Page 81 of Honey Undone
“I’m not getting hitched, we’re just going out,” I said, my brows pinching together at his accusation. Adeline bristled at the word boyfriend, there was no way she wanted anything more than fun.Right?
“Sure,” Van said. Giving me a dirty, all knowing look.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing, you just seem to really like her but anytime someone brings her up in a manner that’s more serious than I don’t know a booty call or a fling you clam up like someone asked when the wedding was… that’s all.” Van explained.
“Is that all?” I scowled at him. I didn’t clam up. I panicked. There was a clear distinction. “We’re having fun, no strings attached, easy and simple.”
“Oh, come on Jenny, you and I both know Cael was on to something that day. It’s alright if you see her as more than casual. Even fuckboys are allowed to catch feelings every once in a while,” Van said. “And you definitely don’t have to lie to me about it, I’m your best friend.”
“I’m not lying.”
“So you know about the California offer and you’re not bothered by it?” Van asked, unknowingly sharing something with me that I definitely wasn’t supposed to know about. “You’re alright with her leaving?”
I swallowed the need to ask him what the hell he was asking about and put the pieces together as quickly as I could on my own. Adeline had been offered the trade to California. She had mentioned it in passing once or twice, but never anything serious. How long had she known about it?
“There are plenty of girls in Harbor,” Van said, knowing that I was tripped over by the news but not willing to give me the satisfaction of backing out of the corner he had walked me into. I agreed with him. The problem was by the way my brain stuttered around the statement, it was obvious that my heart and mind didn’t agree.
There’s only one Adeline Sarah.
“Like I said,casual.” I repeated and Van watched me with his stupid, intelligent eyes seeing through the lie I was throwing at him.
Van just laughed as the timer on the oven went off. Whatever it was that Josh had started smelled delicious and when I pulled the massive sheet pan from inside the waft of Chicken Parmesan hit my nose like a tidal wave.
“He should always cook, it should be a law…” I mumbled, inhaling more of the smell as I set it down on the counter.
“His rotation is purely Italian food and hamburgers, we’ll all be carb loaded and need to get our ball pants sized up,” Van noted tossing the veggies into the bowl.
“Are you complaining?” Josh appeared from the living room archway with a scowl on his face and Van just smiled at him. It was still awkward at times, mostly because Josh didn’t know how to be human. He was serious all the time except for around Dean and even then saying he was enjoying himself was a stretch.
And he was sneaky as hell, you never knew when he was around and he was always just… there. But he had started to warm up to the Nest, to the team. Just in time for us to graduate, sure, but he had gotten there.
My phone vibrated in my pocket and I took the momentary lull in conversation to check it.
Do you think you could come get me from practice?
Me?
Sorry I meant to text my other booty call, ignore this.
I shook my head, I was wrapped around her little finger and she knew it.
“No complaints here,” I said for the both of us as I scooped a hot chicken breast into a to-go container and shoveled some salad into a zip-lock bag. Van stared at me like I was insane but I just shrugged, “Salad in a bag…” I grumbled, squeezing in some dressing with a smile on my face. “I have to go, I’m meeting Adeline. Thanks for dinner, Josh.”
“Jenny,” Van called out to me and I stopped.
“What?” I gripped the door frame waiting for him to speak again.
“That’s how I know,” he said, “you’re the only person that calls her Adeline.”
“Everyone calls her that.” I shook my head and tapped the wood.
“Not the way you do.” Van stared at me and Josh looked over his shoulder with a smug smile.
“Fuck you both.”
I was supposed to be picking up Adeline from practice but when I arrived their field was empty and the only sounds, I could hear were coming from the field over. I followed the noise past a row of seating and popped out the other side on the edge of another pitch. It was only when I heard Adeline’s laughter that I knew I was in the right place.
