I pull Cal’s hand out of my shirt where he’s toying with my nipple and laugh awkwardly. “Hey, Ben. Are you here to get the rest of Gabby’s stuff? Rider already sent a mover to pick up the last of it.”
The responding frown on his face isn’t surprising. Ben’s a frowner. But when he scowls at Cal, I tense.
Cal waves toward me. “Haven’t had a chance to tell her yet. Don’t get your panties in a twist.”
I look back and forth between the guys. “Tell me what?”
Cal’s sheepish expression makes me tense. “Babe, I need more time to pack, so I can’t drive you to the airport. Plus, you know how much I hate traffic.”
I stand there silent for a moment. “But you’re the one who offered to take me.” I didn’t ask him. I didn’t so much as suggest it. He’s not even leaving for the coast for another two days, so I don’t know why packing takes precedence.
“I know, but the last few weeks were balls-out. We conditioned at sun-up. Summer school just ended, and I had finals, and I was helping my new roommates move their shit. Besides, Ben said he’d take you.”
My face heats, the rejection scalding me from head to toe. I’m a low-drama girl by nature, so I do my best to shrug it off. I’ve endured enough therapy sessions to know why this is making me emotional.
You’re transferring your emotions to your boyfriend. Stop it.
I turn completely away from Cal to focus on Ben and blink back the sting in my eyes. “Thanks for offering to give me a ride.”
I wish my voice were stronger—it’s barely a croaked whisper—but that’s the best I can do.
The two vertical lines between Ben’s brows deepen.
Cal tosses an arm around me and nods at Ben. “Don’t be a little bitch. Tell her you don’t mind taking her.”
I cringe, hating how Cal talks to Ben. Here’s another pet peeve of mine—I hate how Cal talks to his football buddies. It’s a side of him I never saw the first few months when only the two of us hung out.
Ben’s jaw tightens. “I told you I don’t mind. Go pack... or whatever you’re going to do.” If looks could kill... The one he gives Cal sends shivers down my spine.
Cal kisses my cheek, smacks me on the ass, and saunters down the sidewalk. “See ya next week, babe.”
And then he’s gone.
The ride is quiet, mostly because I’m too embarrassed to talk. Since Ben’s not a big talker, that leaves a lot of silence.
I shove all thoughts of what happened on my front porch out of my head. I’ll obsess over Cal when I’m safely ensconced in my room back in Cali with some weed and a deep-cleansing face mask. I’ll relax and put everything into perspective.
“Mind if we listen to the radio?” I ask as we reach the outskirts of Charming.
“Go for it.” He rubs his chin. “Let me get the nav system going first or we’ll end up in a corn field.”
I lift an eyebrow. “Did you just make a joke?” They’re so rare, I almost want to jot it down in my calendar.
“Smartass.” His beautiful full lips tilt up, and the sight warms me all over. Ben is so dreamy. His smiles are rare, so when you get one, you know it’s special.
I generally make a point to stay away from him. I’m a big believer in being wholehearted about whatever I do, and right now, well, I’m doing Cal—literally, I think with a snort—and I don’t want anything to cloud that commitment.
We settle on a classic rock station, and I’m pleasantly surprised when Ben starts singing along with me to a Rolling Stones song.
“You have a nice voice, studmuffin. Bet you croon to all the ladies.”
“Definitely need to add ‘crooning’ to my repertoire.” He blows on his nails and buffs them on his t-shirt.
I smile to myself and stare out the window. I’ve heard Ben can be a charming bastard when he wants to be. It’s strange to see this side of him. He’s always so tense around his sister Gabby, and since she and I were roommates until recently, that’s the only side of him I saw.
When we pull up to the airport, I’m shocked because the hour-long ride went by in a flash of belted oldies. The trunk pops open and then he’s by my side before I get a chance to lean in and grab it. “Here, let me get that for you.”
Ben pulls out my small suitcase and helps me maneuver it to the walkway.
The line of travelers winds out the automatic sliding doors and onto the sidewalk, but that’s not what makes me sigh. It’s the sight of a couple making out ten feet away.
I’m the idiot who thought that’d be me and Cal today. I hoped the prospect of me leaving would prompt him to make some kind of declaration, not ditch me with one of his friends.
Although judging by the menacing looks Ben gave Cal this morning, I’m not sure they’re friends.
I’m tempted to ask how Cal wrangled Ben into driving me, but a part of me is afraid to ask. His weird vibe finally dissipated, and I’m not inclined to put Ben in a bad mood again.
His dark eyes sweep across the crowd. “Do you need help checking in your luggage or getting your ticket?”
His thoughtfulness assuages the melancholy that’s been plaguing me since we left Charming. “I’m carrying this on the plane, and I already checked in online.”
He chuckles. “I’ve never known a woman to pack so light for a trip. Even if it’s only four days.”
For some reason, the fact that he knows how long I’m going away sends a fuzzy, bubbly feeling through me. I don’t mention the shitload of clothes I have at home, which is why I’m able to pack so little.
I’m about to lean up to hug him when the sky booms and rain pelts us out of nowhere.
“What the fuck?” Ben grabs my luggage and my arm and hauls me under the awning. “Crazy damn weather.”
“Was it not sunny just sixty seconds ago?” I laugh as I wipe my face with my arm.
“That’s Texas for ya.”
His southern drawl is so cute, I’d pinch his cheeks if he weren’t also a sexy beast who towers over me.
At the sight of his damp t-shirt clinging to his wide, muscular chest, I decide I’ve ogled Gabby’s brother long enough.
“Thanks for the ride.” As much as I want to hug him because I’m affectionate by nature, I decide the downpour that interrupted us was a sign I should keep my hands to myself. “I owe you.”
He smiles—a real one that reaches his eyes—and it’s such a captivating sight, I almost sigh.
“Anytime, Sienna. Have a great trip.”
Ignoring the pitter-patter of my heart, I watch him jog back through the torrential rain to his SUV.
A little voice in my head wonders what would’ve happened if I’d met Ben before Cal.
And then I snort because Ben’s one of the biggest players on campus. I don’t need to listen to the gossip to know this. I’ve seen him in action at the Stallion Station, which is the lovely nickname everyone calls the football pad across the street from my house. He’s just doing me a favor because Gabby would have his balls if he didn’t help me.
As I wait in an obnoxiously long line for the terminal, that gloominess descends again, which means I’m due for some serious self-care therapy. But since I’m stuck in Austin for the moment, I call my BFF Destiny. She and I have been close since we survived a brutal economics class together sophomore year. The only other girl I’ve gotten close to is my old roommate, but Gabby and her boyfriend Rider recently relocated to Dallas after he was drafted.