Page 82 of Not Catching Love

“Sorry to drop by like this, but he hasn’t been answering his phone.” It’s been twenty-four hours, and considering I hear from Xander all day every day, I couldn’t go home after work until I’d checked in.

Maybe he’s ignoring me on purpose, I don’t know, but I’m also not the type to play games and sit around questioning.

Fuck. I really am an old person.

“Ah, yeah,” Christian steps aside. “He’s in Seven’s room.”

“Am I okay to go up?”

“Sure.” He glances overhead, wavering on saying more. “I don’t think he’s in a great space, like, I dunno. Go easy.”

And that gets me moving. What the hell happened?

I take the stairs two at a time and head along the hall. I’ve only been upstairs once, so I’m not completely confident which room is Seven’s, but after knocking on two closed doors with no answer, I finally hit the right one.

“Come in.”

I puff out an exhale before pushing the door open.

“Hey,” Seven says, glancing up from where he’s scrolling on his phone, like me being in his bedroom is a totally normal thing. Xander’s tucked up under his arm, and Molly’s hugging Xander from behind, watching a movie on his laptop.

“Hey, sorry to stop by. I hadn’t heard from Xander in a bit, and I was worried.”

It’s clear Xander knows I’m here because his back goes tense under his T-shirt, and he burrows down into the pillow.

Seven and Molly exchange a look before Molly pauses his movie.

“How was work?” he asks, like Xander isn’t ignoring me.

“Fine …”

He reaches down to pat the vacant spot by Seven’s legs. “Wanna watch the movie with me? Seven thinks musicals are boring.”

“Hey,” he grumbles. “I’m sitting here, aren’t I?”

“Not watching.”

“My ear holes are open.” Seven looks over at me. “Boyfriends are bossy.”

My eyes drift to the back of Xander’s head. “I can’t wait to find out.”

Molly gently shakes Xander’s shoulder. “You’re being rude.”

“Tell him to go away,” comes his muffled voice.

The three of us share a look. My first instinct is to be hurt, then offended, then want to say fuck it and leave. Did he really say that? Like I’m not in the room?

Before either of them can answer him, I get in first. “Did I do something wrong?”

His voice is a lot quieter this time. “No.”

In that case, I’m not going anywhere. “Then say it to my face. Tell me you want me to leave.”

Molly looks like he’s trying not to laugh.

“I … can’t.”

“Why?”

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