Happenstance(46)

“Tobias Atwater?” she breathes.

“Oh my God.” I slap my hands over my face. “You know of him.”

“Know of him? I’ve done unspeakable things to myself while watching his films.” She stares down at the carpet, as if reminiscing about those things, before her gaze shoots back to mine. “You’re sleeping with that man?”

“Well…” I hedge. “Not yet. Probably not ever. He’s complicated. They’re all complicated. This whole thing is…thorny. That’s why I’m going to put the brakes on. I mean, I like them all. For different reasons. Where could this kind of situation possibly lead?”

“Nowhere but a mess.”

“Exactly,” I say, strangely feeling a little disloyal.

“It would be fun getting there, though,” Shayna sighs.

“The road to hell is paved with gold.”

We both sit there quietly for a minute, staring into space. Shayna breaks the silence when she says, “Yup. I’d turn straight down that road.”

Both of us break into laughter. It’s surprisingly nice to laugh with someone else. Come to think of it, this is the second time in twenty-four hours I’ve laughed with other people. But instead of spreading joy inside of me, I have to tamp down on the need to excuse myself and hide inside my room.

Thankfully, the doorbell ringing saves me from having to make a decision.

Shayna raises an eyebrow at the door. “No one delivers flowers this early.”

“No…and definitely not on a Sunday.” I stand and cross the apartment warily, hitting the speak button. “Hello?”

A crackle of static. “It’s Banks. And the other two.”

My stomach slingshots up into my throat, tingles spreading down to my fingertips.

“Is that them?” Shayna squeaks, standing directly behind me now.

“Yes,” I reply, trying to sound normal and failing. “That was Banks speaking.” I press a hand to my stomach to still the butterflies. “He…he coaches rugby—”

“Hold on. Hold on.” Shayna doesn’t appear to be breathing. “Which team?”

“Uh…” I search my brain and come up blank. “The Flame or something?”

Shayna storms to the other side of the apartment, hands on top of her head. “The Flare, you mean? No. You are lying. I got dragged to a game last year by one of my friends. He is a contender, Elise. All ruthless and sexy, prowling the sidelines. Did you at least sleep with him?”

“Oh yeah,” I say on an exhale. “Affirmative.”

“Yeah, I bet he was firm.”

The buzzer drowns out my snort. I hit talk again. “Keep your pants on.”

Tobias’s voice fills the apartment. “First time I’ve heard that.”

Shayna gives a dazed laugh. “What do you think they want?”

“More time together, probably,” I bite off in disgust that is directed mostly at myself because the pulse of anticipation is growing more and more steady.

“Yeah, sounds terrible.” Shayna is thoughtful for a moment. “Who is the third member of this dream team fuck posse, by the way?”

“Gabe.” I can’t help but sound a little dreamy when I say his name. “He’s a sweet construction foreman who might also be a secret kleptomaniac.”

“Hot.” Shayna stops in front of me. “So. A porn star, a locally famous rugby coach and a construction worker. I don’t feel bad about eating your eggplant anymore.”

“Fair enough. I’ve got all the eggplant I can handle.” I press down the intercom button. “I’ll be down in fifteen minutes.”





Chapter Fourteen





After taking a quick shower and brushing my teeth, I go downstairs. Banks, Gabe and Tobias look so ticked off and disheveled, I slap a hand over my mouth to trap a laugh. Wrinkled tuxedo shirts and five o’clock shadows galore. “Wow,” I say, biting hard on my bottom lip. “I would ask if you boys all woke up on the wrong side of the bed, but someone had to be in the middle.”

“That’s very cute, Elise,” Tobias sniffs, slapping wrinkles out of his sleeves. “Does it look like the Tram Fam is in the mood for comedy?”

My expression is a mockery of seriousness. “No, it doesn’t.”

“Good.” He crosses his arms. “Because we’re not.”

“You left,” Gabe points out, his voice a little rusted. “You didn’t say goodbye. Or let us bring you home safely.”

Banks says nothing, just glowers.

Tobias elbows him. “It’s your turn to express your dissatisfaction, mate.”

“I have a better idea,” Banks returns evenly. “Let’s take a walk, Elise.”

He suggests the walk in a low, sort of promissory tone that makes my skin tingle. Like he’s not suggesting a walk at all, but a continuation of last night. “I’m fine right here, thank you. But you’re more than welcome to take a stroll.”

The three of them bristle.

Tobias even throws up his hands and starts to pace.

“Are you three really this angry because I didn’t say goodbye?”

“That’s part of it,” Banks says. “Mainly, you’re treating this like it was a one-night thing. We don’t know where we stand with you. We know next to nothing about you, either, Elise.” He pauses. “But don’t you think that what’s happening between us deserves more than a six am sneak out?”