Page 66 of The Lie
It’s grown quiet suddenly, so I open my eyes and bring my head up to find Asher and Walker staring at me. They’re not even moving; it’s like they’re just stuck.
I frown. “Hey.” I splash a little bit of water at them.
Walker blinks. Asher shifts and looks away. And it makes the butterflies rise up. No, not tonight. Shut that shit down, stupid body. Walker sees the change in Asher and gives me that cocky grin. “Fucker,” I mutter under my breath, and his eyes light up.
“Just one night, Mila. You, me…myego. We’ll rock your world.” Walker licks his lips and winks.
Asher’s watching him like he can’t believe Walker’s propositioning me in the hot tub with him right there.
Feeling light and free, I laugh. I know Walker’s messing with me… well, partly. I’m sure if I said yes, he would throw me over his shoulder like a caveman and run off with me to show me the big “ego” he claims to possess. But he does it to fuck with me. And I love how our friendship is so easy. Carefree.
I haven’t felt like this in weeks; everyone tiptoes around me like I’m this crazy killer girl or I’m some fragile flower. Walker acts like everything is the same, like nothing’s changed. It makes me happy.
Standing up in the water, I and twirl letting him see me again before bending down close to him. His eyes widen, and I can see the shock in them, like maybe this one time, I will take him up on his offer.
I smirk and bop his nose with my finger. “In your dreams, quarterback.” I poke my tongue out at him and return to where I’d been sitting.
He groans, and I watch his hand tug on his board shorts under the water. It makes me smile. Yep, this is normal. This is what teenagers do. Not sit around and dwell on things they can’t change. They wait for their boys to come and have fun teasing the quarterback for the rival team.
“You’re a flirt, Mila.” He pouts at me.
I chuckle. “You love it.”
And he nods and points at me.
This is our usual game, and I’m just happy that he still wants to play it with me. Asher doesn’t say anything; he just watches the exchange between us. I finally relax when they start talking about last night’s game and I can just chill out here while I wait.
“Hey, babe.”
I open my eyes and Hunter’s there, stripping down to get in. Roman’s eyes are on Asher. He doesn’t seem to like him; neither does Hunter. But the whole time I’ve been in here, Asher hasn’t spoken to me. So they have nothing to worry about.
“How’d it go?”
I’ve been a little worried about Hunter’s dad possibly saying no to Roman living there and all the paperwork and stuff involved. It would be easier for him to let Roman go to a group home. And I know Hunter’s dad isn’t a family man.
“Roman gets to stay.” Hunter smiles, it doesn’t reach his eyes but when he sees me staring he grins, just as he jumps into the hot tub with his boxers on.
I laugh as he kisses me then looks behind him to Walker, wiggling his ass at him. Walker smacks it, and they laugh. At least they’re still on good terms.
Roman hesitates outside the hot tub. I reach out and hold his hand. He gives me a small smile.
“Did you want to come in? Or I can get out, and we can go watch a movie?”
Preferably, at my house.
With the three of us.
Alone.
TWENTY-EIGHT
MILA
Nothing says late-night snack, when you’re the snack.
We left Kate’s house and made our way back to mine. Hunter put on a movie and Roman lingered beside me, everywhere I went. Like he’s worried if he can’t see me, something will happen.
Considering how often he does that, I’m starting to take it seriously. Those guys who beat him up and hit me with their car…I think that’s who he’s referring to when he says he can’t be with me. To keep me safe. But when he’s with me, he watches me like a hawk, and that’s not healthy either.
