Page 64 of Wilder Puck
“I’m your fake girlfriend.” She nods. “Right?”
“Okay,” I scoff because her tone is borderline annoyed. “Everything’s changed between us,” I argue, smelling the vanilla on her skin. This scent is imprinted in my brain.
She turns her head, a note of seriousness in her tone, “I know we have to fake it, but if you can refrain it, please, you can’t tell Maddie, okay? Not until we figure this out.”
I stare into her eyes, trying to figure out if she’s embarrassed or what’s rumbling inside that head of hers. I can’t tell. I nod anyway, willing to give her whatever she needs. “Yeah. I won’t say anything to her. She’s got a lot going on, so I don’t think she’ll suspect anything.”
Relief flashes across her face as she leans her head on me. “Oh, right. Is Grey coming?”
“Yeah, he should be. I invited him.”
I release her and tend back to the snack bar I was setting up before she showed up.
“Cool.” She pulls out her phone, frowning down at the screen. “Crap, I need to run back to the coffee shop. I've got to go figure this out.”
Disappointment hits me. “I can come with.”
She's already shaking her head, pocketing her phone. “No, it's okay. I'll be back later.” She kisses my cheek, a platonic thing we’ve done a thousand times before. I rest my hand on her lower back and kiss her back.
“What time will you be back?” I ask as she walks away.
She just smiles until she reaches the door. “Don’t watch the clock, Wilder.”
And then she’s gone, breezing out of my house right after another hookup. I stand here for a long moment, staring at the door like a fool. Christ, I am so whipped. Completely and totally head over ass for my best friend.
Take it slow, Wilder. Slow.
One second, Baddie is leaving. The next, Madison and Crew are walking into the house. Apparently, Sydney is interested in the coffee shop, so Addie took her with her. I’m taking a break, watching the replay of a hockey game I missed.
While prepping for the party, my sister drops a bombshell about her and Greyson Cress. We’re all in the living room, me, Baddie, Crew, Sydney, and my sister, when she spills everything that’s been going on with her and Grey. I, honestly, can’t stop staring at her horrible eyebrows. They are painted black on her face, and it’s a terrible look on her. Okay, back to her bombshell. Apparently, her douchebag ex, Matthew Pearson, wouldn’t accept their breakup, so she turned to Grey for help, which he declined at first. After he finally agreed, she claims that Grey is actually stepping up for her. I decide I need to lay off on the guy because I can tell my sister really cares about him. I’m glad that it all makes sense now because Madison Wilder and Greyson Cress do not go well together. It’s not like peanut butter jelly, it’s more like peanut butter and lasagna.
Crew seems to be more rattled than I am, but he’s way more invested in it because he’s on the same team with Grey andlives with Madison. I’m glad Mads has Crew watching her back when I can’t. Their bond has always been more like siblings, and I’m grateful for it.
Still, this is going to be a shitshow when our dad gets here. Once he catches wind that his little girl isn’t dating Matthew Pearson anymore and she’s with a new guy, he won’t like that. I foresee the lecture requiring privacy. She might be leaving the party shortly after.
Meanwhile, I have bigger fish to fry. I can’t be her buffer like I usually am. My dad is probably going to give me shit tonight too, but at least, she can leave. This is my house, so I’ll be stuck taking more shit from Coach Wilder.
When Chase, Andrew, and Colton show up, we’re all sitting outside. Crew and Sydney are chatting amongst themselves. Baddie is talking to my sister inside the house. My sister is clearly going through a hard time because the eyebrows are ridiculous and now her hair is no longer blonde. She dyed her hair brunette at the very last minute today, skipping out on prepping for the party. Apparently, Baddie helped her book the appointment. All of this is out of character for her.
I’m questioning if I should be getting more involved with my sister when Colton hits my leg.
“So, what’s the update?” Colton asks, his expression equal parts curious and smug.
All the guys know that I spilled my guts to Addie and laid it all on the line only to get hit with the "let's take it slow" treatment.
I shrug, playing it cool even as my heart clenches in my chest remembering when I was deep inside her earlier today. “She brought me coffee this morning. Not much else to report, man. Slow, remember?”
“Right,” he says with a nudge. “Slow. Sure.”
I elbow him back, shooting him a warning glare. “Worry about yourself, bro. What's the word with your girl?”
That shuts him up quick. His smirk fading into something almost sheepish.
His reaction makes me laugh, so I nudge him, giving him shit. “Just give her the sneaky cheeky behind the creeky, if you know what I mean.”
Andrew busts out laughing, holding his hand up for a high-five. I smack it as he says, “The sneaky cheeky? Classic!”
Colton just stares at us, stone-faced and mute. He clearly doesn't want to get into any details, which is fine by me. I'm not in the mood for locker room talk, not when my own love life is stuck between friend zone and casual somehow. Or is this still considered friends-with-benefits? At this point, I don’t know. Label me as confused. Or not because this is taking it slow.
