Page 103 of Honey Undone
“Distance isn’t going to destroy my friendship with Kaia, I want to spend as much time with you as I can before this blows up in my face and I’m reminded I can never have both things.” She said with a sadness that stung my vulnerable heart. “I have to sign the papers, finalize everything…”
“You’ve got me until then,” I said, ignoring how much the statement hurt. I wasn’t going to spring my solution on her until she asked me. I knew deep down, if Adeline really wanted me in California with her, she’d ask.
JENSEN
Van pulled the truck up to the outdoor paintball facility, and everyone hopped out. I grabbed Adeline by the waist and lowered her to the ground with a kiss to her head.
“I’m excited for today, I wish you told me it was your birthday sooner,” she hummed, staring up at the welcome sign. Her hair was loose around her face and her eyes were bright with excitement. After our hard conversation, she had been avoiding the topic altogether while I tried to find a way to keep her in my life a little longer than just the few months she promised.. For now, all I wanted to do was keep that smile on her face at least until I could make a promise I could keep.
“Presents are overrated, I’m just glad you were able to come today,” I said, taking her hand and leading her inside. Everyone had come, nearly the entire team and some stragglers. I had told the guys not to bother with a party, with everything going on in the Nest… with Cael. It felt wrong to be out enjoying ourselves. But Arlo had delivered word from Cael that if we didn’t do something he’d risk recovery and bolt from the hospital to make sure it happened himself.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” She stayed in step with me, and I got her a pair of coveralls and got her suited up with a paintball gun. I watched her tug her long dark hair into a low ponytail before she stepped into the coveralls. “I’ve never played paintball before,” she said looking nervous.
I stepped forward, reaching down to take the zipper from her, “don’t worry,” I lowered my voice as I pulled it over her chest to her collar while she locked her big hazel eyes on me. Getting her more dressed went against every fiber of ourrelationship, but at least I could have some fun with it. “I’ll talk you through it.” I whispered.
“What a gentleman,” she giggled.
“Don’t let him sweet-talk you,” Van said, tying a bandanna over his mullet. “Out there…” he looked through the dirty glass window to the vast field behind the shitty brick building we were standing in. “Loyalty means nothing to him.”
“Seriously?” Adeline looked between the two of us with that same infectious smile on her face.
“Last year I had twenty-two bruises coming out of this,” Dean said, from behind us. “They were all from him.”
“You were just going to send me out there without telling me you're a professional?” Adeline scoffed.
“They’re just messing around,” I tried to lie. The truth was, I loved paintball. The rush of running around, hiding, winning. It was my favorite thing to do for my birthday. I was just lucky that the guys always indulged me.
“We are not,” Dean argued. “Just watch your back, he’ll do anything to win.”
“Even if it means taking out the rookie,” Arlo added as he fixed Ella’s goggles on her face.
“If you guys are finished putting the fear of god into my girlfriend, can we play?” I asked, zipping up my own coveralls and scooping my gun to get onto the field.
“Losing team buys dinner,” Ella said, walking past me as I held the door open. “And we're drawing captains, you aren’t cheating,” she said, patting my chest gently.
“I don’t cheat.” I rolled my eyes as everyone else passed through the door into the field.
“Yes you do.” Van slapped my cheek, “We just let it slide because you’re an only child and it’s easier to let it go then fight you on it.”
“Wow, alright…” I shook my head and followed them to where Dean was already tossing names into his phone to randomly draw.
“Don’t worry you won’t get picked last,” I pressed my chest to Adeline’s back and whispered in her ear.
“Arlo and… Van.” He said, jogging back to toss his phone away.
I waited as the two of them looked over the roster of people available, knowing one of them would pick me first—
“Addy,” Arlo said, cutting off my thoughts.
“Don’t worry.” She turned to me with a wicked smile that begged to be kissed off her perfect face. “You won’t get picked last.”
“Ha, ha.”
She was wrong though, and as if they were trying to fuck with my head, I was in fact picked last. Van begrudgingly took me after Arlo stole Baker. Now we were on opposite teams, and I hated that. It felt like a cruel joke.
“Don’t you go easy on me,” Adeline said, shifting on her feet between Arlo and Dean. She looked oddly tiny between the two, and for a split second I was genuinely worried that today might have been a bad idea.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I winked.
