Chapter 5

“Hey man! What’s up?”

“We’re just hanging out.”

“Yeah, I stayed over last night.”

“Yeah, in her bed. Knox, chill, nothing happened.”

~Why does he even care?~

Wes sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair. “Yeah, I know, she just needed someone. Relax, dude!”

“Andy... was... busy. Seriously, Knox, you need to chill. It wasn’t like that.”

~Why is he getting so defensive? It’s not like Knox even cares. He’s probably just fishing for information to tell my brothers.~

The tension in Wes’s voice sharpened until it snapped. “You’re so damn entitled, Knox,” he barked. “Newsflash—the whole world doesn’t revolve around you.”

There was a pause, the sound of Knox saying something on the other end, but Wes didn’t wait. He ended the call then tossed the phone onto the bed like it had burned him.

He stood there for a second, breathing hard, then sat down heavily on the edge of the mattress, elbows on his knees, fists clenched. His whole body radiated heat and frustration, jaw tight, eyes dark. Yeah, he was pissed—and I had no idea if it was more about Knox... or me.

I couldn’t help but check out his abs, which flexed with every angry breath. ~Damn, I slept with that. Well, not like that, but you know what I mean.~

Wes sat down beside me, his shoulder brushing mine, and took my hand gently in his. “I’m sorry about how Knox talked to you,” he said.

I gave a half-hearted shrug, trying to play it off. “It’s not a big deal.”

“He’s always been like that. Even before the fame. Always thought he was the center of the universe. I love the guy, but sometimes? Sometimes I really fucking hate him.”

“I know EXACTLY what you mean,” I said, before correcting, “I mean, I don’t LOVE him. I like him sometimes, but usually hate him.”

Wes glanced at the time and sighed. “I should go,” he said, like he didn’t really want to. He stood slowly, hesitating for a moment before leaning in. His hand cupped my jaw as he kissed me—soft and warm, the kind of kiss that lingered. “I’ll see you soon,” he murmured, giving me one last look before heading for the door.

We were acting like such a couple. I wasn’t ready for that. I didn’t want to dive back into a relationship.

~Relax, girl! He just stayed the night to comfort you. Chill!~ I scolded myself, trying to stop the internal dialogue.

As the door closed behind him, I heard a soft giggle. Turning, I found Andy standing there, arms folded, a teasing smile on her face. “You moved on fast...”

I rolled my eyes at her and stomped towards the living room, adding a touch of drama to lighten the mood. “You know it’s not like that. I used to have the biggest crush on Wes in high school. It was so weird to kiss him, but he’s a really good kisser—like, really good! Plus, it was just fun. He’s on the same page, Andy, it’s all good. But when we go to Savannah, you cannot mention this to my brothers. They will castrate him, and nobody wants that.”

“I think he’s always had a thing for you. You’re just oblivious. But I’m glad you’re getting over Drew. To be honest, you deserve much better, even if it is a fling. Enjoy being single!”

~Single...~

I’m single.

My heart began to sting at the thought that I didn’t have Drew anymore, even if he was a total cheating dick.

Tears began to trickle down my cheeks, and I closed my eyes, allowing myself to cry. I needed this. I felt worthless. What could I have done to stop him from cheating? What did I do wrong?

Was I bad in bed? Was I not there for him enough? What was wrong with me? Why did he do this to me?

A rush of emotions overwhelmed me as I began to cry harder. I flipped onto my stomach, letting the pillow muffle my sobs.

Andy came in and pulled me into a tight hug without saying a word.

“It’s going to be okay,” she whispered, her hand rubbing slow circles on my back. “You don’t have to hold it in, not with me.”

I sighed and wrapped my own arms around her, returning the comforting hug. She’s been through thick and thin with me.

***

The next few days passed in a blur. I kept myself busy—packing, pretending to be excited about the trip, and dodging reality every time my phone lit up. I ignored Wes’s texts and calls, partly because I didn’t know what to say... but mostly because I knew if my brothers found out, it would turn into a full-blown disaster, which I did not need when I was about to be home for Thanksgiving.

I did feel guilty—Wes had been sweet, and he clearly cared—but he’d known what it was. Just one night. A rebound, a comfort. Now it was time to get back to normal, back to reality, and definitely back to boundaries.

Between Drew and Wes, my phone was blowing up so much I stopped looking at it when it buzzed. But then, my phone rang and I saw my brother’s name flash across the screen. I hesitated before answering.

“Why is Knox so pissed at you?” he asked, no greeting, straight to the point.

I blinked. “What?”

“He said you told him you didn’t want to go to his game. Now he’s been in a shit mood for two days. He won’t shut up about it. I thought he was gonna put his fist through a wall, like after we lost that game junior year.”

I’d thought skipping the game was no big deal. Clearly, it was more than that to him.

I told him I’d seen Knox that day—the day I accidentally called him. “He’s probably just pissed I don’t worship the ground he walks on like everyone else seems to.”

My brother moved on. While he babbled about flights and pickups for thanksgiving, I barely heard as I thought about Knox being angry.

Why did Knox care that much? Why did it mess him up so badly?

Later that day, there was a knock on my door. I opened it to find Wes standing there.

“Hi…” I said, feeling so awkward that I’d been ignoring him. I was ready for him to rip into me, but he seemed totally normal.

“Thought you might like a ride to the airport?”

“Oh… Sure. Thanks, that would be great. We’re almost done packing.”

As we walked toward my room, he said causally, “Even ghosts need rides, right?”

I could feel my face turning red as I stammered out an apology. At a loss for words, I turned back to my suitcase and continued packing, mindlessly grabbing whatever was closest. I tossed in a handful of underwear before realizing that Wes was watching me. I glanced up, my eyebrows raised in question. “What?”

He gave me that familiar smirk. “Just imagining what you look like in that.”

Instantly, my face heated up. I let out a nervous laugh and retreated to the bathroom to gather my toiletries. He followed me in.

“Are you going to pretend that didn’t happen?” Wes asked, leaning casually against the door frame.

“Pretend what didn’t happen?” I countered, feigning ignorance.

“Come on...”

As I turned to face him, Wes moved closer, his hands on either side of me on the sink, effectively trapping me. “You know, Alex, you’re cute when you blush,” he said, grinning. His gaze was so intense that I could see my reflection in his eyes.

Slowly, he moved even closer, his hands sliding along the sink towards my hips. He gently touched my hips but didn’t let go of the sink behind me.

He leaned in until I could feel his breath on my ear. “Maybe I need to refresh your memory,” he suggested, “since you seem to have forgotten something I can’t get out of my mind.”

He moved his head so that his lips were barely touching mine, his eyes hungrily watching my lips. Subconsciously, I allowed my tongue to slip out and wet my lower lip, and his eyes followed the movement.

“You have a gift for teasing, sweetheart,” he whispered against my lips. I was frozen, unable to move, but the truth was, he was the one with that gift.

“I think it’s the other way around, Wes.” I was surprised at how seductive my voice sounded. I hadn’t even thought that sentence would come out of my mouth, let alone in such a seductive manner.

I knew I should step away. Between Drew and my brothers, this thing with Wes was messy and confusing and way too soon. But my body didn’t get the memo. My fingers itched to grab his shirt and pull him into me.