Page 133 of Game Night: Truth or Dare

“You are mine when we get home.”

His smile turns dirty and he just nods and winks.

Dinner is great, the company even better. Keith and I talk and laugh, flirting shamelessly while we share our food. Instead of having our food separately, we put our plates in the middle of the table and share. It’s the best date I’ve ever had.

The date is going perfectly until I see familiar blond hair. I groan as Atlas walks into the restaurant with a few of his friends. I’m more than a little pissed that I told him about this place. He spots me and smiles, making a beeline to our table.

“Give me a minute,” I hurriedly say to Keith as I get up and head in Atlas’s direction. I don’t want him anywhere near Keith, and I don’t want to air our dirty laundry.

Ever since I caught him cheating and told him to go fuck himself, he’s been trying to get me back. He keeps trying to pretend I didn’t actually see what I saw, like my eyes were playing tricks on me. After his gaslighting didn’t work, he went with the ‘I didn’t know we were exclusive’ defense. Which is also bullshit because he asked me, through text, if we could date seriously. When I forwarded said text to him, he tried to pretend he was drunk when he sent it. Tired of playing his games, I decided to just block him and try to move on.

Atlas does not allow me to do that half the time. When he sees me on campus, he tries to corner me, but I’m usually with Bryson or Evan, who tell him to fuck off. I don’t want Keith involved in any of this, so I’ll deal with him on my own.

Before he can get close to our table, I grab his arm roughly and lead him outside. When I turn to him, he has a smug smile that I want to wipe off his face. “Hey, babe,” he drawls, trying to put his arm around me.

“Get off,” I almost yell, slapping his arm from around my waist. “Why are you still bothering me? What is it you want?”

His smug smile dims a little, and I secretly revel in it. “I just wanted to talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about. You cheated. We’re through. Why do you keep trying?”

“We were good together, babe. Why jeopardize that for a mistake?”

I give him a wide-eyed look, like he’s lost his fucking mind. “A mistake? Atlas, your dick was down someone’s throat. That’s not a mistake. You cheated on me. I won’t date a cheater. We’re over. End of discussion!”

Through the window, I see Keith standing and walking over to me. I hold up a finger and he nods, sitting back down.

Atlas looks at Keith, then does a double take. “Is that your date?”

I bristle, knowing Atlas will say something about his weight. Atlas is a gym freak, thinking the more toned he is, the healthier he is, though he drinks like a fish and smokes like a fucking chimney. “Yeah, and?”

He chuckles, shaking his head. “Go back to your date. I know when no means no. But if that doesn’t work out, you know where to find me.” He traces a finger down my arm and I smack it away, turning away from him in a huff.

Keith stands when I get back to the table and wraps his arms around me. “You okay?” he asks, voice full of concern.

I nod, but don’t really feel okay. Atlas is a fucking parasite and always puts me in a foul mood when we talk.

“Can we go?” I look up at him, hoping he’s ready too. We were having a great time, and Atlas had to fuck it up.

Keith kisses me gently on the lips, then my forehead. Without another word, he pulls out his wallet, puts some bills on the table and hustles me out. When we get inside the car, I wipe angry tears from my eyes. I’m not crying because of anything Atlas said, but for me, for being such an idiot in the first place.

“You okay?” Keith asks again as he drives us back to the apartments.

“Fine. Just …” I huff again. “I was an idiot when I dated him. I feel stupid. I hate feeling stupid. Don’t think I’m crying because I miss that creep or something. It’s because he made a fool of me and it makes me angry.”

“When Evan and I had lunch—”

I cut him off, grabbing his hand. “We need to talk about Evan. Tonight. We need a plan and we’ll tell him as soon as we come back. Talking to my stupid fucking ex tells me I want this to last for a long time. We’re good for each other, right?”

“Very good,” Keith says, kissing the back of my hand. “Yeah, we can figure out how to tell Evan. I just want to be with you, Derek.”

My smile is wide as I lean over and kiss his cheek. “I want to be with you, too. For as long as you’ll have me.”

Chapter 11

Keith

Instead of going home when we get back from the restaurant, Derek stays the weekend with me. Since he doesn’t have to study anymore, he says he has more time to spend with me. I won’t object to that one bit.

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