Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
“Drunk Donovan is adorable.” Anthony kisses my cheek. “I get it, though. Sometimes it’s scary to dream, but we’re fucking awesome and deserve to get everything we want.”
Hayes says, “It’s still amazing to me that people think I’m awesome. First Rylan and now you guys. It’s so weird.” He frowns as if truly confused by it.
“Aww. You’re the best. I love you both.” I give Hayes a hug.
“Me too,” Hayes replies.
“Right back at ya.” Anthony winks. “Come on. Let’s dance.” He shoves to his feet, then takes my hand and pulls me up, followed by Hayes.
“Um…I don’t think we can dance like you,” Hayes says shyly.
“Speak for yourself. I know how to work this body.” It’s one thing I’m fairly confident in.
“Oh, I remember. I’m the one who sucked last time.”
“I’ll teach you,” Anthony promises.
Hayes mutes the TV, Anthony turns on music, and that’s what we spend the next hour or so doing—laughing and dancing. Anthony moves with Hayes, hands on his hips, trying to show him how to fluidly move his body. Hayes is an adorable mess, and I love him for it.
Anthony seems to let go when he’s dancing. Maybe that’s not the right way to say it because Anthony always seems free, but he loses himself to it, like dancing takes him to another world.
Eventually, we collapse into a heap together on the couch again, drinking and eating popcorn. Hayes turns on a movie because you can’t have a sleepover without a movie. That’s definitely against the rules.
We’re partway through it when Anthony’s phone buzzes on the coffee table. He picks it up, and I get a quick glance at the name on the screen. Mads.
Anthony clicks on the text, his fingers moving across the screen as he replies.
I’m surprised the two of them are texting. I didn’t realize they knew each other that well or talked outside of when the group of us are together.
The movie ends, and we’re all tired, so we each go to our rooms. I collapse on the bed and immediately call Eric.
“Hey, husband,” he says, his voice scratchy and tired. It still makes my heart jolt when I hear him call me that. I hope it doesn’t ever stop. I love being this excited about being Eric’s. Things have been going so well for us, easily going from friends, married friends, friends who hook up, to friends who are in love.
Eric realized not that long ago that he thinks he’s demi-romantic—not that it matters one way or the other, but I think it helped him understand more how he never connected with anyone in a romantic way except me.
“I’m sorry. Did I wake you up?” I finally ask.
“No. I just got home a little while ago. I went out with Ana. We had fun, but I was missing you, so I figured I’d stay awake and wait for you to call.”
I’ve been talking to Ana more too. What I didn’t know until recently is that she has been secretly in love with her best friend and unsure what to do about it. According to her, it’s not the same as with me and Eric and she doesn’t think it’ll work, so I’m glad Eric went out with her to cheer her up.
I smile into the phone. “How did you know I would call?”
“Because I know you miss me too.”
I do. So fucking much. As fun as tonight was, I wish I were in bed with him. “We’re ridiculous.”
“We’re adorable.”
“How am I supposed to sleep without my husband?” I tease. “At least you have Butterscotch to cuddle.”
“It’s not the same.”
I sigh. “No, it’s not.”
“Let’s stay on the phone. Remember we used to do that sometimes when we were kids? Stay on the phone until one of us fell asleep?”
I smile at the memory. “How did we not know we were in love?”
“I know, right?” Eric snickers.
I force myself out of bed, turn off the light, then climb under the covers. “Tell me all about your night out with Ana.”
Eric does, and then I do the same, telling him how Hayes, Anthony, and I spent our night.
“Mads and Anthony text each other. Did you know that?”
“Huh. No. Interesting.”
“It’s good for Anthony. I think maybe there’s more going on with him than he tells us.”