“Why are you so happy?” I mumble, keeping my eyes on my phone.
He laughs. “Because I get to see my girlfriend this afternoon. She’s coming for the party.”
“Nice.” I nod, glancing up in time to see his dopey smile.
Shit, he’s gone and fallen hard for this one.
From memory, he fell hard for some chick last year too, but that all went to shit. I still remember that day when he arrived at basketball practice. I’d never seen him so enraged. Something about a baby and lying women and I don’t know. I avoid emotional drama at all costs, so I hung out on the other side of the court while the coaches huddled around him.
He left a while later, and all the coaches said was “Ben isn’t feeling well.”
Whatever.
I didn’t want to follow it up, but I’ve always been curious.
Should I ask?
No! Do not ask. Avoid the emotional drama, dude. You know this.
Clamping my lips together, I miss a jump and watch my character fall into oblivion. Shit, I don’t know why the hell I keep playing this game.
Because every time you get a little farther along the course, you’re addicted all over again.
“So, where is everyone?” Ben rinses off the frying pan and stacks it in the rack.
“Darian and Charli have gone for a run. Crazy-ass people.” I raise my eyebrows while Ben laughs.
“Running on their day off. That’s dedication.” The side of his mouth lifts into a grin.
“Those two always have way too much energy to burn, and Dee probably has some stupid theory that exercise will kick his hangover or some shit.” I shake my head. “As for the others, I think Mac is nursing a coffee and looking like shit out on the deck.” I glance over my shoulder and spot his leg stretched out, his toes clinging to the railing of the deck, while a puff of smoke wafts away from him. Smoking. Gross. I’m staying inside.
“I think Nix is still upstairs sleeping. I tiptoed past her room and heard her snoring.” Ben grins.
I laugh and bob my head. “I think Enzo and Adonis are trying to fool themselves into thinking they’re pool masters.”
“There’s a pool table?” Ben’s head pops up. “Where?”
“Game room. Downstairs.”
“This place has another floor?” His eyebrows rise.
I laugh. “There’s this basement, man-cave area. It’s pretty cool. You should go check it out.”
“Yeah, I will after I’ve finished cleaning this up.”
The glass door slides open, and we both glance over to see Jimmy walk in. He has a towel wrapped around him, and I wonder how far he swam. I saw him jump into the water after he’d finished his Tai Chi. Damn, the guy’s a machine. His body is so cut, he must be like 5 percent body fat.
“Morning.” I raise my hand in greeting.
He gives me a shy nod, then acknowledges Ben before padding up the stairs.
I share a look with my teammate and then can’t help a soft laugh. Jimmy’s kind of weird, but I like him. He seems like a good guy. He made sure everyone got to bed last night and didn’t end up sleeping on the table or anything.
A few seconds later, Mac’s shuffling into the house.
“Hey, do you need any help organizing things for tonight?” Ben asks him.
Mac grunts, scratching the top of his messy black hair and flicking the stud in his lip with his tongue. His blue eyes look a little glazed. Yep, he’s high.
