Chapter 5

Drinks in hand,I return to the table and place Sammy’s bottle in front of him.

He angles his head, gaze catching mine as he smiles. “Thanks.”

I nod and sit beside him, taking a moment to listen to the conversation so I can catch up.

“… had to try and smuggle him into the house, but we failed miserably. Mrs. Sandford caught us on the first step and threatened to call our parents.” Richie tosses a look my way. “What was your punishment again?”

Richie knows exactly what my punishment was. Asshole. He just finds it hilarious is all.

“Ooh, punishment. Please tell me it was something good.” Sammy claps his hands together, and it’s impossible to not smile at his enthusiasm.

Since meeting up with my high school friends, Sammy’s fit right in. Not that I’m surprised. He”s everyone’s friend. Hell, that saying about strangers being friends you just haven’t met yet, or however it goes? That’s totally Sammy.

“Urgh.” I shake my head at the memory. “It was the vomit that was the problem.”

Sammy’s snort is all amusement. “You threw up in the house?”

I wince at the memory. “The first step. It’s why we got caught.”

“Subtle, man. How old were you?”

“Fifteen. It was Dave’s birthday party.” I shoot Dave, who’s also home from college this summer, the stink eye.

“Hey, it wasn’t my idea to ask Leanne’s brother to buy the tequila,” he answers with a smirk.

“As I live and breathe,” Sammy says with a dramatic flair. “Bentley Sandford being a bad influence.” Mirth dances in his gaze as he peers at me. “I need all the stories of you getting up to no good, but first, what was your punishment?”

“Mom woke me up at the crack of dawn with a bucket of soapy water and a scrubbing brush. I had to clean the whole staircase and hallway. After that, she sat me down, put a plate of bacon and eggs in front of me, and handed me a shot of tequila.”

Sammy’s laughter is loud and abrupt. “Priceless. Hell, I didn’t know Mrs. Sandford had it in her. Mad respect.”

I roll my eyes at him while shuddering a little at the memory of Mom seriously teaching me a lesson. Obviously, I didn’t drink the shot. Instead, I vomited in the soapy bucket, but still, it worked.

It put me off tequila for life.

Well, straight tequila. Sammy’s made more than his fair share of cocktails with the potent liquor in them.

“Holy shit. Incoming.” Richie’s brows jump high as he shoots me a look that’s all amusement and a little alarm.

Dave’s snort opposite me doesn’t do a thing to settle my fast-beating pulse. Nor does it make me want to turn around. Sammy does, though. At my side, he half turns and angles back. I tilt my head slightly, focusing on his reaction.

His brow quirks, and his gaze dips down and up before turning to me. “A friend of yours?”

From the guys’ reactions, it can only mean?—

“Benny, baby.”

Fuck.My eye twitches at the same time I form a sardonic grin.

I don’t want to turn around, but I have no choice.

A slow turn in my chair, and there’s Carlie. With low-slung jeans and an exposed midriff, she looks good. She always does. For the two years we dated, she was nothing but sweet and kind. As far as I’m aware, that hasn’t changed.

The problem? She struggled with our breakup, and every time I’m home, she tries to convince me we were good together.

She’s not exactly wrong. We were.

But since starting college, I’ve always turned her down. It would be easy, falling for a girl like Carlie. When we split, it was because I didn’t want long distance, and she understood that. I also know the casual hookups she promises would mean a lot more to her than they would me. I don’t want to do that to her.

Plus, each and every time, my heart just wasn’t in it.

Her gaze travels to Sammy, and my pulse races.

Sammy.

Holy shit.

The two of them in the same room together is like a final puzzle piece slipping into place.

All this time, he’s been at the forefront of my mind—since my first visit home from college.

Fuck. Has it really always been him? Has there always been a part of me that’s been pining for him, attracted to him?

Is he the reason why my party hookups have been mediocre at best over the past three years?

I swallow hard. What am I to do with this epiphany? More to the point, how am I to keep going the way things have been when Sammy refuses to acknowledge that anything’s changed?

“Sammy.” He reaches out and shakes Carlie’s hand.

Shit, I’m being rude. I’m also having a minor meltdown, and now is neither the time nor the place.

“Sorry,” I say quickly. “Sammy, this is Carlie.”

His gaze snaps to mine. He knows her name. As he’s my best friend, there’s been little I’ve held back.

He nods and offers Carlie a smile. It’s bright, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

Is he jealous? My pulse jumps and accelerates. If that’s the case, I get it and can totally relate. Every time I see Sammy flirting, my gut twists.

Not that he does anything about it, despite the regular offers he gets.

“Hey,” Carlie says, then turns her attention to me.

I stand and move away so I can accept her hug. Her flowery perfume tickles my nose, a scent I used to love. Now? I move out of her hold and take a step back, effectively standing with Sammy at my side. I feel him angle to peer at me, but I dare not glance his way. Heat crawls across my chest and up my neck.

Fuck, is it hot in here?

Carlie’s staring at me, wide-eyed and smiling so big and genuine that discomfort slivers across my skin.

“I can’t believe this is the first time I’ve seen you since you’ve been home. I called you a couple of times.” She blinks at me, some of her smile slipping.

“Right, yeah. I’ve been working all the hours. Then Sammy headed over to spend some time.”

Carlie bobs her head and flashes a smile at Sammy. “You guys are on the same team, right?”

“Sure are.” He stands, his arm brushing mine. “We also share a house.”

“Awesome. I hope Bentley no longer hoards magazines like he used to.” Friendliness fills her tone as she reaches out and shoves me super gently on my arm.

The ground opening up right now would be incredible.

Sammy chuckles. It’s a little tighter than usual, but his shoulders are relaxed. I glance at his expression and exhale. He’s taking this in stride. It’s rare that Sammy is a dick, but he has it in him. I wouldn’t want him to be that way with Carlie, since she’s done nothing wrong.

Interest sparks in his gaze when he looks at her. There’s nothing malicious, just genuine curiosity.

“Oh, he does. They’ve just moved on from architecture to landscaping.” He glances behind her, and I follow his line of sight. Tanya and Sarah, Carlie’s friends, are at the bar, looking this way. “You and your friends want to join us?”

“Yeah, sure, that would be great.” Carlie bobs her head. “Let me just go tell the girls.”

As she turns away, Sammy squeezes my arm. “You good?”

“Yeah.” I nod. “You didn’t need to invite her to stay.”

Sammy searches my expression, saying, “I know. But she’s your friend, right?”

A soft sigh escapes before I nod. “Yeah. I just always feel like shit after seeing her, you know?” And he does know. I’ve told him how things are with her, our history. Obviously, without sharing the realization that since meeting him, hooking up with anyone hasn’t been on my radar.

Or barely. I’m not a complete angel.

“It’ll be fine.” He indicates for us to sit, so I do. Immediately, my friends’ gazes are on me, brows so high, they’re almost touching their hairlines.

“They coming over?” Dave asks.

“Yeah. Looks that way.”

“So, does this mean you’re going to finally give in and give her another chance?” His voice is filled with curiosity more than anything else.

“Nah, it was right to end it. Hell, it’s been three years. It would be good for her to move on. Be happy.” I mean every word.

It’s not like when I’m away, I spend much time at all thinking about life before college or my ex. I’ve moved on in every way imaginable. But it’s awkward when she hits on me and I turn her down, especially when I don’t want to be an asshole. It’s not like she’s forceful or pushy or even in my face either. It would be easier to tell her to fuck off if that were the case.

“Interesting.”

“What’s interesting?” I ask Richie.

“It sounds like you’re a taken man. You’ve met someone?”

Heat slams into me, and I turn rigid. It’s so tempting to cast a glance at Sammy. Instead, I force a chuckle and shake my head. “Nah, man. It’s not like that.”

The lie tastes sour.

But is it really a lie when hooking up with my best friend is a secret? Geez, it feels like it’s a secret from the two of us as well, since we’ve not discussed a single thing.

I’m just as responsible as Sammy is for that.

Do I even wish things were different? Kind of. Maybe? Yes. I think.

This is still so new to me. I’ve already admitted to myself that I’ve been drawn to Sammy from the moment I met him, but it’s only been recently that I’ve felt something more. Fuck, I didn’t even know I was bi. Is that even what I am? Sammy’s the only guy I’ve even considered doing anything with. The only man I’ve ever been attracted to.

“I call bullshit,” Richie says with a laugh. “What do you say, Sammy? Is our boy here lying out of his ass and is actually dating a hot chick?”

Sammy shifts at my side and shakes his head. A light chuckle follows—though it’s not as carefree as usual. “There’s no hot chick that I’m aware of.”

My gaze latches on to his, and I swallow the lump in my throat at the fire I see in his eyes.

Fuck me.

The look alone is enough to get my dick interested and have me wishing I could drag him out of here. The blood in my veins heats for a whole other reason than mortification at Richie’s questions.

“Hey.” Carlie’s back, and if she wouldn’t take it the wrong way, I’d kiss her for the distraction.

Without her asking, we reshuffle our table. Standing up, Sammy glances around, and then he’s off and collecting a couple of chairs.

Once the girls sit, there are two chairs left. They’re next to each other with one beside Carlie, the other beside Dave. Before I can speak or even move, Sammy takes the chair next to Carlie.

As soon as his ass touches the seat, he glances at me with an arched brow. My lips twitch, and I quickly look away as I sit beside him.

It’s a tight squeeze, and without even trying, our thighs press against each other. I sigh at the contact, some of the weird tension disappearing that’s been sitting on my chest since Carlie entered and was then exacerbated by Richie’s line of questioning.

Sammy’s “Just over a week” catches my attention. He’s answering Carlie.

“And you’re working with Benny?”

I wince at the nickname. I’ve always hated it but never pulled Carlie up on it.

“With Bentley, yeah,” Sammy says pointedly, and my heart flips. “I brought my kid brother with me.”

“Oh, that’s great. How old is he?”

“Fifteen going on twenty-five.” Sammy chuckles as he picks up his bottle. He takes a sip while Carlie smiles at him, then peers around him to look at me.

“We should get together one night.” She flicks her gaze briefly to Sammy. “I’m sure one of the girls would like to come, too, so your friend can come.”

A knot forms in my stomach. I hate to let her down, but I more resent that she keeps pushing and putting me in this situation. It doesn’t help that our parents are best friends. Talk about awkward. I’m grateful my folks don’t put me under any pressure, though.

They’re pretty supportive of all my decisions. Splitting with Carlie to avoid a long-distance relationship, they understood. Changing my degree… they sat me down and talked everything through before encouraging me.

I’m lucky for sure.

Sammy’s quick to say, “I don’t think we’re going to have time for that. The two of us being out tonight was a one-off.”

I sit a little straighter when he answers for us.

“We promised my brother we’d spend time with him. Thanks, though.”

Wide-eyed, I glance at Sammy. It takes barely a couple of seconds for him to make eye contact with me. The asshole winks. Winks. Who the hell does that? I barely contain my laugh, but damn do I want to kiss him for shutting Carlie down.

“Oh, right, of course.” Her smile’s a little forced. Confusion plays out on her face, but she’s too polite to call me out. That doesn’t stop her from peering back at me and trying a different tack by saying, “Well, maybe when your friend’s gone, we can get together? Maybe talk?”

Why is it so hard to say no? We’ve got a lot of history, and I hate how turning her down makes me feel rude and like the bad guy. But fucking hell, that might just be what I finally need to?—

“He can’t,” Sammy cuts in. “I’m stealing Bentley away.”

He is?

My heartbeat spikes, the pace quickening.

With a furrowed brow, Carlie asks, “You are? Mom didn’t say anything.”

Think, Bentley. Think.I’m so not cut out for thinking on my feet, not when my pulse is racing because I’m lying out of my ass. “Uhm… yeah. We’ve only just decided.”

Sammy steps in. “Yeah,” he confirms. “Mom asked for me to talk him into heading home with me. She wants help with landscaping our backyard. Thought she’d get the opinion of the rising star in all things landscaping.”

Jesus, he’s good. The man was born with a gift, for sure.

Carlie’s attention flitters between the two of us before a smile settles on her lips. “That sounds wonderful. You seem really happy with your new major, Benn—tley.” With a tilt of her head, her smile becomes more genuine. “To think how much has changed. I suppose it just goes to show when we’re kids, we really don’t know shit.”

I laugh and shake my head, lifting my beer bottle. “That’s something I can definitely agree with.” I clink my bottle with hers and then Sammy’s, meeting his gaze and holding it for a beat before taking a swig.

Eighteen-year-old me really didn’t know anything. In a couple of months, I’m going to be twenty-two, and so much has changed. My younger self wouldn’t recognize me.

My heart warms, and I smile and nod at whatever Dave is saying. Because this is me—the here, the now, the present version of myself. I think over these past couple of months, I’ve finally become the man I’m supposed to be.