Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 87392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 437(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 437(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
“Jesus,” I whispered. There went my dick again, getting a little bit hard just from wondering what sort of inappropriate stuff Evan was murmuring in his sleep.
“I know,” Evan said.
Red glanced at us from the other side of the bar.
“And I wake up if I hear a damn floorboard creak,” Red said. “So, sorry, Mitch, but you’re stuck with your bestie.”
“Ugh, don’t say the word bestie,” Evan protested. “You sound like one of my students.”
“I stay hip with the youth culture,” Red said, garnering another groan from Evan and a laugh from me and Grace.
It turned out to be another two hours before any of us actually began making moves to go to bed. Grace, Red, Evan, and I sat at the bar, sipping beers and shooting the shit until the snow had coated everything and we were all tipsy and exhausted. After the long night, this was exactly what I had needed. Red and Grace were starting to feel like fast friends to me. Red regaled us with stories about the early days opening the bar, and Grace told us all about a wild trip to Vegas she’d taken last year.
And after we’d cleaned up everything at the bar and officially locked the doors, I sat on a barstool next to Evan. Our legs touched, and neither of us made any moves to separate them. Even that small amount of contact felt like the whole world to me right now. I was losing my damned mind, or drunk, or both.
All I knew was that it felt so fucking good to be near him.
Grace was the first to retreat, then Red soon after. We turned off all of the main lights in the bar and got ready to sleep.
“A few weeks back in town and I’m already sleeping in a bar,” I joked.
Evan shrugged. “You’re living the good life, as far as I’m concerned. Zach’s okay, though, right?”
“He says he’s plenty fine. I think he’s probably eating way more ice cream than I’d normally let him, but he should be okay. I told him to call if anything goes wrong.”
“Good. I definitely think he’s more trustable than either of us were at that age.”
I snorted a laugh. “Too true.”
I found myself stripping down to my underwear for the second time recently around Evan, as I watched him do the same. I tried not to stare at his body for too long but the glimpse of his milky smooth skin was distracting.
The air mattress was tucked in between two of the pool tables, forming a strange little comforting cocoon for us.
“Not every day that you get half-naked at your workplace,” Evan joked as he lay down on the air mattress and got under the big plush blanket Red had draped over it.
“This feels like the blanket forts we used to make,” I said, looking at Evan all cozy in between the pool tables. “All we need is something to drape over the top like a canopy.”
The mattress buckled and swayed as either of us moved.
“I feel like I’m in an earthquake right now,” Evan said. “You keep sinking the mattress with all of your fucking muscles.”
“Hey, weirdo, I’ve got three words for you,” I said.
“Fuck right off?” he asked, grinning.
“I was going to say ‘deal with it,’ but sure, that works too.”
“Okay, okay, fine, I like your muscles, even if they do make an air mattress feel like a damn water bed.”
I pulled in a deep breath, spreading the blanket over me. I looked up at the ceiling, which was covered in Amberfield High School football banners and memorabilia. There was one string of dim, tiny little lights strung around the bar that was still illuminated on the other side of the room, casting the room in a faint glow.
“I can’t believe this is happening right now,” I said.
Evan turned to face me. I could just make out his features, the dark row of his lashes and the faint freckles that were on his right temple.
Christ, I already wanted to kiss him. I’d only been lying next to him for ten seconds and I wanted it so badly.
“I feel like an idiot for thinking the snow would pass over us,” he said.
“At least you didn’t get stuck driving in it,” I said.
“I’m glad I came here and wasn’t stuck at home, honestly,” Evan said.
“Really?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “I like being with… people,” he said. “More than being alone. As long as the people are good ones.”
“Everything is better when you’re around me,” I said simply, letting out a long sigh. “Why is that?”
“Because you’re able to laugh at me, and that makes you feel good?” he offered.
I smiled, involuntarily reaching out to stroke a hand through his hair. “You do make me laugh, but not at you,” I said. “But it’s more than just that.”