Page 71 of Her Devils

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LATER THAT NIGHT. BALCONYoutside my bedroom.

Channing:This is bullshit! Pissed off emoji. Is Ken going to sit in your living room all night? Grumpy emoji.

Me:He said he has work to do before tomorrow. Hopefully he’s going to be done soon.

Channing:Fuck. He just told me to go home and get some sleep to be in top shape for tomorrow. Now he keeps looking at me, and he doesn’t look like he’s going to move his ass off your couch. Isn’t he a newlywed? All he should be thinking about is fucking his hot new wife, not work!

Me:Eww! Stop! You’re talking about my mom having sex. Puke emoji.

Channing:Laughing emoji. Oh come on, baby! They had a whirlwind romance, there must have been lots of fucking involved.

Me:Seriously, stop. We just had dinner, and I ate too much.

Channing:Yeah, and I was planning on helping you work off all that lasagna you ate. That’s why I volunteered to help Ken with this boring as fuck work. He’s insisting on checking every specialized site and blog. Doesn’t he employ someone to do that shit?

Me:This is nationals, he’s probably just nervous.

Channing:Yeah, but I wish he was nervous someplace else. He just told me to go home again. I fucking preferred it when we had meets away from Star Cove. At least each of us would have their own hotel room. By now, I’d have sneaked into your room, and we’d be naked. That would help me take the edge off my competition jitters. How am I supposed to sleep without you in my arms? Besides, you’re my good luck charm, and I need you if I want a chance at being national champion.

I smile.

I love that Channing wants to spend every night before a big meet with me. We’ve been learning a lot of stuff about each other’s bodies since the first state meet in Azure Bay.

Me:I think you should just leave, or he’ll get suspicious. Why don’t you go for a drive, and I’ll text you as soon as he goes to bed. I’d come to your place, but he’s going to ask a lot of questions if I leave, since tomorrow is a very early start.

Channing:Eye roll emoji. He’s such a pain in the ass! You aren’t a child, and he isn’t your father. Where you go and when is none of his fucking business. He isn’t even your boss, for fuck’s sake.

Me:I know, but he’s yours, and he made it more than clear to Peyton that he doesn’t approve of anything more than friendship between me and you guys.

Channing:I can’t even blame him too much. I know we don’t have the best track record with all that heartbreaker bullshit. But Len, I hope you know that we’d never hurt you. You’re hot, and I can’t stop thinking about your sexy body, but it’s becoming more than that. You’re my best friend, and I’ve never had a girl as a friend who wasn’t my sister.

This must be one of the sweetest things a guy has ever said to me.

Me:You’re one of my best friends too, Chan, and I love when we get naked together.

Channing:Fuck it. I’ll climb up your balcony so Ken won’t see me. I need to see that little body of yours naked pronto. Grinning devil emoji.

Me:Don’t! It’s high, and what if you fall and injure yourself right before nationals?

Channing:Baby, I’m a skydiver, a state champion. I’m not scared of heights.

Me:Eye roll emoji. Yeah, but I doubt you’ll climb up the wall with your parachute on. And falling isn’t the only risk. We have an alarm that contacts the cops if it detects any intruders. You don’t want to have to explain to Ken and the police what you were doing hanging from the outside wall, right? Listen to me, go for a drive, and wait for my text. I’ll let you know when the coast is clear.

Channing:Sunglasses smiley emoji. Okay. Wear something sexy, or even better, wear absolutely nothing. See you soon, girlfriend.

I gasp, covering my mouth with my hand as I stare at my phone.

He just called me “girlfriend.”

I immediately tell myself to stop being an idiot. I’m sure Channing didn’t mean it that way. He just said I’m his best friend who’s a girl, so that’s what he was trying to say. It wasn’t a romantic thing, and if anything, that means that outside of our deal, I’m in the friend zone.

But I can’t help a wistful sigh as I stare at the word girlfriend.

“Hey, Len. Everything all right?”

I turn slowly, unable to hide my surprise. “Darrius, what are you doing here? I thought you had dinner with the team tonight.”

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