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If I have to hear that nickname come out of his mouth one more time, I might just lose it.
Alyssa’s nails rake down my forearm as she grabs my hand, lacing her fingers through mine. She’s acting overly territorial tonight, but I’m not hers to own.
Before I can separate my hand from hers, Logan spots us and her face falls. Guilt rushes through me for making her witness Alyssa’s obvious advances without putting a stop to them. I was letting her flirt with me in the hope that it would make Logan a little jealous after I had to watch her get friendly with Patrick. But, him hugging her and making her laugh is nowhere near as bad as how I’m allowing Alyssa to act towards me right now.
That is until Patrick puts both of his hands on Logan’s shoulders, massaging them as he says, “You got this, Cali, just focus.”
Okay, now I’m really pissed off. Logan doesn’t even flinch or push him off her. I don’t know if it’s the alcohol she’s consumed or if she actually likes him touching her, but if she wants to be all over him, then I’ll welcome Alyssa’s passes towards me.
Logan shoots and makes her cup—of course. I had no doubt she would after recalling her win streak last week.
“Hell yeah!” Patrick rings out, throwing a fist in the air. “Let’s go!”
Now I’m the one rolling my eyes.
Grabbing the cup she made, I hand it to Alyssa to drink. If I have much more to drink, I’m not going to remember the rest of the night.
Alyssa takes the cup, being sure to graze my hand with hers as she does. I watch as Logan catches the contact between us out of the corner of her eye.
Patrick walks up to the table and sinks his first shot as well. Logan holds up her hand to give him a high five, and he connects his hand with hers before swinging his arm around her shoulder and leaving it there. Her eyes nervously dart to mine, and I can feel the heat rising in my body as my anger is about to boil over at the sight of him touching her so casually.
Instead of saying the words that are on my mind, I decide to retaliate in the one way that will make Logan feel as terrible as I do right now.
Standing behind Alyssa, I wrap my arm in front of her, across her shoulders. Her small hands grab a hold of my forearm, and judging by the expression on Logan’s face, I’m sure Alyssa is smirking at her right now.
The game continues, and each time Patrick pisses me off by touching Logan in some way, I answer back by flirting with Alyssa. I don’t care if she doesn’t reciprocate Patrick’s advances; the only thing that makes me feel better right now is making Logan feel worse. I know I’m being an asshole, but I’m too drunk to care.
We only have one cup to make while Logan and Patrick still have three. It’s my shot, and I’ve barely missed any tonight. Lining up my elbow to the end of the table, I bend my knees, and release the ball. As soon as it leaves my hand, I know it’s going in. The ‘plop’ that echoes through the room confirms my suspicions.
Before I can look up at Logan and give her a victorious grin, as I have with every shot I’ve made tonight, two small hands on either side of my face pull me down. Suddenly, there’s a pair of lips on mine. They’re firm and cold, but I recognize them instantly. As soon as my drunken mind catches up with my body, I pull away from Alyssa. That was too far.
“What the fuck?” I ask loudly with a look of disgust on my face.
She seems confused, and I don’t blame her. I’ve been flirting with her all night to get Logan’s attention, so it’s no surprise she got the wrong idea.
Logan...fuck, please tell me she didn’t see that.
Looking across the table to our opponents, Patrick stands alone like the loser he is. Judging by Logan’s absence, she did, in fact, see that kiss.
Chapter 32
Logan
I should have never come to this party. I should’ve just stayed home and studied like I had planned to do. I know the alcohol is making me more upset than I should be right now. If I were sober and thinking clearly, I would remind myself that I was warned about Eli. I would talk myself down off the metaphorical ledge I’m on by remembering that I’ve only known him for a week, and that I’ll be able to forget about him in another. Except, even if I were sober right now, I would know I was lying to myself. I don’t think I’ll be able to forget about Eli for quite some time.
I bolt from the living room, eager to get as far away from him and Alyssa as possible. Seeing her lips on his stirred something inside me, and I feel like I’m about to lose it. I’m not going to cry. I never cry, but the vodka is making me more emotional than I should be right now.
As I’m rushing towards the back door, a small hand grabs my arm.
“Hey, you okay?” Ali asks, concern evident on her face.
“Yeah. I’m good. Just grabbing some air,” I lie while plastering on the fakest smile I can muster.
She gives me a half-smile and releases my arm. I don’t think she bought my lie, but she’s not trying to fight me over the truth either.
I reach the back door and step onto the deck as the September air begins to cool me down. I’m warm from the anger and booze, so the chill in the air feels good against my skin.
Looking up towards the night sky, I fold my arms across my chest and close my eyes. Taking a moment to collect my thoughts, I try to think logically about how I’m feeling.
