Page 162 of Lose You Twice

“You still have time.”

“I know.”

“You’re avoiding the rest of this conversation.”

“I know that, too.”

She smiles, then starts gathering the snacks. I help, mostly by holding the pretzels while she folds the blanket into a shape that’s actually manageable.

As we stand, she hooks her arm through mine for the walk back. We stop outside her dorm, and she hugs me quickly, one arm still holding the folded blanket. “Love you.”

I hug her back. “Love you too.”

I turn to head across campus to the rink when I hear her yell from behind me.

“Have fun distracting my brother at practice!”

25

KAI

“If you text her one more time, I’m throwing your phone off the balcony.”

I don’t look up from my screen. “We don’t have a balcony.”

Weston pauses the game. “Then I’ll open a window and improvise.”

Asher leans back in the armchair, controller loose in one hand. “That sounds like a lot of effort on your part, Wes.”

“For love, I’m willing to suffer.”

Grayson snorts from the other end of the couch. “Whose love?”

Weston points at me. “His. He’s embarrassing us.”

“I’m texting,” I say.

“You’re smiling at your phone while we’re under attack and not paying attention to jack shit!”

When I finally lift my eyes back to the TV, my character stands motionless in the middle of a street and gets eliminated.

“Goddamn it, Kai!” Weston flops back dramatically.

Asher looks at the screen, then at me. “He’s right. That was painful.”

My phone buzzes with another text from Wren before I can answer.

Grayson reaches for his water bottle, mouth twitching. “Wren?”

I glance up.

I could dodge it. A few weeks ago, I would have. I would’ve locked my phone, said nothing, let them draw their own conclusions while I pretended I didn’t care what anyone thought.

But I do care.

I care too much, probably.

About Wren. About doing this right. About not making her feel like something I’m hiding.