I shook my head but matched his smile with one of myown.
August unlocked his front door with a digital keypad and then tapped another keypad inside, and a dozen different lights flared tolife.
I tilted my head up and took in the narrow, but dizzyingly high-ceilinged space. “Wow.”
The walls were brushed concrete, and the floors were gunmetal-tinged wood, and over the kitchen, there was a giant mezzanine topped with a king-sizedbed.
“Total man cave,” Ideclared.
August walked to the kitchen and tugged open the fridge that was stocked with beer, milk, and morebeer.
“Don’t eat here often, huh?” I ran my fingers over the knots in the giant slice of trunk that made up his kitchen island. “This is beautiful.” The sides were uneven but smooth, almost like ruffles. “I want an island like this in my glass cube.” I took a seat at the island as he pulled out two beers which he uncapped with his fist. I tipped an eyebrow up. “I thought I wasunderage.”
He smiled. “I was trying to irritate you.” He handed me one of the bottles, then held out his own. “Tomilestones.”
We clinked, and then I took a smallsip.
“I probably shouldn’t drink and drive. Especially not on an emptystomach.”
“I was going to orderpizza.”
My spine straightened a little. “You don’t have to feedme.”
“Cole’s coming over soon. He requested an extra-largepie.”
I took another sip. “You guys hang outoften?”
“Well, we work together, but yeah, we hang out everyday.”
They were the same age, or maybe a year apart. “I don’t remember you guys being such good friends before I lefttown.”
“Those last few weeks you were around, we were on the outs over a girl. He hooked up with her right after I broke up withher.”
“And that was a violation of thebro-codeorsomething?”
Hesnorted.
I leaned over and flicked hiswrist.
“Hey.” He rubbed it, eyes glinting with asmile.
I tipped my bottle to my lips, relishing the cool fizz of the beer as it hit my tongue, as it hit my veins. “So what happened afterthat?”
“He ended up going out with her for fouryears.”
“And you didn’t talk the entiretime?”
“Nah. We patched things up prettyquick.”
I thought of the girl inside Liam’s room. I still didn’t know who she was, but I couldn’t imagine wanting to hang out with her. Then again, Cole and August had been friends before a girl had come between them. I had no girlfriends in Boulder, besides Sarah, but Sarah had obviously not been the one behind thatwall.
Would I have forgiven her if she hadbeen?
“Ness?”
“Yeah?” I blinked out of my glumthoughts.
“Want somepizza?”
