Page 149 of Staying Selfless

“I used to hate you.” Zanders nods towards Eli.

“Not as much as I hated you.”

“Now, look at us. Did we just become best friends?”

“Yep!” Eli drunkenly laughs.

I can’t help but laugh to myself as I watch these drunk boys crack each other up. Nothing they’re saying is even that funny, yet they can barely catch their breath due to the hilarity ensuing amongst themselves.

After the two pizzas are downed in five minutes flat, Benny and I get everyone to their rooms, offering up Cam’s to Zanders since it doesn’t look like my friend is going to make it back home tonight.

Good for him, getting some birthday sex.

“We should have sex,” Eli whispers into my ear after I got him mostly naked and under the covers to go to bed. “And not because I need a distraction, but because I loooove you.”

“You probably couldn’t get it up even if you wanted to,” I tease. “The amount of whiskey you drank tonight directly correlates to whiskey-dick.”

“Is that a challenge?” His brows shoot up. “Because I’m pretty sure a few strokes from your soft hand would wake him up real quick.”

I playfully swat him in the chest before cuddling up to him, my head resting on his shoulder. “It was a really long night, Eli.”

“Okay,” he sighs in defeat, swinging his arm around my shoulders and pulling my body onto his. “Hey, Logan?”

“Hmm,” I hum, sedated and ready for sleep.

“Thanks for taking care of me. You’re really good at it.”

“Baby?” Eli whispers the following morning.

“Mmm-hmm.” My eyes are still closed, not ready to wake up just yet.

“I’m sorry for last night.”

Well, that statement causes my eyes to shoot open as I look up at Eli. “You have nothing to be sorry for. It was your teammate’s birthday. You should’ve been the one partying with them, not me. I didn’t mind taking care of you.”

“Not that. What I said last night about needing you to distract me. That was fucked up.”

“You didn’t mean it. Maybe I was being overly sensitive.”

“No, it was fucked up, but I didn’t mean it, Logan. I was just drunk and in a shitty headspace. I don’t want you to think that I’ve ever used you. It’s not like that.”

“I know.” I gently stroke his cheek. “How are you feeling today?”

“Like an ass,” Eli quickly states. “For that whole thing I tried to pull with you and for not being able to celebrate Zanders’ call-up. I mean, that’s fucking huge for him, and my ego is bruised. I’m not even on that team’s radar, so it shouldn’t matter that he got called up and I haven’t.”

“Well, I think Zanders was too drunk to notice that you were drinking because you were upset and not because you weren’t happy for him.”

“Still, I feel like a dick. Maybe I’ll take him to breakfast to celebrate.”

“Aww, breakfast. What a sweet little best friend date,” I tease.

“Shut it,” Eli laughs.

“There’s the kid!” someone yells in the hallway. “The birthday boy is back!”

“I just had sex!” Cam announces in the hallway.

Multiple cheers and shouts are accompanied by a round of applause for him.

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