Thrive (Addicted, #4)(64)

“Great.”

Lily kisses me quickly on the lips, and I pat her on the bottom. When she leaves to her lane, her entire face is bright red, and she tries hard to avoid the cameras.

Ryke watches my girlfriend depart with her sister, and I can see his choice even before he takes a step in that direction. Julian being the same age as Daisy is ten times worse than Ryke. I can’t even trust Julian for a second. I have no reason to.

“I’ll be—” he starts.

“Whatever, go play on your bumpers, bro.” I can’t help but give him a hard time. It’s like a busted function in my brain.

He rolls his eyes, wavers for a moment, and then follows Daisy to the other lane.

Connor deletes some of the names, leaving just four. I laugh when I notice he took my tip to heart. He’s nicknamed all of us after Greek gods.

I scan the remaining list:

Zeus/Athena

Hades/Dionysus

Julian picks up a light blue ball from the carousel. “Who am I?” he asks. “Zeus?” He’s not the brightest anything.

“You would be Hades. God of the underworld,” Connor says.

“All around fantastic guy,” I add dryly.

“Sweet.”

Jesus.

Ryke notices the screen from afar and glares at Connor. “You’re a real douche, you know that?”

I don’t get it.

Rose puts her hand on Connor’s shoulder. “Oh please, Loren would be Dionysus regardless if he drank or not.”

Ryke just keeps shaking his head until Daisy distracts him, holding up two giant green bowling balls to her boobs.

I internally grimace. Do not think about that part of her anatomy. “Who is Dionysus?” I ask.

Rose clarifies, “the god of wine, parties, and basically hedonism.”

“He’s a man of chaos and pleasure,” Connor adds.

“Sounds about right,” I reply. “Thanks, love.”

He winks and motions for Julian to start us off.

Daisy’s boyfriend steps up to the alley with his ball in hand, and my stomach constricts the longer I have to watch him. How do you withstand a guy you just don’t like? He knocks down all the pins but two and then pumps his arm.

“That’s what I’m talking about.”

We continue to play a few rounds, with Connor and Rose clearly in the lead. Connor forgot to mention that his boarding school had a bowling alley, and they’d bet on games with money and favors. So basically, he hustled us.

I don’t mind at all. The more we lose, the more Julian’s competitive nature rises—glaring, huffing, a poor sport all around. Whenever I look to the other lane, Lily and Daisy are in fits of giggles, sitting on their knees and trying to spin the bowling ball before rolling it down the alley.

Daisy even covers Ryke’s eyes so he has to bowl blind. He’s actually grinning. My gaze shifts to Lily. She practices her bowling stance by the swivel chairs and every time she goes to mock throw, the weight of the ball causes her to careen unsteadily on her feet. Her brown hair hangs in her eyes and she brushes it away before trying again.

I love her.

The world seems empty whenever I watch her. It’s a peaceful existence. But I know a life with just the two of us, alone, is a future better as a fantasy. Friends. Family. They’re not easy to leave behind anymore.

Laughter beside her lane breaks my focus. Ryke lifts Daisy by the legs, hanging her upside down, and she can’t catch her breath, her laughs echoing through the bowling alley.

“Hey!” Julian shouts. Shit. He storms over to my older brother. “I’m sick of you always hanging around my girlfriend, man.”

Ryke only drops one palm, holding Daisy perfectly upside down with one hand, clutching her calf. She swings in the air, blood rushing to her head, but her smile is huge.

“Then maybe,” Ryke says, “you shouldn’t leave your girlfriend with another fucking guy.”

Julian is about to shove him, but Lily intervenes. Shit. I shoot to my feet, sprinting to the lane while she blocks Julian with two hands. He swats them away.

“Back off,” I sneer at Julian.

He takes a couple steps in a safe direction. “Daisy…” Julian says. “Play with me.” It sounds like an order.

Ryke grips Daisy by the waist and flips her right-side-up, her body meshes with his, sliding down his chest slowly before her feet touch the ground. She breathes heavily, her lips parted. Ryke has a way with women. There’s no denying that.

He fixes her shirt that rides up her stomach. “What do you want?”

She swallows hard like she’s never been asked that before. And then she shrugs.

Ryke looks around at all of us as we watch him. I don’t know what to make of anything anymore. I’d wish for people to be simple—just so I can understand everyone—but then they wouldn’t be real.

“I think it’d be better if I just went home,” Daisy says. “I’ll see you all tomorrow?”

“Daisy—” Ryke starts.

“No, it’s cool.”

“I’ll drive you home,” Julian says.

“No, I will.” Lily steps up from behind me.

And then Rose rises from her seat. “You guys can finish up.” She tosses her empty bottle of sanitizer in the trash on her way towards the door. Daisy skips to keep up with her older sister and Lily is right there with them in a quick second.