“Gone on a date with me.” A smirk pulls at his lips before breaking into a smile to reveal his teeth. They weren’t perfect, but they were still very straight, almost like he had braces as a child, but maybe didn’t wear his retainers after he got them off, causing them to shift.
Fuck.
Wild doesn’t react, but I can already feel the tension flowing out of me. Addie is looking at me with a cheeky grin, her eyes darting back and forth between us with what seems like absolute glee. Bryce chokes slightly on his drink before letting out a low “nice,” and I can see Dex wince before taking a sip of his drink and looking away from the table as if he doesn’t want to be there.
The moments tick by, and I know I have to say something, and when words fail me, I say the only thing I can think of. “What?”
“A date… You know with me. Something you haven’t done.” He leans forward, propping his elbows on the table. “Though we could change that.”
“You’re really putting her on the spot in front of all your friends… and me?” Wild snorts. “That’s a choice.”
Jase’s eyes flash to Wild, annoyed and maybe even a little mad. “Dude, it was a joke.”
“Really? Because you seemed pretty serious. Maybe a joke now since she still hasn’t answered, and it doesn’t seem like she wants to.”
Fuck, again.
“Sebastian,” I warn quietly.
His eyes turn to mine. “I mean, do you? By all means, don’t let me stop you if you’re interested. Just don’t know that I’ve never asked anyone out with an audience,” he says, and I know he’s only acting like a smug asshole for Jase’s sake, but still, I wish he’d stop before this escalates.
“Stop it,” I tell him, and when our eyes lock, we are able to have a split-second conversation that only happens when you’ve known someone forever.
Please don’t do this. You have no reason to be jealous.
I’m not jealous. That was lame as fuck, and you know it. I’d call out anyone for that.
Be nice.
No.
“You got a problem with me or something?” Jase interrupts our moment, and when we turn to him, Jase is looking at Wild.
“Nope.” He shrugs.
“Chill.” Dex interrupts before Jase can reply. “No one has an issue. I think everyone’s just had a couple of drinks, and I think Sebastian was just fucking around. Maybe we should just be done with the game.”
“I thought we were having fun.” Addison pouts before she stands up. “I’ll go order us another round. Same drinks?”
“I’ll go with you.” Bryce stands as well, probably wanting to get away from the awkward tension building at the table. They’re gone within a second.
Jase doesn’t say anything, and I struggle to meet his gaze when I realize that I’m not handling this right at all. He hasn’t done anything wrong. He asked out a woman whom he thought was single, and while I’ve never sent him any signals, I’ve also never explicitly said I wasn’t available. He thinks Sebastian is just my stepbrother, and he shot his shot in a fun, lighthearted way. He’s not in the wrong just because no man on this planet stood a chance with me. So I do the one thing I know will piss off the man next to me even though I know it’s time to shut all of this down before it gets worse.
“Jase…” I tuck a hair behind my ear and stand. “Can I talk to you for a sec?” He’s up instantly, and when I look at Wild in hopes he’s not totally seething, I point at my bag. “Can you watch my purse?”
He doesn’t seem angry, but maybe a little annoyed, and I try my best to tell him with my eyes that he has nothing to worry about.
Jase and I move toward the other side of the room, still within plain view of the table.
“Your stepbrother is a little weird about you, huh?” he says before I can even open my mouth. “Almost like… he’s into you or something,” he continues before downing the rest of his drink, and only then do I comprehend that he may be drunker than I realized.
“Jase…”
“I mean, that was weird, right? His calling me out? Like he had a problem with me asking you out.”
“Sebastian is protective. He always has been.”Well, there’s an understatement.
“You don’t think it’s strange? Are you okay with him just… inserting himself into your life? Being that intense? I’d never do that to my sister.”
