world, apart from Milo, of course. I have a feeling this guy is going to stick to me like glue until our dying days.
I let out a heavy sigh and grab my phone, wondering how I’m going to play this before aiming my guilt trip at the weakest link, the one who’s going to cave the easiest. I know he can’t resist my puppy dog eyes, and he’s the one who is going to cave like a little bitch.
Ocean – Please tell me you guys don’t hate me?
There’s a short pause before my phone lights up in my hands.
Sebastian – We’re in the pool house. Come out and we can talk.
Oh, shit. No cheesy emojis or comments about still fucking me anyway. This is bad.
I push up from the table and look down at Milo. “I’m out. This will probably take a while.”
“Take your time, babe. I’ll text if I’m leaving. We can chill tomorrow after school.”
I give him a warm smile before bending down and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. I make my way out of the ballroom and cut through the mansion to the back door. I pass through the main kitchen and down into the living area when I find Colton sitting alone in the dark. He leans forward on his knees, his head dropped into his hands.
My heart breaks. I want to run to him, crash into him, and tell him that while the pain may never go away, it gets easier. But if I stop to be with him now, I’ll never get back what I had with those boys and I can’t lose that. They’re too important to me.
Colton raises his head and he watches as I cut through the living room and out the door.
My heart races, desperately begging me to go back to him, but I won’t dare. I have to make this right with Nic and the boys. They’re my support system and without them, I’m nothing.
As I walk out past the pool, the door of the pool house opens and Nic walks out, his eyes focused heavily on mine. Elijah, Kairo, and Sebastian follow him out and all four of them stare as they slowly make their way toward me.
The walk to meet them in the middle is torture. The looks on their faces are awful.
Nic looks like he’s about ready to tear me apart while also somehow looking like a little puppy that’s just been pushed aside. Sebastian is weary. He knows how much I love them and is more nervous about how Nic is going to react. He knows I’m heading for a verbal smackdown and he hates it.
Eli, my sweet Elijah. He just looks hurt. Never in his wildest dreams would he think that I would have stayed inside that ballroom with Colton, and I see in his eyes the way he’s questioning my loyalty. Kairo though, he just looks pissed. He’s not a grudge holder. Out of all of them, Kai is probably the easiest to get along with. He’s so simple. All black and white, no grey areas. He’ll tell me I fucked up and then we’ll move on.
I finally meet them by the edge of the pool and my gaze never moves from Nic’s.
I prepare to start groveling.
He stands before me, waiting for an explanation and I see in his eyes that he’s ready to blow. Had I been anyone else, I would have already been forgotten. He’d already be back in Breakers Flats with the boys, looking for a replacement or forgetting the bullshit with a good time.
His eyes bore into mine and as I try to reach for him, he flinches away, absolutely gutting me. “Please, Nic. Don’t hate me,” I beg. “I swear, it’s not what you think.”
His expression is cold, deadly, lethal. It fucking sucks. “Are you fucking him?”
I shake my head. “No, I … I haven’t fucked him.”
“Yet,” he grunts, reading my unspoken thoughts.
“Nic, please. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be. Colton and I … we have a connection. I can’t even explain it but it’s so not what you’re thinking.”
He scoffs. “Please, tell me what it is you think I’m thinking.”
“Nic.”
“Please,” he says, sweeping his hand in front of him in a gesture for me to continue. Eli groans as Sebastian scrunches his face, knowing damn well that when Nic throws down a comment like that, I’m not about to hold back. Kai doesn’t respond though, just continues staring, probably wanting to hear