Page 71 of The Season
Tom grunts out what sounds like an affirmative response.
“I suggest you sleep on the couch and give her your bed,” Seth continues, his tone heavy with finality. “And then you help her change her flights so she can leave tomorrow.”
Tom’s brow dips, and he rubs at the back of his neck. “But she was scheduled to stay for three nights. I’m sure she’ll come around…”
I give a snort of disbelief, and Tom narrows his beady eyes on me.
“What? You don’t think she will?” he asks, his chest puffing up with bravado. “I’ve cheated on her before and she didn’t care. She’s a solid five. She knows she’s hitting way above her league with me…”
“Just go for a fucking walk, mate,” Liam snaps, his voice full of ice. “No one here wants front-row seats to your drama, okay.”
Tom grumbles out a protest, then looks at Matty of all people. Matty shakes his head, his lips pulled into a frown, his gaze dropping to the plate of pasta in front of him.
“This is bullshit,” Tom hisses, intentionally kicking aside several pairs of shoes as he bends to lace up his boots. “You guys are real jerks, you know that.”
No one replies, and for a long moment, the only sound is Tom huffing and grunting as he struggles with his new boots, and then the slamming of the door as he disappears into the cold night air.
“Well, that was fun,” I deadpan, though in truth, I do feel marginally better. I clap my hands together, giving my remaining flatmates a wide grin. “Now let’s have some dinner, I’m starving.”
Chapter23
Lily
Tessa:Party on Sunday if you’re keen?
Tessa:One of Jason’s friends has a girlfriend with a sweet house up the canyon. Like a mega mansion. You have to come. Tell the flatmates they can come too, if they behave.
Tessa: Please don’t leave me alone with all Jason’s friends (crying emoji)
I snort out a laugh, grinning like a dork at the screen of my phone before flicking back to the message thread I’ve got with Summer and Lani.
Me:So… remember the hot French guy I was telling you about?
Lani: (wide eyes emoji)
Summer: Which one was he again?
Summer:So many. It’s hard to keep track (laughing emoji)
My smile falters, the familiar curl of unease tightening my stomach. I know Summer doesn’t mean anything by it, that it’s just friendly teasing, but that doesn’t stop the guilt from resurfacing.
Since talking with Seth and then kissing Antoine earlier this week, things are pretty much back to normal with everyone. The only difference is Tom hates me more than ever, since, according to him, it was my fault Eve decided to break up with him. We all eat dinner together—usually with Seth cooking and me and Antoine trying to help. And I still cuddle up with Antoine and Seth on the couch in the evenings.
But I haven’t kissed Antoine again.
I’m too afraid of what the other guys will think. Eddie had looked horrified when he walked in on us. I can’t even imagine what it would do to Matty.
Matty, who practically declared his love to me the other day. Matty, who is everything sweet and sexy rolled into one. Who is definitely too good for me.
I silence my phone and slip it into my pocket, then lean against my locker in the changing room with a sigh.
Outside, the wind howls, the one tiny window visible from the locker room completely white with snow. A blizzard settled in after lunchtime, so quite a few people canceled lessons, leaving me with nothing to do for the afternoon. I was hoping at least some of the guys would be finished for the day as well, but no such luck.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, but I ignore it, choosing instead to sprawl out on the wooden bench, my duffel under my head like a pillow, my feet crossed at the ankles. It’s not comfortable enough to take a nap, but after four days on the snow teaching, any sort of rest feels good.
When my phone vibrates for what feels like the twentieth time in the past minute, I relent and pull it out, holding it up above my head and squinting against the neon lights as I read the latest messages. There are a few unread from Tessa, and a bunch from Lani and Summer, mostly nonsense stuff, and I scroll through to the end, then nearly drop my phone on my face.
Lani:Speaking of kissing and telling…
