Page 37 of Caught Stealing

“Highly unlikely,” I say at the same time Holden says, “Absolutely not,” and our gazes lock in the mirror again.

At least we can agree on something.

“What do you mean bya lot?” I ask skeptically, my interest piqued.

Rather than listing out his music tastes, Holden unlocks his phone and tosses it at me in the back seat. I quickly scroll through his downloaded music and find out Kason is right. There’s a ton of music on here that I already know. A Day To Remember, I Prevail, and Bad Omens roll out his top three artists. Bring Me The Horizon isn’t far behind—though I’m chalking it up to his sharing the same last name with the lead singer rather than having actual taste.

But as I keep searching the list, I’m shocked to see some obscure bands it took meyearsto find, Nerv and AVOID being two of them.

“Shit,” I whisper before holding the phone out for him. “You’re telling me Holden Sykes, campus playboy, and literal golden retriever, is a closet emo?”

Noah snorts out a laugh. “Holdenretriever.”

“That’s going a bit far with it,” he says as he takes the phone from my hand while ignoring Noah’s joke. Yet, from the flash in his eyes, I’m taking it as a yes.

Well, I’ll be damned.

“At least you’re not a closet Swiftie,” Kason says, and I watch him visibly shudder.

His nose wrinkles up in disgust. “Unless it’s a metal cover, I refuse to listen to her songs.”

Once again, he’s stolen the words right outta my mouth, which leaves me in nearly as much shock as his taste in music. Never in my lifetime would I have thought we would have that in common.

Truth be told, I never thought we’d haveanythingin common, yet here we are.

Add it to the growing list of things I’m learning about Holden Sykes.

God only knows how many hours we’ve been in the car now. It feels like close to an eternity, and after hitting multiple slowdowns through Atlanta and Tampa, I’m getting antsy for us to finally arrive at the condo.

We all are, if Noah’s constant tapping on his leg or Holden’s inability to pick a single song to listen to are any indications. The only person who seems relaxed is Kason—and that’s because he’s passed out yet again.

I swear, he could sleep through a fucking hurricane.

However, a buzz of excitement fills the car when we finally pass the sign welcoming us to St. Petersburg, Florida, giving all of us a burst of new life.

“I’ve never seen such a beautiful sight,” Noah says as he stares out the window at the sign.

“You haven’t seen the beach yet,” I tell him, grinning.

“Hope it’s worth it, ‘cause that ride was brutal, and I never wanna do it again.”

I glance at him, brows raised. “We get to do it all over again in ten days. Unless you forgot, we don’t get to stay here forever.”

He lets out a long, low groan. “Fuck, don’t remind me.”

“At least we’ll all be tired,” Kason pipes up, and I hadn’t realized he was awake again.

“That’s true.” This comes from Holden. “The anticipation is always the worst part, so it always feels a million times longer.”

Yet another thing we can agree on, as trivial as it might be. But I’m hoping it means spending these next ten days with him won’t be nearly as painful as I initially thought they’d be.

At least, here’s to hoping.

“So since we’re almost here, what’s the rooming situation gonna be like?” Noah asks, glancing between the three of us. “Because as much as I love you guys, I’m not looking to snuggle up with another guy the entire time we’re here. Homo or no homo.”

I roll my eyes before looking over at him. “There are enough beds for everyone. I get the master, but besides that, you fools can figure it out.”

“I already got my roomie,” Holden says, causing my attention to lift to the rearview mirror. His eyes are already staring through it, waiting to lock with mine, and he smirks before glancing over at Kason.

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