Page 29 of Flipping the Script

Except kissing Sebastian.

I still couldn’t completely wrap my head around that, or how much I’d liked it, but I’d had enough time over the past week to pack that shit away and deal with it.

It happened, I couldn’t change it, and it didn’t mean anything.

It was just a weird moment of happenstance that had gotten out of control. Nothing more.

I was over it. I should be in summer mode, ready to relax and enjoy life, but I wasn’t.

Maybe being around old friends would help shake off whatever the fuck was weighing me down.

I didn’t bother knocking when I reached the front door and walked right in.

The inside, much like the outside, was relatively quiet. I followed the sound of voices to the back living room and kitchen area and found a small group of people I didn’t recognize playing cards at the oversized kitchen table.

“Hey, looking for Ben?” a huge guy I’d never seen before asked.

“Yeah. I’m Jesse,” I added.

“Killian.” He introduced himself with a smile. “Ben’s making sure the bonfire doesn’t get out of control.”

“Thanks.” I motioned to the backyard. “I’m just going to…”

“Enjoy the party.” Killian went back to his card game, and the group resumed their quiet talking.

A bit confused by the encounter, I left the kitchen and walked through the living room to get to the back door. A few couples were busy making use of the couches and other furniture in the room, but I ignored them and went outside.

Around twenty people were clustered to one side of the firepit, where a roaring bonfire was going. Music played over some speakers that had been set up, some sort of DJ mix that had an upbeat and cheerful tone.

My bad mood intensified when I saw who was at the center of the circle holding court like some sort of royal, a beer in one hand and a smirky smile on his lips that sent a flare of anger—and arousal—through me.

Sebastian’s gaze swung to mine as I approached the group, and he paused whatever he was saying to his gaggle of admirers.

I glared back at him and stopped a few feet from the edge of the crowd.

He toasted me with his beer bottle, then went right back to his conversation, effectively dismissing me.

I should have realized he’d be here. Sebastian was apprenticing at Ben’s tattoo studio, and Ben was his mentor. They’d been friends almost as long as Ben and me. It would have been weird if he wasn’t here.

“Maybe you don’t need this after all.”

“Huh?” I shifted my attention to Ezra, who’d come up to me with a beer in each hand. Beside him were Wes and Jett, his boyfriends.

“Exactly,” Wes said.

“What?” I looked between them.

“I said hi and asked if you wanted a beer.” Ez lifted his left hand, like he was proving it with the beer he was clutching. “But you just kept glaring at Bas like he owes you money.”

“Yeah, what’s up with that?” Wes draped one arm over Jett’s shoulders. “You still hate each other for no reason?”

“Shut up.” I grabbed the beer out of Ez’s hand and took a long swallow.

Ez snort-laughed and Wes grinned. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“You hate each other?” Jett looked between me and the crowd of people around Sebastian.

“They have forever,” Wes said to Jett. “For as long as I’ve known them, at least.”

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