no matter how much his dad pisses him off. None of us have bail money, and that would make Christmas hella awkward if I have to borrow money from my parents.”
“I'll try, but no promises. Love you, Colin.”
“You too, babe.” This time I did hang up. My heart ached, wishing I was there to hold both of them.
I couldn't go another mile. Jayden and Chase were right. My place was wherever they were. I leaned against the trunk of the car while Jayden and Chase grabbed drinks and snack food.
Jayden came out first. “Everything okay?”
“How would you feel about a detour?” I kicked at the loose gravel in the asphalt as I worried my lip. A real man would make eye contact, but after all the shit Jayden had said to me, I couldn’t look at him. I didn’t want to see what a stupid idea he thought this was.
I was not expecting Jayden to flash me a brilliant smile. “Finally got your head out of your ass, huh?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“Then it's a damn good thing your brother’s currently talking to your mom, letting her know we won't be there until later.” Well shit. Funny how they knew this was a turning point, literally, before I did.
“I owe you guys.” I pulled Jayden in for a quick hug. “And no hard feelings about earlier. I get what you were doing, even if you were being a dick about it.”
“Yeah, well let's just say I’ve figured out the best way to get through to you,” Jayden quipped. I gave him a playful shove, and he smirked. “You can fool them a hell of a lot easier than you can fool me. I see you, Colin, even if you try to keep your shit buried.”
“Just don't tell Mom, okay?” I pleaded. The last thing I needed was her coming at me. Somehow, the nagging was preferable.
Jayden held out his hand, palm up. “My silence can be bought. What's keeping her in the dark about the best way to make you crack worth to you?”
“Not that much,” I scoffed. “I'm just a broke college kid, don't you know?”
“Yeah, and you're also a nineteen-year-old with a liquor cabinet most people would be jealous of,” Jayden teased. “Seriously, your talents are wasted at that pizza place. You should come talk to my uncles about working at one of the clubs. They could use a bartender like you since they haven’t been able to poach one from Club 83.”
“But I'm not twenty-one,” I pointed out.
“Good news is, you only have to be eighteen to serve as long as there's another licensed bartender on premises.”
Holy shit. I hadn't even thought about that. “But wait, I won't have to do anything freaky, will I? This isn't like a kinky version of Coyote Ugly, right?”
Jayden tapped his index finger against his bottom lip. “No, but I might have to bring that up to Jack. That's a hell of a good idea. It’s definitely unique, and he’s a sucker for shit no one else is doing.”
