Page 191 of Challenge Me

“It’s, well . . . He talked to me before.”

“Before?” When I realized what he meant, I nodded. “I see.”

“I happened to catch him outside the bar. I’m sorry, man. It felt wrong to tell you, but it also feels wrong that I didn’t.”

“Did you tell him to leave me?”

“No, of course not. I told him not to dip without talking to you first, actually.”

“Then we’re cool.” I smiled at him when he still looked uncertain.

“I think you should buy him the nicest gold-plated butt plug,” West announced with eyes too bright for comfort. “Make the end a baseball. He’ll profess his love immediately.”

Sen leaned close and dropped his voice. “Don’t listen to him. He’s insane.”

“Remi loves me, actually, so fuck you, Sen.”

Kai narrowed his eyes at West, who gave him a taunting look in return. When they circled each other, I was sort of intrigued. A wrestling match ensued, which reminded me of high school. That thought just made me feel fucking old.

“Between the lot of us, I’m sure we can figure something out,” Linc assured me.

Throughout their discussion about it, which involved a lot of outrageous ideas, Roman stayed silent. Something about his demeanor grabbed my attention, and when he met my eyes, I knew that he was privy to the same thing I was. No gifts, no matter how extravagant, would convince Remi to be with me. Even the best speech in the world wouldn’t do it.

Oli wore a similar expression. There was a sadness to him that didn’t feel right. It had weighed on my own soul, too. It was more than desperation that I’d felt since Remi left. It was hopelessness. There weren’t a multitude of futures before me, all with varying levels of success. There were only two: the one where I won Remi back and the one where we continued like this, eternally separate.

Battle wasn’t just about the fight. Like Trav said, I had to find the enemy. The real test came once I did that.

“Actually,” I said, interrupting Tilian’s idea to tie him up and take him into the mountains until he acquiesced. “I already know what to do. That’s why I’m here.”

They all looked at me expectantly. I hadn’t been prepared for an audience, but there was nothing I could do about it now.

“Trav, I need to borrow a bit of that fame you’ve got under your belt.”

“Oh? What have you got in mind?”

“There’s some news I need to break to the public, and yours is the only platform I care to do it on.”

While I explained my idea, the ball faltered in his grip. His mouth opened, but then he closed it again. His jaw ticked quite a few times, and he refused to meet my gaze. When he marched away, I called after him with no response.

We all stared at where he’d disappeared into the house.

“Is it that bad of an idea?” I asked.

“He’s angry at the why of it all,” Roman said. He squeezed my arm and offered me a reassuring smile. There was a certain acceptance there that made me relax.

Kai rubbed his jaw. “It’s bold.” After a second, a maniacal grin settled on his lips. “I love it.”

Oli stared at the ground with a pinched brow. Dean said something, which seemed to snap him out of his stupor. He looked up at me, and it was impossible to figure out what was on his face. The usual bubbliness was gone, replaced by a similar coldness to Remi’s. All I could confidently say was that it was a mask. But for what?

Dean grabbed his arm when he tried to walk away. Leaning close, he whispered something in his ear.

“I need to breathe,” Oli murmured.

“Come on, baby. You’re freaking him out.”

Oli turned back to me. I wasn’t sure what to do when he marched right up to me, still wearing that expression.

“Hey,” I began, but he startled me by throwing his arms around me. I almost got knocked over, but thankfully, Roman was there to keep me up.