Page 152 of The Casualty of Us
“I’ll have a shot ready with your name on it,” O jokes back with a grin before ordering. “Now everyone leave me alone about it.”
It leaves me fighting another twitch of my lips because it’s cute that she’s trying to make friends. It’s been good for her to be back here actually, I think. Away from all the insanity of stalkers and kidnapping for ransom that’s waiting out there.
Now I just need to get her to accept that there’ll always be some danger lurking around the corner. That no matter how careful we are in life, we’ll never really be safe.
Yeah, that’ll be easy.
“I never would have pegged you for a cheerleader, O.”
Fucking hell, I can’t even stand the way he says her name.
It’s my letter, mine, just like she is. The only member of the male species I’m willing to share her heart with is Ollie, and that’s just because he was there first, but I’m not fucking doing it with anyone else.
“Yeah.” She shrugs like there was never any fit thrown about it. “It’s a new thing this year for me, but I don’t mind it actually.”
I run my thumb a little further up the inside of her leg, smirk slipping free and immediately teasing her under my breath. “Lots of new things to like this year.”
Her gaze flicks to me in horror as Marley chokes on her smoothie and Kyler eyes us suspiciously.
He pauses, and I can see he wants to question it but instead just gives me afuck offsmile before looking back at Ollie. “So are you going to be in town for Christmas?”
“Yeah,” Ollie sighs shortly, apparently already knowing what’s coming next and adding, “And yeah, we’ll be at your parents’ New Year’s Eve party again this year.”
What the actual fuck? They have parties together?
Fucking parties?
It’s bad enough they live in the same town, but now I have to worry—
“Perfect.” Kyler laughs back, gaze moving to Ophelia and the way her leg twitches under my hand lets me know I’m not going to like whatever comes next. “I miss you both, and I know things haven’t been the same since the last time and that stupid game of spin the bottle, but—”
“Dude,” Ollie scoffs, apparently fed up, but I’m still trying to make sense of something that just clicked. “It’s ancient history, but don’t act like you’re all innocent and didn’t rig it.”
“Ollie, I’ve told you a million times—”
“Hold the fuck up,” I snap, bringing them both to a halt as everyone’s eyes move to me, but I ignore them, turning to Ophelia’s surprised face and demanding “It was a game of spin the bottle? Your first kiss with him?”
“Uh—” Her brows fall, gaze darting around nervously before coming back to mine and breathing out with obvious frustration, “Yeah.”
“Ha!” I don’t even try to stop the laugh that escapes, looking back across the table to smirk victoriously at the fucker, only too happy to inform him, “That doesn’t count.”
“What the fuck?” He glares back. “Yes, it does.”
“Setting aside the fact Ollie says you rigged it,” I narrow my eyes at him, fully ready to go to bat on this one now. “It’s a game, not a choice, and therefore it doesn’t count. Not really.”
“Yeah, it does.” A muscle tics in his cheek as he grits out, “Regardless of whether it was a game or not, it happened—”
“Maybe in the physical sense but not the emotional one.”
“She wanted to kiss me too!”
Fuck. That one hurts.
I clench my jaw for a beat, determined not to let him win even though I know that’s true and biting out, “Consent is key,dude.” Turning my head to O, I immediately demand, “Did you ask him to kiss you?”
Ignoring the look she’s shooting me like I’ve lost the plot here, I hold her gaze until she eventually sighs. “I don’t really remember, honestly.”
“Ophelia.” I clench her thigh, calling bullshit, and she snaps.
