happened.
Vaughn was lying down again, and thankfully, his eyes were closed because I couldn’t keep mine off of him. Something was wrong, and I didn’t need the past year I spent getting close to him to know that. Had he really taken me calling things off that hard?
I knew he was upset, but…
I took a deep breath and told myself not to feel guilty. I did what any woman would when she accepted that she was being strung along. It took me a while to find my way out of the fog. Now I saw vividly the version of Vaughn that had been there all along.
Everyone—Four’s blue-eyed, black Lab included—started loading into the van, and when Four spotted me, her brown gaze lit up with excitement. She tried to climb back, but Ever caught her around the waist and deposited her in the passenger seat up the front. He gave her a look not to move before rounding the van and getting into the driver’s seat. Jay D happily sat between their seats, his tongue and tail wagging.
Bee and Lou sat in the row in front of me while Jamie and Wren begrudgingly shared the front row. The tension between Wren and Lou hadn’t lessened one bit, which explained why Lou chose not to sit with him. I watched her glare at the back of his head before rolling her eyes as if he could see her and turning around to face Selena and me.
“About time you guys got here,” she said to me while ignoring Selena. It had only just occurred to me that Lou hadn’t taken much interest in my sister. She wasn’t rude to her, but… My brows dipped as I wondered if Selena had noticed, too, and that was why she wasn’t thrilled with my choice of friends. I made a mental note to corner Lou and to ask her what her deal was later. I knew it wasn’t because my sister was black, as Selena had implied, but there had to be a reason Lou wasn’t eager to make friends.
Even more surprising was the fact that Lou hadn’t already come out with it. Sometimes I couldn’t decide who was worse in the no-filter department—Lou or Jamie.
Two peas in a pod indeed.
We were on our way a short time later, and it took no time at all for Jamie to make a dirty joke.
“Have you guys ever watched the videos of the pornstars riding around in a van? They pretty much just look for someone kinky enough to fuck on camera while cruising through town.” Jamie looked around, meeting everyone’s gaze. “We’ve already got the talent, and Lou’s got her camera. Who wants to go first?”
I locked gazes with Selena, and she rolled her eyes at my smug look. Jamie had just made my point and most predictably.
“Jamie, I’m pretty sure those meetups are prearranged,” I argued. It was starting to feel like my duty to challenge Jamie since I was the only one who ever rose to the occasion. Everyone else simply ignored him. “They don’t just pick up strangers.”
Jamie’s eyes widened, and then his grin spread as he energetically pumped his fist. “Yes! Fuck yes! I knew you were a dirty girl, Ty-baby. Whoo!”
It was my turn to roll my eyes because what could I say? I did just admit to watching porn. But really, who didn’t?
“Vaughn, are you hearing this?” Jamie naïvely called out. None of them had any clue yet that Vaughn and I had broken things off. “I bet he knows. I bet you guys watch them together while you get each other off.” Jamie then waggled his brows suggestively. “Don’t you?”
Bee suddenly leaned forward and whispered something in Wren’s ear. A moment later, they were switching seats. Wren now sat with Lou, and Bee, thankfully, was there to keep Jamie quiet. Just that quickly, his attention was diverted as he flirted with Bee and forgot about everyone else.
While my friends and sister were distracted, I found myself peeking at Vaughn through my peripheral. He was fast asleep, his chest rising and falling steadily. His expression, however, even while unconscious, was troubled. I wasn’t sure when I gave up being subtle, but after a while, I combed my fingers through his hair until his frown slowly cleared. I then rested my cheek on the back of the seat, watching over him as he slept.
The first thing I noticed when I woke up an hour later was that the van was still