We’re all stuffed from a wonderful Thanksgiving Day meal with our families, including our grandparents; Dad’s sister, my aunt Ashley; and her husband, my uncle Cooper. The cool thing about this year is that Damon’s mom and her husband, Van, joined us. Which meant that he and Dani didn’t have to split time between the two. And everyone has been getting along really well.
Once the food is all cleared and put away, we’ll rest for a bit and then go outside for our annual game of flag football. It always starts around four to give everyone time to do their own dinner, but a ton of my parents’ friends join in. I know Marcus and Madison will be here along with Nick and Macy, Joey and Chelsea, Katie and Neil, and all their kids.
But for now, most of us are still sitting at the table, chatting. Including Eddie, who is fitting into the family seamlessly.
And he loves it.
“I don’t think we told you about how my brothers and I serenaded her the other night,” Eddie says to Mimi. “When I gave her my pin.”
Mom’s head whips in Dani’s direction. “You’re pinned?”
“What’s pinned?” Haley asks.
“It’s a precursor to getting engaged,” Jadyn replies.
Eddie’s eyes get big. “Uh, it’s my understanding that—to use an old-fashioned term—it means we’re going steady. Like, she’s my girl.”
I am going to lose my shit.
I feel like I can’t breathe.
I have to get out of here.
“Uh, I, um, I just realized I need to go do something.” I suddenly get up from the table, banging into it with my knees and causing the whole thing to vibrate.
“That’s right, Chase,” my dad says. “I’ll come in the garage and help you.”
I drop to the ground the second I get into the garage. It’s that or fall.
“Knockout punch,” my dad says.
“Yeah.”
“Have you ever heard the saying, Love is friendship gone mad?”
“I haven’t,” I say. “Who said it?”
“A Roman philosopher named Seneca said it a very long time ago. I first became acquainted with it because when we were engaged, your mother had a little case of cold feet. Actually, it was a big case. She went down to Lincoln and partied with Nick and a bunch of the guys, which was no big deal. What was a big deal was, they went to a bar that we frequented. The guy who owned it used to, um, date your mom.”
“Oh, wow. Is that why she went there?”
“No, but as people sometimes do, she spilled her guts to said bartender, who was getting a doctorate in philosophy, about these wedding-disaster dreams she had been having. Basically, he told her to stop freaking out.”
“Do you think it’s true? That love is friendship gone mad?”
“In our case, yes. And possibly in yours. You have the friendship with Dani, and you have the chemistry, but you just have to get past the madness.”
“I’m not sure I can.”
Once I’ve had a few moments to regroup, Dad suggests we go back inside. “Maybe you shouldn’t play flag football today, Chase. I don’t want you getting hurt. Not with the championship game next week.”
“I’m not sitting out, Dad. I’ll be there shortly.”
Dani corners me the second I step back in from the garage.
“Are you serious? We’ve been here since Tuesday afternoon, and Eddie is still getting asked a million questions. Can’t you just leave the poor guy alone?”
“Hey, you bring a guy home for the holiday, and everyone assumes it’s a pretty serious thing,” I say with a shrug. “And, apparently, it is. You know, since you’re practically engaged.”
“I was surprised by it, Chase. We’d only gone out a few times, and they weren’t really dates. They were more us just hanging out. It was fun. I mean, he’s awesome.”
“I think we’re going to be best friends by the time he leaves here. We all love him. I can see why you do, too,” I say.
“Chase, it’s not like that. It just sort of—happened.”
“What do you mean?”
“I literally don’t know what I was thinking, bringing him home with me. I’m sorry, okay? As I said, it just sort of happened. We got matched up at the party, he sent me flowers, and we hung out a few times. Then he was telling me that he wasn’t going home for Thanksgiving, and I was like, You could come home with me. I meant it as a friend thing, but then he was at the sorority house, and his fraternity was serenading me. And then he gave me his fraternity pin. My sisters were so excited. And it is a really cool tradition. And I couldn’t say no. Everyone was watching.”
I cross my arms across my chest and let out a sigh. “Are you freaking kidding me right now?”
“What?”
“I mean, I don’t get you. Growing up, all I ever heard out of your sassy little mouth was no. No, we can’t climb that high because it’s too dangerous. No, you can’t eat more cookies; you’ll get sick. No, you can’t play with my Barbies because you’ll ruin their hair. No. No. No. And now, it’s like you forgot how to say the word. Is that what you want your life to be? A series of events you have no control over, so you just end up with someone who asked you a question publicly? And are you so blind that you can’t see history repeating itself? Does it not sound like the exact same situation as the day Hunter asked you to Homecoming? When you just couldn’t say no. And now, more than two years later, you still haven’t learned your lesson? Call me sometime, you know, when you decide to grow the fuck up.”
She gets a pissed look on her face and drags me into the laundry room, shutting the door.
“When I grow up? Really?” she says, getting in my face. “I know you never invite Lacey over for holidays because I’ve been to all of them. And now, suddenly, here she is? I know you’re just trying to make me jealous.”
“She’s here because Haley invited her, not me. So, actually, I’m not.” I take a step toward her, causing her to back up against the washing machine.
“Yeah, you are.” She takes ahold of my shirt, grabbing it in her fist and pulling me closer.
Causing our faces to almost touch.
The second she looks down at my mouth, I know exactly what she’s thinking. And I don’t hesitate. I pick her up, set her on top of the washing machine, stand between her legs, and kiss her.
I half-expect her to slap me across the face, but instead, she grabs the back of my neck, bringing me closer. She forces her tongue into my mouth, and I accept it, greedily sucking on it. I slide my hands down her backside as she moves herself to the end of the machine, her thighs wrapping around my waist.
Her hands are running roughly through my hair, and I pull my lips away from her mouth before sucking my way down her sweet-smelling neck. She lets out a little moan and moves her face downward, meeting mine, so I will kiss her again.
Her hands glide down my chest, settling on my waist and then undoing my belt.
And I’m definitely ready for it.
But then I think, What the fuck am I doing?
“This is bullshit, Devaney,” I tell her, pulling away. “I can’t do this. Way to cheat on your boyfriend. Real classy.”
I don’t like you.
Devaney
I sit there for a second, my anger growing. I run home and then up to my room, grab two items, and go back next door.
I stand in front of Chase, who is in a circle outside with Eddie, Damon, Lacey, and Haley, all laughing, having a ball, waiting to choose sides for the game.
I walk around them and tap Chase on the back, motioning for him to come with me. When he doesn’t, I basically take his hand and mad-march him over behind the tree house.
He leans up against it, like he doesn’t have a care in the world. “What do you want now, Dani?”
I hold out my fist.
He scrunches his nose and rolls his eyes at me, but finally, he does what I want—holds his palm up.
“Here’s the answer to your stupid penny,” I whisper madly. He opens his hand, and I drop the penny and the dream ring into it. “Because this friendship is over.”
“Shocker,” he sasses.
“I don’t get it,” I tell him. “Why are you being such a dick about this?”
“I’m not. At all. I’ve been really nice to Eddie.”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “To me, not him.”
“Well, that’s probably because, right now, I don’t like you very much. How could you bring a boyfriend into my house and not have the decency to tell me? What? You thought it would be fun to just surprise me?”
“So, is that how friends with benefits works for you? I’m not allowed to date anyone else even though you are?”
“You really don’t get it, do you?” he says, and then he walks away.
With my ring in his hand.
