The Romantic Pact (Kings of Football)(57)

Holy.

Fucking.

Hell.

My nostrils flare.

My taste buds revolt.

My stomach churns.

And, yup, just as suspected, that is not good.

I chew as if the food is on fire, my teeth colliding in a rapid rate, then swallow and reach for my beer. I take a big gulp, gargle, and swallow. That’s the kind of class I’m showing right now. I slap my hand on the table, eyes wide, and I catch my breath.

The entire time, Hazel is gripping her chest, laughing her sweet little ass off.

“Oh my fuck,” I say on a deep breath, right before taking another swig of my beer. I smack my lips together, trying not to wince from the aftertaste. “Wow, that was . . . a fucking delight.”

Hazel throws her head back and laughs some more. “Oh God, I might wet myself.”

“Please do. That would make up for whatever you just made me eat.”

“What? Are you saying you didn’t like it?”

“It tastes like fishy pickles and—” I burp and nearly throw up from the taste on my tongue, as I bring my fist to my mouth, causing Hazel to laugh some more. “Shit, you ruined gherkins for me.”

She wipes under her eyes, tears of uninhibited joy forming on her lids. “Oh Jesus.” She picks up her phone and quickly takes a picture of me, the light flashing in my face, nearly blinding me.

“What the hell was that for?”

She looks at the picture and laughs even more. “Oh God, I really am going to pee my pants.” She shrinks in her seat. “I needed to remember this moment forever. Best part of the trip so far.”

“I’m so glad my pain is your joy.”

She picks up her napkin and dabs under her eyes. “I’m not even sorry.”

“I can see that. There’s not one ounce of remorse on your face.”

“Not even a gram.” She takes a deep breath and settles down. When she’s finally not laughing so hard, she picks up her bratwurst and says, “Well, are you going to finish?”

I shake my head. “No way in hell.”

“Going to bed hungry?”

“I’d rather not eat at all.”

She shakes her head. “Food waste is a big problem in this world.”

“Blame yourself.” I push my plate away. “You knew I wasn’t going to finish that shit.”

And then I watch her take a large bite of her brat.

“Oh yeah,” she moans. “This is so good. Tastes just like victory.”

Such a goddamn wench.





Holding my breath, I slowly lift from the bed, keeping my eyes on Hazel the entire time.

I’ve waited what I consider an appropriate amount of time for her to fall asleep. An hour, to be precise. After dinner—well, her dinner—we came back to the hotel room and played cards. We kept it simple with Kings in the Corner and some California Speed, both games we used to play as kids all the time. I beat her every game in Speed—wished that was the game we played instead of fencing when it came to the dinner choice bet—and we split the games for Kings in the Corner.

After that, we called my parents and told them about the trip so far. Hazel then called her friend Mia, who I talked to for a few minutes on speaker. She sounded pretty cool, and when I watched Hazel talk to her, she seemed relaxed. Made me happy.

We then got ready for bed, and I’ve been waiting for this moment to sneak out and hit up our snack bag.

Because I’m a starving motherfucker.

I mean, serious stomach pains.

I’ve no idea how those people on survival shows go without food for so long. I’m hours into no food and I’m at starvation level ten—can’t walk, need to crawl across the floor for food because I’m so weak.

I’m almost out of the bed when my phone lights up on my nightstand. I glance at it, and see that it’s a text from River.

The food bag is across the room. Maybe if I answer this text, it’ll give Hazel more time to fall into a deep slumber.

River: How are you fuckers doing?

Before I can answer, Hollis types a response.

Hollis: Please, for the love of God, don’t ask.

River: Same, dude. Same.

Crew: That bad?

Hollis: Are you saying you’re faring better than us?

I glance over my shoulder at Hazel, peaceful in her slumber. God, she’s pretty. I have an overwhelming urge to drag my fingers over her soft cheeks but I refrain, remembering exactly why I’m awake right now.

Food.

My stomach wants food.

Crew: It’s not terrible.

River: That’s because you’re humping your friend.

Hollis: ^^Facts

Crew: We haven’t humped since. It was a two-time thing.

River: That’s what you say now. I bet you two are banging on Christmas Day.

Crew: Trust me, that’s not going to happen. She wants to keep things platonic.

Hollis: Oh shit. She threw on the chastity belt. That stings, man.

River: Doesn’t seem like she was too impressed with the dry humping.

Crew: She was impressed. She got off. Twice.

River: Just because she got off, doesn’t mean she was impressed. Just means she has an easy trigger.

Hollis: Yup.

Crew: Why am I texting you two?

River: You’re addicted to us.