Page 84 of Changing the Play

“Are you nervous about getting your final grades?”

I look up at Darcy, trying to ignore the absolute crazy that’s happening in my apartment. I mean, I’m excited. I’m happy that everyone is here for Super Bowl Sunday, but at the same time, holy shit, there is not enough room in my apartment. If it was just me and Darcy with Parker and Ben, it might not be too bad. But somehow Landon, Devon, and Levi all ended up here too.

Devon and Levi have been throwing a football back and forth—which is not great for my sanity—and Landon and Ben are attached to Parker like the sun shines out of their ass or something. I’m not sure of the details between the three of them, and truly I don’t think I want to be.

I glance around at my full couch and lean forward, grabbing Darcy around the waist and pulling him into my lap. “No. I’m not nervous.”

He nuzzles my cheek and drags his lips over my jaw. “Yeah?”

“Don’t make me hard on the same couch Parker’s sitting on, baby. They’ll never let me live it down.”

Darcy laughs, pulling away from me and putting some much-needed distance between his mouth and my body. “The only hiccup was one question about the guillotine and it was mostly because I had to think past how much I wanted to kiss you that day and actually focus on remembering your words.”

“Yeah? Was I a distraction?” His lips curve up into a smirk, and he winks at me.

“Always. My favorite distraction, though.”

I lean forward, keeping my grip tight on Darcy’s waist so he doesn’t fall off my lap, and pick up the plate of mozzarella sticks off the table. When I settle back on the couch, Parker reaches over and steals one.

I glare at them. “Hey, keep your hands on your own snacks.”

Park shrugs. “You’re hogging the whole plate, Weston. What do you expect me to do? Just let you get by with that? No.”

Darcy laughs. “They’ve got a point.”

I don’t even have time to defend myself before he’s taking one for himself. “You two are traitors.”

“Steal one for me, baby,” Ben says, rubbing his hand up Parker’s thigh.

“Ew. Don’t call me that,” Parker replies, but they do steal one and hand it over.

At this rate, I’m not going to have a single damn mozzarella stick to myself. “I’m regretting inviting all of you.”

“You love us,” Park says around a mouthful of my snacks.

“You’re pushing the limits.”

Darcy squirms in my lap, shushing me. “Boys!”

Devon and Levi both turn, losing control of the football and sending it careening into the wall. Levi cringes. Darcy narrows his eyes. He’s got the professor look down pat and it’s turning me on, but fuck, when does this mannotturn me on? “Both of you find somewhere to sit. It’s kick-off time.”

Properly scolded, Devon and Levi sit on the floor in front of the couch. There’s some wiggling and squirming beside me, and I glance over in time to watch Parker practically crawl into Ben’s lap and drape their legs across Landon’s. Without even looking away from the TV, Lan places his hands on Parker’s thighs and squeezes. The three of them are going to need to chill on my couch.

“And you three,” Darcy says, snapping my attention to him. “Keep it PG or I swear to God—”

“Darcy thought the lines they show on TV were real,” Parker says, interrupting him and making a roar of laughter echo through the room.

I can’t help but laugh along, and for once, Darcy seems unable to come up with a witty remark. At least for a second. “Park, we’ve been friends for a long time, but I really hate you right now. You can’t just call me out like that around a bunch offootball players.”

Parker shrugs, not taking their eyes off the TV. “I think you’ll find that I can.”

I’ll deny this to my dying breath, but it’s probably a good thing the three of them have… whatever it is they have going on. I’m not sure one person would be enough to contain Parker.

Everyone calms down for the most part, and we watch the game in relative silence. I say relative because Darcy truly does not know how to watch a game without yelling at the TV, but I think he’s found his match in Devon, who gets just as heated. I sit back, smiling asDarcy oscillates between sitting happily in my lap and jumping up with Devon to rage about the game.

By the time the game ends, the living room is a mess of half-empty plates, too many empty beer cans to count, one passed out Levi, and a flushed and smiling Darcy, who’s sprawled across me.

Parker finally climbs from Ben’s lap and starts picking up the trash, like the little godsend they are, and it’s not long before everyone is joining them.

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