“What was that?” Finn snaps.
“Hey, assholes. I didn’t come back from camp to drive your sorry asses to the hospital. Play nice,” Xavier intervenes.
Something tells me this isn’t the first time Xavier has had to play mediator.
“How long are you back in town for?” Axel changes the topic.
“Two days,” Xavier replies. “I’m leaving tomorrow night.”
“You met the caretaker of Casa Richards yet?” Axel’s question takes me by surprise.
Shit, he’s talking about me.
Maybe this was a mistake.
I don’t think my ego can take any more hits. It’s still recovering from Finn laughing in my face this morning.
“The house sitter, is it?” Xavier sounds like he doesn’t care.
“Damn right. Sexy little thing, this one.” Axel’s throaty laugh sends a wave of disgust down my spine. “I saw her at the party, and you bet if she was living in my house, I’d be all over that ass. I can’t believe you haven’t hit that yet,” he tells Finn.
Just walk away, Dia.
You don’t need to hear this.
“Well, believe it,” Finn drones.
“Seriously, man, are you blind or just playing for the other team?” Axel scorns.
Finn scoffs. “I’m straighter than the pole your mother dances on.”
“Then what?Is she not your type? Help a brother out. If she’s fair game, just say so.”
Silence burdens the dark basement.
“So, is she?” Axel won’t let it go.
“Is she what?” Finn hisses.
Axel fails to take the hint. “Your type?”
“Of courseshe’smy fucking type. Have you seen the damn girl? Now, fuck off,”Finn snaps.
I tense up.
So… it wasn’t all in my head?
The lingering looks, the snarky comments full of innuendo. He might hate me, but he’s attracted to me, and the thought makes me feel ten percent less stupid for feeling the same way.
The conversation drifts to random topics until a phone chimes in the gloomy wine cellar.
“It’s mine,” Xavier informs his friends. I assume he’s checking the message as he doesn’t speak for a few seconds. Then he blurts, “Seriously, Richards?”
“What?” Finn questions.
“Did you really break into Ben Aster’s house and beat him up for stealing a shirt?”
That’s all it takes for my lungs to fail me.