Page 32 of Accidentally Forever
Crew:
If you don’t come and save me from your brother, I won’t let you have my dick. How about that?
“Aria Montgomery! You know I can read his texts over his shoulder!” Gus shouted through the building.
I put my phone in my pocket, my cheeks-stained red. “Mind your business, Gus Montgomery!”
“Do I want to know what you’re texting Crew while you’re in the same building?” Riley asked, her brows raised.
“Just the usual things,” I lied as I scurried toward the other half of the building where Crew was set up. Because we wanted the right light for certain mediums, it wasn’t an open floor space. I had been in the darkroom for most of the morning because sometimes I liked to work with film. That meant while Crew and I were in the same building, we had only seen each other for a few moments. I had spent the night at my own house, because I knew if I spent the night at his house every night, and if he did the same with mine, we would be moving way too fast.
As it was, it felt like we were in a whirlwind, and I was just trying to keep up.
“So when did this happen?” Gus asked as he stepped toward me, gesturing between Crew and me.
The rest of my family who happened to be in the building all stared at me, the silence thick.
I met Crew’s gaze. The man looked unrepentant. He shrugged, then leaned against the doorway. I looked down at his tented sweats and raised a brow. He rolled his eyes, then adjusted himself, but I knew that wasn’t going to help.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I lied, knowing the others were staring at me and waiting for an answer.
“Finally!” Riley said as she threw up her hands. “I’ve been waiting for this day for years. It’s a friends-to-lovers. Our time has come!”
“Do I want to know what that means?” Crew asked dryly.
“Wait, you and Aria? Why?” Nate asked. Only he wasn’t looking at me, but Crew, as he said it.
I threw a couple of pieces of paper at my cousin. “Rude,” I barked.
“She’s so high maintenance,” Colin joked, grinning at me. “I guess we’re going to owe you a few drinks for taking her on, Crew.”
Nate snorted. “From the way that Crew is glaring at you both right now, I’m pretty sure you should watch where you sleep.”
Oliver just shook his head as he packed up hissketchbooks. “As much as I love hearing about who my cousin is banging, I’m out. I promised Mom I would help at the store today. And I have a feeling traffic up to Boulder is going to be a bitch.”
“Say hi to Holland for me.” I leaned forward to kiss Oliver’s cheek.
“Will do. And let my big brother, Kingston, know that he owes me.”
“For working at your mother’s shop? Or for something else?” I asked.
“Hell no,” Oliver said mysteriously, before he walked out the building with a two-finger salute.
“Crap. I’m running late for lunch with James,” Nate said, speaking of his twin. “He says he has something to tell me.”
I clapped my hands, excited. “Is he going to propose to Sarah?” I asked. “Oh, I hope so. Those two have been adorable since they were like fourteen.”
“You don’t have to tell me. James can’t stop talking about her, so hopefully he finally popped the question. And then that will keep Mom and Dad off my back. And Brooklyn’s for that matter.” And with that, he ran after Oliver.
Gus cleared his throat. “As much as I love all the family dynamics of everybody else in this room, I want to know when you and Crew became athing. Becausenow I have to go bleach my eyes out after looking at those texts.”
Crew shrugged. “You shouldn’t have been reading over my shoulder. Do you want me to steal your phone and see what you’ve been texting?”
My younger brother blinked. “No. But I still want to know when this whole thing happened with Aria. I thought you two hated each other.”
“That was just flirting,” Riley said as she leaped onto the desk next to Colin and crossed her feet at the ankles.
“That’s what I always said, but Leif didn’t believe me.” Colin shook his head at the mention of his older brother.
