Smoke and Wishes (Best Wishes #1)(54)

“My twins!” I jumped into Logan’s arms which wrapped around my lower back and under my ass as he spun in a circle. Landon came up and grabbed me from his brother’s arms, cradling me against his chest as he too spun before setting me back down on unsteady feet.

“We’re so fucking happy you’re here, lemon drop!” Still dizzy from all the spinning, I held onto their shoulders as the parking lot righted itself. Landon gave me a quick kiss against my hair before pulling away to reveal Dante heading towards me with a big smile on his face.

“Dante!” I was probably happier and peppier than I had been in years. It felt oddly exhilarating to be so outgoing, like this was who I was meant to be all along. I skipped towards him and shot my arms around his waist. While he’d braced himself, the force of my hug still caused him to stumble back a bit.

“Hey, firecracker,” his voice was full of laughter as he squeezed my shoulders. His cheek rested against the top of my head. “I wish I could show you how much it meant to me that you were here for us,” his voice turned soft against my hair. I turned my face and snuggled my nose into the dark hoodie that was nestled under his brown jacket. Dante’s hands rubbed along my lower back, creeping lower and lower with each pass until his pinkies grazed languidly along the waistband of my jeans. Biting my lip at the contact, I sighed deeply. Musky cologne surrounded me the longer I stayed in his arms.

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world, Dante. I told you, I want to support my guys,” my voice was low, and I was unable to keep some heat from slipping in towards the end. Looking up at him, I got lost in the green of his eyes. His face was so close to mine. If he leaned down half an inch, our lips would touch.

“I’m glad, your guys loved having their girl there,” his eyes shot to my lips. My heart slammed in my chest as I felt the warmth of his breath tickle my face.

“Dante, darling!” Khloe’s nasally voice cut through the intimate moment with his lips just above mine. I jumped back, my hands shaking and my face heating up. Holy fuck, you almost just kissed your friend who has a girlfriend!

“I have to go,” I mumbled, I turned on my heel and walked away, as quickly as I could, from my guys. The guys.





16





October 5th

Friday Night

Lucienne





The past two weeks had dragged. Homework and essays took up more and more of my time, meaning I was holed up in my room instead of working in the library. Sighing, I locked away the exhaustion from the last fourteen days of non-stop studying, and put on my best ‘fun’ face. We walked towards the house with the too bright lights and excessively loud music pouring out of it. Everything in me screamed to turn around and run away. You don’t party, there are people in there.

Mentally shaking myself out of the negative thoughts, I caught a glimpse of my outfit in a car window. Skinny jeans hugged my hips while a plain black tank top peeked out from under my cream sweater. The black knee high boots I’d worn thudded against the cement with each step. Despite Sadie’s short legs, she somehow kept up with me in my haste to get to where we were going and out of the cold. She was rocking a high waisted pair of jeans, bright yellow scarf, and a hot pink shirt that I’m pretty sure was actually a onesie, but what did I know. Her dyed blue hair had grown out since the beginning of the semester and now sat to the bottom of her jaw, the roots were a light brown almost blonde in color and only added to her cute as a button look.

The guys had been in cahoots with Sadie, claiming I had to get out and do something. They had mistaken my distance recently as being stress-induced, thinking the class load and practicals had been getting to me. In all actuality, I was just trying to avoid Dante and Hudson. Their relationships with Brittney and Khloe put a strain on our friendship. I also didn't want to give the girls any more ammunition to come after me. Unfortunately, those bitches had grown more clingy, and since the guys were usually all together, I hadn’t been seeing any of them lately.

“Girl, have a drink and relax. You need some fun,” Sadie’s voice yelled over the music as we slid passed the people crowding the entryway. The house was huge compared to the older single story I grew up in with my mom. Vaulted ceilings and a minimalist decor gave the home an open feel, despite the crush of bodies. We filtered into the kitchen to get away from the stream of people pushing to get inside. “Do you know where they are?” Sadie asked as she poured each of us a beer from the keg. I shrugged and pulled out my phone to find out.

“Found them,” I announced once Nik had responded to my text. Taking my drink from Sadie’s outstretched hand, I nodded for her to follow. The hallway became less crowded as we went, people tapering off into bedrooms in groups of two or more. So it’s that kind of party, I chuckled to myself and took a sip of the putrid drink. Not all beer was terrible, but this just tasted like piss in a cup.

Curving into the room they were in, I saw several drinking games setup including a beer pong table where Logan and Landon were going up against two guys I didn’t recognize. Cam was seated in one of the bar stools while Nik leaned against the wall to his right, an unused stool sat in front of him. I didn’t see Dante or Hudson meaning they must have been with their girlfriends. My stomach knotted at the thought, but I pushed it away and walked over to them.

“Hey, guys,” while there was still music playing, it wasn’t anywhere near as loud as out front. We didn’t have to shout to hear each other.