Page 53 of Keep Me

“I think they are,” Cameron mutters as we watch Theo and Elio roll up their sleeves, drop to their knees on the floor, and rest their elbows on the table.

“Ry guy, give us the official countdown,” Theo calls out as he and Elio lock hands.

“No.”

“Ronnie boy?”

Cameron shakes his head, but gets up nonetheless. He’s too damn nice. “All right, on three. One, two, three!”

They’re instantly battling it out in the center, their arms not favoring in one direction or the other. Elio looks like he’s about to break a sweat, but when I look at Theo, I see nothing but pure amusement dancing in his eyes.

“That’s all you got, Eli Oldi?” Theo huffs out sarcastically.

Elio grunts and his arm gains some traction on Theo, taking the lead. Theo chuckles, and then suddenly, he’s smashing Elio’s hand down.

We’re all silent for a beat, then Theo erupts. He jumps up and down, screaming, “I did it! I beat a hockey legend at an arm wrestle. Oh my God.”

Cameron and I laugh at the spectacle, but I can’t deny I’m impressed. Theo’s always been bulky, after he gained some weight in high school, and now that he’s in a D1 sport, the guy looks insane.

Elio shakes his head as he takes a seat on the couch once again. “Settle down, kid.”

Theo smiles happily as he too sits back down beside Cameron. “This is going down as the best night of my life.”

“That’s the saddest thing ever if that’s true,” I comment.

“Be happy for him. He hasn’t been laid in a long time, so he needs to get his hits somewhere,” Elio remarks, reaching for one of the apple crumble mini pies Jasmine left out.

“Psssh.” Theo waves him off. “At least I don’t get my hits from fucking my friend’s daughter.”

My eyes widen, as do Cameron’s. Did he just say that? Then again, it’s Theo. The shit that comes out of his mouth is usually out of pocket.

“Point taken,” Elio agrees, but then his tone turns icy. “But talk about Jasmine in that way again and I will kick your ass.”

Theo throws his hands up in defense. “Sorry, Eli Oldi, didn’t mean it that way. I thought we could joke about it now since the two of you are public. You know Jasmine’s my girl. I’d never disrespect her.”

“She’s not your girl either. Maybe just stop talking,” Elio says, but there’s humor in his voice. “And that nickname fucking sucks.”

“What? It’s genius. It’s a mix of your name and you being the oldest in the friend group!”

“We’re not a friend group,” I retort.

“As if. Elio is dating Jasmine, who is best friends with Aurora, who is dating Cameron. I’m best friends with both Aurora and Jasmine, meaning I got the in. And since you’re my best friend, Ry guy, you are in the group too.”

“What a joy.” I smirk, but it’s half-assed. The last thing I need is more friends. The team is enough, and in a few months, I probably won’t see any of them ever again anyway once I go pro.

“I miss her.” Cameron sighs, staring at the background on his phone that has a picture of my soon-to-be stepsister.

“Same,” Elio agrees, staring at a picture frame on the coffee table with a photo of him and Jasmine in it.

“How does it feel to be in love? Seriously, I’ve never felt it before,” Theo asks, his voice devoid of his usual joking manner.

Cameron, being the quiet one, looks at Elio to take this on. “It makes everything feel more intense. You feel more alive than ever before. It makes you wonder how you went through life without them and terrifies you to imagine a day when you do,” Elio answers.

My brain conjures up an image of me saying goodbye to Camille, and it makes my entire body go rigid.

“It fills something inside of you too, like a permanent warmth in your chest that never seems to go away,” Cameron adds, his dimples popping out as he smiles.

Before anyone can say anything, we hear the keypad whirring. Elio jumps up in confusion, but stops halfway to the door when it swings open and four girls enter the apartment. Jasmine leads the pack, followed by Aurora and Marcela. Then Camille walks in, her eyes latching onto mine instantly.

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