“I guess so,” I echo, surprised at how okay I am with the idea.
Don’t kid yourself.
Okay, so maybe I’mmorethan okay with the idea.
In fact, I might just be thrilled by it.
SIXTEEN
Having practiced allwe can for one day, Wes and I join his housemates downstairs for a game night. Gathering at the kitchen table, we split into teams, Kaden and Ben on one, Wes and me on the other.
The night starts with Codenames, a game Wes and I are surprisingly decent at. We must be on the same wavelength because we guess clue after clue with few hiccups. Kaden and Ben, however, bicker like an old married couple, losing every round until they’ve had enough.
From there, we move on to Clue, despite Kaden’s protests. “I hate this game. Doc wins every time.”
I glance at Wes with raised eyebrows. “You do?”
Kaden levels me with a look. “He does. Trust me. Let’s play something else.”
“Don’t get bitter just because I have a foolproof system,” Wes tells him before taking a sip of beer.
“There should be no‘systems,’” argues Kaden, and I stifle a laugh at his use of air quotes.“It’scheating.”
Wes’s lip twitches up like he finds this conversation amusing, and he leans back in his chair. “Using the power of deductive reasoning isnotcheating.”
“It’s a kid’s game. We’re supposed to play for fun.”
Wes is full on grinning now. “Winningisfun.”
“K, stop whining, or I’ll make you play Mrs. Peacock,” says Ben, earning an eye roll from Kaden. “Doc always plays Professor Plum. I take Mr. Green. Kaden’s Colonel Mustard,” he lowers his voice, “when he’s not throwing a tantrum?—”
“I can hear you,” says Kaden.
Ben ignores him. “Which character would you like to be, Ivy?”
“Miss Scarlet, please,” I say.
Ben pulls the red pawn out of the box, placing it on the table. “Scarlet it is.”
While we set up the board, Wes excuses himself to use the bathroom, leaving me alone with his housemates. “This is great,” says Ben, shuffling the cards to dictate the killer. “Dani wouldneverdo game night.”
“Ben,” Kaden warns.
“What? It’s true. She was dead weight, and you know it.” Kaden snorts, shrugging a shoulder. Ben turns his attention on me. “Trust me. She was.”
Though I try, I can’t deny that Ben’s description of Wes’s ex makes me a little giddy inside. I glance between the two, curious as to why I’ve never seen them with girls. “Do either of you have, um, girlfriends?”
“Nah, not at the moment,” says Ben. “And Kaden can’t keep it in his pants long enough to ask a girl out—” Kaden reaches out and smacks Ben on the arm. “Ouch! What? You can’t!” He leans toward me conspiratorially and whispers, “He’s a man whore.”
Kaden rolls his eyes. “I heard that. I’m just not a fan of commitment.”
I smirk. “I used to think Wes was a…that.”
Ben gives a vigorous nod. “Oh, he was! You should have seen him freshman year. He slept with any girl with a pulse—ow!Stopdoingthat.”
“I’m sure Ivy doesn’t want to hear about that, you dimwit.”
I didn’t, but it’s too late now. The damage is done, my initial suspicions confirmed. That voice in my head wants to say,I told you so,but I shut it down because it’s not fear twisting my stomach into queasy knots. It’s something else entirely. Something toxic.
