"Good fight, buddy!"
I just nod because I can still feel Lilly pressed on top of me. Now I’m also grateful for choosing this particular shirt earlier, as it covers a certain body part below my belt that has not gotten thewe-are-in-publicmemo.
Lilly is next to Denielle, who says something that makes them both crack up, and Wes punches my shoulder. "What the fuck, man? I walked in here and thought I was tripping. That was AWE-SOME!"
Then, he adds with a whisper, "And seeing Lilly hand you your ass was fucking hot!"
That snaps me out of it, and a snarl erupts out of my throat.
He holds up his hands and grins. "Sorry, man!"
Of course, Wes thinks it’s because of the handing-me-my-ass part, not him referring tomyLilly as hot.
During my interaction with Wes, Lilly grabs her bag and leaves the room with Denielle without saying a word. And that easy, my excitement turns back to irritation.
Lilly and Deniellerun through their workout routine while Wes and I are in the free weight section which is tucked in the back of the gym. I sneak a glance whenever I can, and twice, Lilly’s eyes meet mine, but she averts her gaze immediately. I know we’re not supposed to like each other in public, but really?
It’s Wes’s turn on the bench press when I sweep the gym again. The girls are on the other side of the treadmills, stretching and laughing. I’m about to focus back on my best friend when something catches my eye. One of two guys by the farthest leg press—the one closest to Lilly and Denielle—is openly watching them. His buddy is busy with the machine and doesn’t notice that his friend is not paying any attention while he’s chatting away. My eyes narrow, and I scan both of them. I haven’t seen either of them before. The one on the leg press has black hair and somewhat of an Asian look to him; the other one is as Caucasian as it gets. And I don’t like one bit how he’s ogling the girls.
"Your turn." Wes making room for me on the bench snaps me out of my thoughts, and I shake my head. I need to get a grip, or there is no way I will make it through school tomorrow. Maybe having toendureKat will actually be a good distraction.
We finish,and Wes insists on going over to Lilly and Denielle, who are now sitting at a table by the protein and juice bar. We’re almost at their table when Denielle points at something, and sure enough, I follow her gaze and land on the two guys. They have moved on to pull-ups, and this time, I get a better look at them. They’re both older, late twenties I’m guessing, and definitely new here. The dark-haired guy is shorter than his friend, but both are well over six feet and built, like those guys that work out for a living. Asian dude notices the girls watching and winks at them. Fucking winks. Wes sees me staring and mutters something I can’t understand because of the blood rushing inside my ears.
I’ve seen Lilly flirt before. I’ve seen Lilly kiss before. But despite my drunken tantrum at Sloane’s party, I always knew it was nothing serious. That was before. Before we spent day and night together for almost ten days. Before I held her in her sleep, before I held her hand when she needed comfort, and before she was flat on top of me just an hour ago.
We reach their table, and I stand back, biting my tongue. I have no right to act like the jealous boyfriend, but I can’t stop my hands from balling into fists. Lilly has avoided me for days. The closenessI knowshe felt during our match and now these flirting fuckers are too much.
Lilly stands up to hug Wes.
"What’s up, beautiful? I didn’t get to congratulate you earlier for beating your brother’s ass."
Lilly blushes,and her gaze flickers to me.
Den smirks devilishly. "What’s up, snow face?"
Both girls burst out laughing, and Wes frowns. "Not cool, D."
Which makes them laugh even harder. I raise my eyebrows.
Wes catches my eyes and just grumbles, "Let it go."
Before I can stop myself, I blurt out, "I haven’t seen you at home."
That brings three sets of eyes to me. Lilly’s turning cold. "That’s because you haven’tbeenat home." Her words are like someone dumped a bucket of ice water over my head.
Isthatwhy she is so mad at me?
Den cocks her head knowingly, Wes looks puzzled, and Lilly stands up, brushing past me. "Den knows."
Wha—?
She’s walking away fast, and I call, "Everything?"
Lilly keeps going without a backward glance. Denielle slowly gets up to follow.
"Everything." She almost sounds sorry when she responds, which confuses me even more. She’s been my biggest detractor for years.
FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC.