Page 65 of Insatiable Hunger

Katie throws her head back, laughing. “Yup. Sounds about right. Who did you invite?”

“I think just Camden and Vaughn. Bodhi wasn’t able to make it down because of school. He’s gotta finish up the rest of the summer quarter before he can graduate.”

“When do they get here? Camden and Vaughn.”

“Not until later. They’re up in Atlanta, so they aren’t too far away. I wouldn’t be surprised if they decided to drive home tonight after the party.”

Katie and I decided to throw a housewarming partyverylast minute. Her friends were coming into town this weekend, so we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to have one. However, we’re probably a little cuckoo doing this the very same day we moved in, but whatever.

“Lookie what I have.” The smile on Katie’s face is contagious as she bends down into her bag, pulling out a nice clear and red bottle of my favorite liquor. “Celebratory shots?”

“Absolutely.” I open our bare ass cabinets, pulling out two red Solo cups, lining them up in front of her while she pours two decent sized shots of red berry Ciroc.

We say a quick toast before tossing them back, both buzzing with anticipation and excitement for tonight.

***

Rake It Upby Yo Gotti and Nicki Minaj pulsates through the speakers at a volume much louder than probably acceptable in a neighborhood, but none of us seem to care.

Shots are being poured, a couple of kegs stand in the corner of the kitchen, and there’s even a pretty wild game of Cards Against Humanity happening on the floor in the living room. Sweaty, drunk bodies fill the empty dining room, inhibitions long gone as they grind on one another and let themselves fully be in the moment.

It’s been about two hours since people started arriving, and despite how fucking exhausted I am from the moving today, it’s been a blast. I’ve lost count of the number of shots and beers I’ve had. All I know is there’s probably more liquor than blood in my body at this point, and I’m feelinggood.

Stepping out back to one, find Katie, and two, get some fresh air because that house is stuffy as fuck, I take a deep breath. Sweat and liquor are the fragrance filling the space. The backyard has a decent-sized raised deck that’s partially covered, and on the covered side is a group of people standing around smoking. I’d bet my left nut Katie is amongst them.

Sauntering over there, a strawberry Blow Pop in my mouth, my gaze flits from Enzo, to his friends, whose names I can’t recall in my current state of inebriation, to one of the twins, who I’m guessing is Anderson, since the hottie who looks like Manu Rios is hanging off him, to the other twin currently making out with Knox, to—yup, I knew it—Katie.

She spots me immediately, her hands going up in the air as she shuffles over to me. “Eliassss!” She’s clearly had as much to drink as I have. “There you are!”

“What’re y’all doing?” I ask her as we join the rest of the group.

Instead of answering me with words, Knox hands me a lit joint. My eyes automatically dart to Enzo, and he chuckles as he brings one of his own up to his lips.

Alright, then.

Taking a couple of hits, I pass it back to Knox. He takes a drag, his nostrils flaring as he does. A black hoop adorns his left one, and he’s covered in tattoos—arms, legs, neck… everywhere I see skin, I see ink too. He’s really fucking hot in a bad boy type of way. I don’t know much about him other than Katie met him in college, and they quickly became best friends. Oh, and he has an equally attractive boyfriend.What I wouldn’t give to be the filling in the middle of their sandwich.

“So, Katie says you just graduated from Duke,” Knox mutters. “Congrats, man.”

A smirk tugs on my lips. “Yeah, I did. Thank you.”

“Elias!” Katie tugs me by the arm, forcing my attention to her. “Have you met Waylon yet?”

Her bloodshot eyes are wide and gleaming as she nods her head to the man standing beside Enzo. Like Knox, he’s got dark hair and is covered in tattoos, but his features are sharp and his muscles large. Dark, broody eyes meet mine as his lips tilt into a crooked grin, a toothpick hanging from the left side of his mouth. The white tee he’s wearing has the sleeves rolled up, and paired with the tight black jeans hugging his hips like a second skin, he’s very much giving James Dean.

“We met briefly when he first got here,” I reply. I know he came with Enzo, but I don’t know anything else, like how they know each other.

“He works with Enzo,” she tells me, wagging her brows.

“So, you’re a cop,” I deadpan, unable to hide the smirk.

He chuckles. “That I am.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, officer.” Throwing him a wink, I take the joint being passed back to me and hit it again. My head already feels a little extra fuzzy, between the copious amounts of alcohol and now this.

Everyone laughs as he holds his hand up in front of him and says, “Please, call me Waylon.”

Katie wraps her arm around my shoulder, whispering in my ear, “He’s cute, right?”

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