“It is very nice,” Nathaniel said. I could barely hear his low, deep voice over the music. His small smile made me feel more accomplished. Tonight would be a record for wins, I was sure of it.
“Have any of you seen David?” A simple question that left them speechless. I went from zero to ten in suspicion. “Well?”
They exchanged subtle looks, reading one another’s minds for clues on how to avoid revealing to me what appeared to be buried.
“I’m sure he’s around here somewhere…” Hart scanned the room like he was looking hard.
“Definitely.” Weston nodded and had a look himself. “In the meantime, tell us how you figured out this whole renting and zoning thing for orgs.”
“This had to cost an arm and a leg,” Hart agreed. “Maybe even your firstborn.”
“You want to talk shop?” I asked flatly.
“We love a good location,” Weston attempted to smooth over their kinks. “Hosting parties is kind of our favorite pastime.”
“Sure,” I said, not believing a word. “For your secret society, right?”
“Secret society?” Weston asked, brows knitted in confusion, while Hart simultaneously said, “Right.”
I snorted when Hart tried to discreetly nudge Weston withhis elbow and get him on board. I scoffed and turned to the one person I knew wouldn’t lie to my face right now.
“Where is he?” I asked Nathaniel. “Do you know?”
Nathaniel scratched the back of his head, but at least ignored the guys’ looks of warning. “There was an emergency.”
“An emergency?” I asked, blood pressure rising.
“Not anything major,” he promised quickly. “Something to do with people sneaking in alcohol and underage attendees and cops.”
“An emergency that involves cops at my event?” I pressed my hand to my chest. “That I didn’t know about?”
“Covee, Indie, and David wanted to handle it,” Weston said, talking slow and calm like it’d relax me amid the budding crisis. “They wanted you to have fun.”
“We all do,” Hart chimed in.
“And you were for a moment.” Weston pointed toward the dance floor.
“Very interesting moves,” Hart assured.
“It was… my song.” My cheeks burned at how people had been watching me throw caution to the wind for the first time, and I had no idea.
“David told us to wait until he texted and then alert you,” Nathaniel said. “Tonight’s a big deal; he wanted to lighten the load.”
My shoulders relax slightly. I took a breath because this wasn’t worth getting upset over. This was what I’d dreamed of —someone who anticipated my needs and looked out for me before burnout came to collect the debts I so willingly and consistently raked up.
“And it looks like they’ve done their job,” Weston noted, glancing over my shoulder.
David, Covee, and Indie made their way through thecrowd. Indie, the most energetic, with a glass in one hand and her shed jacket in the other.
“We’re not going to jail,” she sang, danced, and kissed both my cheeks.
“Hooray,” I said. “So happy. I didn’t even realize that was an option.”
“Not anymore.” Covee reached out to squeeze my hand as a greeting before taking a spot next to Weston. She looked shy and unsure by his side, but he didn’t seem hesitant in the slightest with how quickly he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into him. Indie started chatting Nathaniel’s ear off, and Hart jumped in as if he wanted a stake in the game.
“I have questions,” I said to David. Not all for him, but he’d have to be the first lamb to slaughter.
“I may have answers on two conditions.” He was dressed in a dark blue sweater and jeans. The second his aftershave hit my nose, I was taken back to his apartment, and that weekend and every kiss we’d had in between. My mouth went dry, and the curl of his smile hinted he knew exactly where my mind had gone. This wouldn’t do. Not long-term. I’d have to get used to being with him if I wanted even the slightest chance of standing my ground.
