Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 71915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
His parents’ divorce had been painful for Bailey, still was, and I’d been there for him, but I couldn’t help thinking that maybe Remy needed a friend too. Especially since Bailey put all his energy into hating him instead of his father, regardless of my efforts to steer him in a different direction.
And of course, I couldn’t forget Remy, no matter how many other guys I’d screwed around with since then—which was really only a handful. Sometimes I questioned if that night was a figment of my imagination or whether it would’ve happened at all if Remy hadn’t needed someone to be there for him at that moment. But then I’d feel his gaze pressing in on me from across the room on the few occasions we were in each other’s company back home. I figured he’d moved on, and so had I, but regardless, it felt good to know he might’ve been having trouble too…but also awful.
My pining game was strong.
Shenanigans was full, but we were able to get a table and order sodas along with a ton of appetizers. The view of the ocean was awesome. We waved to our older teammates, who’d snagged a table, and joined them. I’d seen Peyton Miller, FU’s star football player, and some lacrosse players, who dominated all the attention at Franklin U, near the bar. It’d been that way in high school, too, so we were used to it. Besides, I wouldn’t want that sort of scrutiny placed on me or my performance anyway.
“Ugh, there’s Remy,” Bailey muttered, suddenly tensing.
My pulse started hammering when I spotted him at the bar, sitting with a guy I recognized from high school. His friend and roommate, Derek.
“Don’t you think we should…?”
“Just ignore him,” Bailey huffed.
“If you’re gonna see him on campus, it’s probably a good idea to at least be cool around him.”
“It’s enough that I have to do the obligatory family shit. This is my freshman year, and I don’t want to ruin it by pretending to be cool with my asshole brother.” He turned to talk to Tim, effectively ending the conversation.
I’d noticed Remy at a distance around campus, and I’d almost walked past Indelible Ink after a trip to the bookstore, but I’d chickened out. Seeing him now at a much closer range told me he’d really embraced his new job. And given his love of art, it made sense. A sleeve of tattoos adorned one arm, and I noted a hint of something outlined on his chest behind the buttons of his Henley shirt.
Damn, he looked the same but…different too. More mature, for one. Like a bit of a rebel, though he’d always fit that description to me. His bushy hair was somehow blonder as well. What was that cliché saying about California guys, or maybe it was girls? Whatever. He was still dreamy as hell, that was for sure. In a way, I hated that I knew how his lips tasted and how his skin smelled like coconut suntan lotion from our day in the sun because it only made me want to relive it. Again and again.
“What’s with the tattoos?” I asked Bailey, glad for the chance to study Remy a little longer before he spotted us or Bailey called me on it.
Bailey eyed his brother. “Looks like he got a new one added to his arm. Guess it’s his final transformation into his jackass phase.”
“Having tattoos doesn’t make you a jackass,” I replied. Though Bailey was so vanilla, I wasn’t surprised at his response. “They’re cool. I might get one myself someday.”
I wondered if my statement was true or if the idea had formed when I saw how awesome they looked on Remy.
Bailey’s eyebrows rose to his hairline. “What sort of tattoo?”
“Something to do with swimming,” I replied, giving it serious consideration for the first time. “Maybe I’ll ask your brother to give me one.”
He scowled. “He’d probably ruin it. He ruins everything.”
“Seriously, Bailey?” I felt a flash of frustration. “You know his art is amazing. You were even proud of him when he won that competition in middle school. You bragged to all our friends.”
“No, I didn’t,” he said as if trying to rewrite history. “Yeah, he was my older, cooler brother, but he was always in some sort of trouble in school.”
I laughed, which only made his frown deepen. “It’s not like he was robbing banks. Some people just don’t fit into boxes so easily. He’s being him, and you’re being you.”
He shoved a jalapeño popper in his mouth, then swallowed. “I hate that you always stick up for him.”
“I’m being the voice of reason, and you know it.” I sipped my drink. “Your judgment is clouded when it comes to him.”
“And so is yours because of your childhood crush.”
My cheeks turned hot, and I gave our teammates a cursory glance. I’d never hidden my sexuality, so by now, some of the guys knew I was gay. In fact, another guy on the team—Jordan—was too, and there were a couple of lesbians on the women’s team, but my sexuality wasn’t something I needed announced in a straight bar.