Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 119005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
“Why?” I practically barked, somewhat panicked at the thought.
“Eh, because unlike you, I can be friends with a woman.”
“I can be friends with a woman,” I disagreed. Beth and I were once friends. Okay, so I was a horny seventeen-year-old who wanted to be her first and last, but we were still friends.
Until we weren’t.
“Just … not her. All right?”
My big friend cocked his head in thought. “Awright … if you tell me why.”
I glowered over at Beth as she laughed at something her date said. My gut twisted. “We went to school together. She … she’s not a good person.”
Baird’s chin jerked back in surprise. “That doesn’t seem right.”
Angry now, I spat, “You asked. I told. Now drop it. And delete her from your phone.”
Looking past me to John, Baird raised an eyebrow. “Is it me, or doth the lady protest too much?”
John gave a loud bark of laughter. And it was only because he’d made our friend laugh on a shitty day that I didn’t chuck Baird’s beer in his face. “It’s Kaito’s birthday next week. We should do something. He must be missing his family.”
Thankfully, the subject change worked. There was nothing Baird enjoyed more than a chance to throw a party.
As we chatted, I was hyper fucking aware of Beth and her date. I tried not to look, but I could see them in my periphery anytime I looked at Baird.
I saw them as they got up and walked out of the bar, and I turned to watch the prick hold the door open for her, his eyes glued to Beth’s perfect arse as she walked ahead of him. My stomach twisted as they disappeared out of sight, and I ordered another beer.
But only to celebrate the win, of course.
CHAPTER TWELVE
BETH
Nine years ago
I’d had crushes on boys before, but nothing compared to this.
I mean, I was standing on the sidelines of a football pitch, watching a bloody football game, for goodness’ sake. Me. Beth Carmichael.
And it was doomed from the start.
“He’s so gorgeous. It’s so unfair neither of us can do anything about it.” My best friend, Amanda, pouted.
He was Callan Keen. And unfortunately, her crush was my crush. When we’d realized we liked the same boy, we’d made a pact that neither of us would date him. But we seemed unable to stay away, even if it was under the pretense of only wanting to be friends with him.
“It’s bloody Baltic, though. Don’t know how long I can stay.”
It was November, but I couldn’t feel the cold. “You go.”
“Are you staying?” She eyed me warily.
“Yeah, I’m fine to watch a little longer.” I kept my tone nonchalant. “My bus doesn’t arrive for another wee bit yet.”
“Hmm.” She narrowed her eyes. “Remember our pact.”
How could I forget? The same day I met Callan, Amanda met him in her next class. She’d come rushing out of school desperate to talk to me about him, but I’d gotten there first. When she realized we were crushing on the same boy, she’d announced neither of us could have him.
“I remember. Don’t worry.” I waved goodbye to her, reminding myself that Amanda and I had been best friends since we were kids. I loved her to pieces. And she’d made the pact because she loved me and she wanted nothing to come between us. We’d made this kind of pact before when we were both crushing on a boy. It had always seemed like the fair and right thing to do.
However, Callan Keen was different.
Turning back to the pitch, I watched Callan shout to his teammate and suddenly, the ball soared toward him. Then he moved at a speed that was hard to compute. He could transport the ball down the pitch without giving up control so quickly, it was extraordinary. I’d never liked the sport, but watching Callan was eye-opening. I still wasn’t quite sure of the rules, but I didn’t care. I was looking only at Callan.
Butterflies roared to life in my belly any time I thought too hard about the boy I sat next to in history and math class. As soon as we realized we had math together, I bribed Jake Barker with a Snickers bar so I could sit next to Callan. Callan chuckled, apparently not at all put off with my obviousness. I’d tried to rein it in because I knew I couldn’t do anything about it, but I wanted to be near him. I couldn’t explain it.
And I was sure Callan liked me back.
I wasn’t sure why he hadn’t asked me out yet. Not that I could say yes.
As it was, I already felt guilty for flirting with the guy behind Amanda’s back. We’d been flirting for two months. And he’d become my bloody obsession. I’d never crushed this hard on anyone. For the first time, I could imagine doing more than kissing a boy. Amanda had lost her virginity during the summer, and all our friends talked about how they couldn’t wait, while I thought I was a weirdo because I still didn’t feel ready for sex. But thinking about it didn’t seem scary when I imagined it with Callan. It was beyond exciting.