Page 41 of We Can't Be Friends

I nod, twirling her around. Then she twirls me.

At some point during that song, Cal disappears from our group. Scanning the crowd, I can’t spot him.

Slowly, everyone else trickles out, too, going to the actual dance floor, bar, or bathroom. Even Natalie unglued herself from the chair to dance with a random stranger.

“I have to pee,” I tell Emerson.

“I’ll go with you.” She steps off the table, grabbing for her purse.

Doing a quick scan, I notice that Liam is the only person left in the area.

“You should stay,” I encourage her.

“You’re playing games.”

“Talk to him.”

I don’t give her a chance to negotiate; I walk away and not toward the bathroom.

11

CHLOE

“Henry.”

I can hear Cal’s drawn-out call of my name.

“Henry,” he groans, his accent more husky than usual. Deep and sleepy and dreamy. And I know I’m not dreaming when he says it a third time.

“What?” I grumble. It’s too early this morning.

Last night, Callum and I left the club around one. I’m not sure what happened between the time we climbed into the car back to my place, but he went from coherent to not.

I carried him up my stairs. One of his arms slumped around me, mine around his waist. I know I’m strong, but I’m not6’3” used to play rugby and kept my physiquestrong. I had to prop him up on the wall outside of my apartment, which he decided was terrible support, and proceeded to fall to the ground. The thud echoing in the hallway like thunder.

“You have to get up,” I whisper-yelled at him. Grinding my teeth, I tried to lift him. “You are too heavy for me to pick up.”

“I could pick you up in my sleep,” he mumbled in a flirtatious tone.

“Are you trying to flirt with me, Pretty Boy?”

“You never want to flirt with me any other time.”

I stifled a laugh, but a small, giddy smile broke free.

“Try again tomorrow, and maybe I’ll flirt back,” I played along, enjoying this side of him.

Callum is fun. He’s quiet and observant in a group setting, but when he does talk, typically, it’s well thought out. He alwaysappears to be composed. Controlled. I’ve never seen him upset. I’ve never seen him out of line.

“Come on, stand up. We need to get you to bed.”

“Your bed.”

“Not happening.”

“It’s going to.”

“Not tonight.”

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