Hardwood - K.M. Neuhold Page 0,17

best friends. Or, if you want, I can tell them to take a hike and the two of us can just hang out. We can talk or just drink and not talk about a damn thing. I’m good company, I swear.

I realize I’m hard-selling him, but I don’t want him to say no. The message is marked as read right away, but it takes a least a minute before the little bubble pops up to show that he’s texting back.

Everett: Ok. I’ll be there soon.

Watson: Cool

“He’s coming,” I say, setting my phone back down and immediately glancing toward the door impatiently, even though I know there’s no humanly way he could be here that fast.

“I have never seen you sprung on someone this fast,” Jordy says, eyeing me with amused concern.

I roll my eyes and reach for my drink. “I’m not sprung on anyone. You just said yourself, he needs a friend, that’s what I’m trying to do.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve never seen you watching the door for me,” he counters.

“Duh, how would you see it if you aren’t here yet?” I challenge, arching an eyebrow at him as if to say checkmate. Of course, he’s right, I’ve never felt the need to watch the door or obsessively check for texts from him, but that doesn’t mean I’m sprung on Ev. I don’t even know him.

Everett

I put my phone away and look up at my friends. Stone and Dare are playing a round of darts, flirting and arguing between rounds, Ren and his best friend, Daniel are playing pool with some random guys while Ollie and Cole chat beside me. Every so often I catch Ollie glancing over at the pool table. Is he looking at Ren or Daniel? Or is there someone else who’s caught his eye in that same direction? It’s hard to tell.

These are my best friends, so why is it so much more appealing to go hang out with strangers right now? I could just tell them. I could open my mouth and tell Cole and Ollie that I’m gay. They’ll be surprised, but it’ll be fine.

But then I’ll have one more bit of guilt hanging over my head when it comes to Val.

But now the question is how do I explain to them that I’m ditching them to go to a different gay bar to hang out with some guy I hardly know? It would be so easy to just blurt “There’s a really cute guy who wants to hang out; I’ll catch you later.” Hell, how many times did Cole say some version of that before he met Ren? They’d probably get a kick out of me coming out that way to them. It wouldn’t have to be a big deal.

“I have to go,” I say instead.

Cole and Ollie both look over at me. “Everything okay?” Ollie asks.

“Yeah, I just need to run something over to Val’s. Livi, um, left something,” I stumble over the lie, standing up while they both look at me with bland expressions.

“Okay, we’ll be here a while still, so come back if you feel like it,” Cole offers.

“Sure,” I say, even though I know I won’t come back.

Jack’s is only about ten minutes from Wooley’s, and this time when I pull into the parking lot, I don’t hesitate in my car. The mystery of what’s inside is gone, now I’m only left wondering what it means that Watson invited me out tonight. Did he mean it when he said he wanted to be friends? That thought is equal parts comforting and disappointing.

The gravel of the unpaved parking lot crunches under my feet as I make my way to the door. The only remaining streetlamp flickers but manages to keep shining.

It’s busier inside than it was on Monday, but it doesn’t take me long to spot Watson and his friends. They’re at the same table they occupied earlier in the week, and just like before, he seems to be entertaining them with some kind of story, gesturing wildly and making them laugh.

A man jostles past me, apologizing as he bumps into me, but I hardly notice it. I’m too focused on Watson and the light feeling expanding inside my chest.

He finishes his story and glances over his shoulder toward the door, and my heart leaps. He’s waiting for me. Our eyes lock, his whole face lighting up with a smile before he waves me over.

“I’m so glad you made it,” he says when I reach the table. “These are my friends,