Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 101764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Another sigh left me before I reached Kenny’s room. I’d have to be more careful with those. My mom tended to bury herself under a mountain of guilt if she thought I was overworked and stressed, which I was, but she didn’t need to know that.
My heart kicked up to a full gallop as I reached for Kenny’s door handle. It turned with ease, and I pushed the door open wide enough to peek in. Relief at finding him prone and snoring hit me so hard that I almost collapsed to my knees.
Thank God.
I could get myself ready for bed, sleep a whole five hours, and make it to my nine-thirty class by the skin of my teeth.
But as was typical with solid plans, the universe decided my time would be better spent staring at my ceiling for the next two hours, wondering how awkward it would be the next time I saw Ryder.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
ALEX
“Dude, where the hell are you?”
Sparkly teal fingernails snapped in front of my eyes, making me blink. “What?”
Trevor scowled. “Okay, I know it can’t possibly be me because my company is stellar, so what is up with you today?”
Shit. I’d zoned out on him for the third time in the twenty minutes since we sat down for lunch at our favorite café on campus. “Sorry, Trev. It’s definitely not you.”
He smirked. “I know. I already said that.” Today, he’d gone with a black fitted turtleneck sweater and designer denim flares that Parker had given him for his last birthday. He’d rimmed his eyes with a dark pencil and glossed his lips with a light pink sheen. He looked gorgeous, but then Trevor always looked good. He was the epitome of a clothes horse and prided himself on always looking perfect.
“So what is it?”
I set down my spoon and pushed the tray with a bowl of tortilla chicken soup away from me. “It’s noth—”
“Nope!” Trevor pointed his fork at me. “Do not tell me it’s nothing. You’ve barely paid me two seconds of attention since we sat down, and you know that doesn’t fly with me. Spill so we can solve your problem, then get back to more important topics, mainly me.” He winked.
No one would deny that Trevor was high maintenance. Hell, he called himself a diva on a good day, but much of his over-the-top personality was a shield to hide the wounds at his core. One night, after way too many shots, he’d opened up to me about his horrific past. After promising I’d never repeat a word of his story, he’d also made me promise we’d never discuss it again. I’d honored the agreement but hadn’t forgotten the awful things he’d confided in me. It made me view Trevor in a new light.
He was a good guy who’d fought tooth and nail for every sliver of happiness he had.
I shook my head as I leaned back in my chair. “Fine. I did something stupid, that’s all. I’m just having a hard time shaking it out of my head.”
Trevor snorted. The café was crowded during lunch, and the noise drew curious looks from neighboring tables. “You, Mr. Responsible, did something stupid? What was it… you missed trash day or something?” He snorted again, then reached for his iced tea.
“Funny,” I said as he took a sip of his drink. “No, I… uh…” I lowered my voice, leaning across the small table. Christ, I couldn’t believe I was about to say this out loud. “I sucked Ryder off. And he returned the favor.”
Trevor’s eyes widened as he inhaled a sharp breath and immediately began to choke on his drink. He set down his cup, coughing so loud a woman ran over from a nearby table.
“Is he okay?” she asked as she whacked his back.
Trevor held up a hand, waving her away as he continued to cough. His eyes watered, and he wiped at them with his sleeve.
“He’s fine,” I told the concerned patron. “Just iced tea down the wrong pipe.”
She nodded and back-walked to her table, still watching my former friend, Trevor.
My face burned like I’d poured my freshly made coffee all over it. Not only had I confessed my ugly secret, we now had the whole damn restaurant gawking at us.
Trevor’s coughing finally waned. He took a sip of his tea, swallowing with care this time. “Okay,” he said after wiping his eyes again. His voice sounded hoarse from the hacking spectacle. “You’re gonna have to repeat that one for me.”
“No way.” I gave him my nastiest glare, which had less than zero effect on him. “There is no way in hell I’m telling you again after the dramatic display you just performed.”
He sniffed, then cleared his throat. “Well, pardon me for being shocked, but I did not have Alex-slurps-his-sworn-enemy’s-dick on my Bingo card for today.”