Weston paused walking. “Shoot.”
“What are we doing tonight?”
“You said you wanted to see something that would get you to trust me?” he asked with a smile.
“Right,” I confirmed with a pounding heart.
“Perfect.” He started walking again. “We’re doing a minefield.”
Chapter 13
We walkedonto a fully lit football field in the back of a local high school. The sun dipped under the horizon, painting the sky a bloody red. Weston led the way to the group of his teammates sitting on the bleachers. I followed slowly while scanning the field covered in mismatched sets of poles, cones, ladders, and balloons. Max was on the field with his boyfriend, Grayson. The two were standing on opposite sides of a measuring tape, calling out numbers to one another as they moved further apart each time.
“Weston.” I reached for his arm. Despite it getting chilly, he still wore a short-sleeved shirt. When my skin met his bicep, he felt impressively warm considering the weather.
“You okay?” He paused and moved his hand up like he was going to touch my chin but changed his mind last minute. We were still a few yards from his teammates. David stared at me and said something that made the twins snicker. Dakota got up from the group to sit a few benches away from them.
“Should I be here? This seems like a team thing,” I said. Right as the words left my mouth, I heard a familiar high-pitched squeal. On the opposite side of the bleachers, Taylor and her tracksuit wearing friend climbed up the steps. Kevin met them half-way and wrapped his arm around Taylor’s waist. They shared a kiss with enough tongue to make me wonder if they’d swallow each other whole.
“It’s not just a team thing,” Weston said with a warm smile before starting up the bleachers.
“You made it,” Dakota greeted while looking at me.
“Just us?” Weston asked Kevin with an amused look.
Kevin pulled away from Taylor long enough to catch a breath and tell Weston, “We’re in charge. Right?”
Weston chuckled. “Right.”
I couldn’t sense any lingering animosity between the two. Kevin gave Weston a knowing grin and then returned to lock lips with my roommate. I watched them, trying my best to keep my expression neutral. Her friend didn’t seem to have much control. She wrinkled her nose at the sight as she sat down next to the twins. One of them whispered something in her ear that made her nose scrunch up even more.
Weston cupped his hands around his mouth and called, “Max, Grayson! Come on over!”
“Let’s make this quick,” David said with a yawn. He rested his elbows on the bench behind him. “I got somewhere to be in an hour.”
“It’ll be as quick as you guys make it,” Weston told him as he crossed his arm over his chest.
Max and Grayson jogged up the stairs, making the metal shake under their weight. I sat down next to Dakota, who’d distance himself from the rest. He smiled in my direction.
“Alright, we remember the rules?” Weston asked while assuming a position at the front of the group.
“Same as every goddamn year,” David grumbled.
“Um, we’re new,” Taylor spoke up as she gestured to her friend. Kevin’s arms were still around her waist and he kissed her neck as she spoke. She giggled in response, earning collective eye rolls from nearly everyone.
“Oh, and Coco is here. Hi, Coco!” she said in a sing-song voice. I glanced at her over my shoulder, returning her excited wave with a hesitant one.
“Someone put me out of my fucking misery,” David begged as he tugged his hoodie over his head. A twin mimed a gun, pointed it at David’s chest, and fired.
“Your partner will catch you up to speed,” Weston promised her.
“I call Max,” Grayson blurted and covered his hand over Max’s as if we were scrambling for deals during Black Friday.
“The game doesn’t work like that,” Weston said as he scanned the group and rubbed his palms together, ready to stir up some trouble. “It’s supposed to build trust where there isn’t any. You know that.”
I twisted my mouth to the side, debating if I wanted to attract attention to myself. After taking a deep breath, I raised my hand with uncertainty. “What game exactly?”
Weston grinned and gestured to the field. “Minefield.”
