And then, because I can’t stop myself:
Or we could just bail and spend the night making out in my car again. Like teenagers.
I should probably regret that one, but honestly? I don’t. Not even a little.
I head out, locking the door behind me, the day suddenly brighter. Purgatory secret and all, I want tonight to last forever.
But sooner or later, I know I’m going to have to tell her everything.
For now, I try to ignore the throb at the back of my skull, and pretend I’m a normal guy, even if it’s short lived.
Chapter 7
April
My hands are sweating sobad I fumble the bottle of wine I’m holding. I keep replaying the same pep talk in my head: don’t say anything weird, don’t trip, don’t let his family think you’re a serial killer.
Easy, right?
Their front door is painted dark blue, and there’s laughter coming from inside. For a second, I almost chicken out and drive home. Then the door swings open.
Ben’s standing there, sleeves rolled, tattoos alive in the porch light. His eyes do this soft crinkly thing at the corners when he sees me, and his smile hits me straight in the chest.
“Hey,” I manage, my voice already failing me.
He leans down and presses a kiss to my cheek, his hand settling on my lower back. Warm. Steadying.
“I’m glad you made it.” There’s something in his voice I haven’t heard before, like he actually missed me in the hours we haven’t talked. “You look incredible, by the way.”
I try not to melt into a puddle on his porch or straight up faint on the welcome mat. “Thanks. Um…I brought wine. Hope that’s not lame.”
He chuckles, his eyes never leaving mine. “You could bring gas station nachos, and my family would be impressed.”
Not sure if I believe that, but the joke helps. He leads me inside, his hand never leaving my back. The living room looks like a toddler’s playground, toys everywhere. The walls are full of old photos, Ben in a soccer uniform with his arm around a girl who must be Corinne; Arrow with a huge grin and dorky Mohawk before his now bald look; Ben again, younger, holding up some kind of trophy.
Someone’s already set the table…mismatched plates, forks all facing the wrong way, water glasses sweating onto the wood. Arrow stands behind one of the chairs, T-shirt stretched across his shoulders, feeding pasta spirals to a baby in a highchair.
The kid sees me and launches a plastic spoon across the room. It bounces off Ben’s hip and lands at my feet.
“Sorry about that,” Arrow says, not sorry at all. “He’s been training for arm day.”
Ben bends to pick up the spoon, tosses it back. “April, this is Arrow and his little mini-me.”
Arrow gives a half-wave. “Hey April. We’ve heard a lot about you.”
I try to keep my face neutral, but Ben’s still hovering so close it’s not even funny. “All lies, I hope.”
That gets a laugh from Corinne, who’s just walked in, wiping her hands on a dish towel. Up close, she’s got the same eyes as Ben, cool and intense, but her smile is way more dangerous.
“Ben’s not smart enough to lie about someone new, trust me,” Corinne says, eyeing me up and down…not in a mean girl way, just measuring. “I’m Corinne. If Arrow gets weird, just elbow him. Works for me.”
Arrow shrugs, dropping more pasta in front of the baby. “She’s abusive. It’s fine.”
Ben’s nephew slaps the tray, smearing sauce everywhere.
I can’t help but laugh, all my nerves forgotten for a second. “You have no idea how much I needed this,” I blurt out.
Corinne grins back, sets down at the table and gestures for everyone to sit. “Wait until you see how Ben cheats at Monopoly. Then you’ll rethink all your life choices.”
