They won their first two games and lost the third.
Fee
We’re heading out for dinner now!
Tally
We’re about to make dinner, too. Big hugs! Have the best time tonight!
Cammie
You too!
Fee
I feel bad that I didn’t go with them, but it wouldn’t have been as fun for me, and I wanted to spend it with the Terror andFlip, even if he can never be mine. Who knows where I’ll be next year. This could be my first and last New Year’s with them.
I slide a scrunchie onto my wrist and head downstairs. The whole team is in the kitchen, and I love the way we fall into an easy routine, thanks to our regular fajita and taco nights at Tristan and Rix’s.
“You having fun?” Dred asks as we cut carrots into coins.
“So much. Thanks for inviting me to tag along. It’s a nice getaway before I start my final semester.”
“Are you excited, or is it bittersweet that it’s almost over?” Rix asks.
“A bit of both. I love Tilton, but it’s very hockey focused and that makes it tricky with my friend group.”
“It must have been hard staying in Toronto,” Everly muses. “I applied to Tilton, but a bunch of other places, too.”
“It’s good to keep your options open,” I agree.
“There are benefits to commuting,” Connor interjects.
Dred hugs his arms and kisses his cheek, whispering something to him.
I love that they’ve made a family for themselves. Dred grew up in foster care, and so did the twins. Connor’s family is filthy rich, but his parents are kind of jerks. Well, his dad is. His mother seems like she’s caught in the middle of it with his sisters. A sudden jolt of fear makes my spine hot. What if Dred and the twins finally have the family they’ve always longed for, and it all falls apart like my parents did?
“You okay, Talls?” Flip’s fingers drift down my arm, startling me out of my morbid thoughts.
I shake it off and tuck my worries away. I force a smile, stomach fluttering at his attention. “I’m good.”
I end up between Flip and Hammer at dinner. I’m hyperaware of his proximity, of every brush of elbows, of the smell of his cologne, the warmth of his laughter. And now I can’t stopthinking about what Hammer said about the vibe. Flip seems to be orienting himself so he’s close to me and Quinn is not.
Afterward, we congregate in the common room with mugs of spiked hot chocolate, and once again, Flip sits next to me. He and Tristan have been exchanging meaningful looks that would be easy to miss if I wasn’t so tuned in to Flip.
“We could play a game,” Dred suggests.
“We’re not playing board games. You kick everyone’s ass every time,” Flip says.
“What about hide-and-seek?” Everly suggests, then ducks her head. “Or maybe that’s too kiddish.”
“I’m in,” Dallas says.
“Same!” Flip agrees.
“This place is perfect for hiding and seeking,” I add.
Everyone else seems excited too, and Everly’s answering grin warms my heart. We pick numbers to determine the first seeker. Connor is closest, so the role falls to him.
