Page 3 of Pinky Promises

Chapter 1

Callum

“Hey,”mybestfriendand roommate, Brynn, shouts from her doorway, and I pause the television to hear her better. “Spencer should be here any minute, and I’m running late.”

Yay, Spencer, I sarcastically mouth to no one in particular as I wave my best jazz hands.

I’m thankful that she can’t see my eye roll at the mention of her boyfriend. I’m sure he’s a nice guy—actually, no, I don’t think he’s a nice guy at all. I think he’s one of those guys that peaked in college and never wants to let go of those memories. Most of his stories involve the word “fraternity” or begin “back in college.”He’s a real winner.

The sound of her heels clicking in the hallway has me sitting straighter on the couch. “Can you let him in when he knocks, please?” Brynn leans on the wall, sticking her bottom lip out, begging.

“Yeah, I got him.” I grab the remote and resume my show. I’ve got big, exciting plans for a Saturday night—Netflix and chill—alone. I somehow let Zoe convince me to watch this show on Netflix, even though it’s not exactly my cup of tea. I agreed on the condition that she had to deal with my live recap and reactions via GIFs. Zoe hasn’t complained yet, but I’m only on episode four of twenty-two. There’s still hope that she will regret her decision by the end of the third season.

Zoe and I met a few months ago while celebrating what was supposed to be a low-key bachelor party. We ran into her—or, well, she drunkenly fell into Asher. They knew each other because she was the part-time receptionist at the hair salon that Asher’s girlfriend worked at at the time. It was quite a mess and even almost ruined Hadley and Asher’s relationship—thankfully, they were able to get past it.

The following day, she and I exchanged numbers to make sure she made it back okay to her college campus, which also happened to be our alma mater, Willow Creek University. We hit it off pretty well and have been hanging out ever since. Not like that, though—our relationship is strictly platonic. She’s a pain in my ass most of the time, like how I imagine a little sister might be.

“Thank you,” she singsongs, disappearing from view. Her heels echo in the hallway as she rushes back to her room, sounding like a damn stampede in our apartment.

Knock. Knock.

I let out a deep sigh, yet I don’t move. Maybe Spencer will go away if he thinks Brynn bailed on him. There’s a second knock, this time louder.

“Callum,” Brynn scolds.

“All right, I’m going.” I pause the television again and push up off my thighs to stand. I hate that my best friend knows me well enough to have known that I was making him wait on purpose.

It’s nothing personal; I don’t like any guy that Brynn brings home—never have, most likely never will. No one will ever be good enough for my best friend. I can find things wrong with every single one of them.

We face off in the doorway, neither happy to see the other. If we were in a Wild West episode, I’m pretty sure a tumbleweed would blow down the hallway right before we dueled to the death.

“Spencer.”

“Cal.” His tone matches my disdain. The guy obviously likes me about as much as I like him. “Are you going to move so I can come in?”

I squeeze the door tighter to prevent myself from slamming it in his face and telling Brynn that it was just someone trying to talk about bibles or some shit.

“Hey, can you get this for me.” Brynn’s soft voice turns my attention away from Spencer to find her entering the living room. Her arms are in the air as she struggles to do something on the back of her shirt.

I leave the front door, giving Spencer access to walk in, and head for Brynn. “Sure, come here.”

Brynn approaches, her heels making her taller than usual but still not at eye level. She moves her hair to the side, exposing a hook at the top of her shirt that she couldn’t get hooked. I quickly clasp it and squeeze her shoulders. She focuses her attention on me, giving me that signature sweet smile when she turns around.

“Thank you.”

Spencer clears his throat behind us, and the corners of my lips flick upward in pride.Take that, dipshit.Brynn breaks eye contact with me and turns her smile at him.

“Wow, you look stunning.” He whistles, appraising her. Well, that’s something that both of us can agree on. Brynn is gorgeous, and she doesn’t need to be all dolled up in sexy clothes to do so. She’s beautiful even in ratty shorts and an old T-shirt.

My eyes linger on her backside as she walks toward him. Her sculpted calves are on display under her skirt. And that skirt makes me want to bite my fist and should definitely be illegal the way it clings to her curvy ass.

When she reaches him, he pulls her into his arms and dips her back in a kiss that I’m not convinced isn’t just for show, a way to stake his claim. I roll my eyes and head into the kitchen to give them some space. The last thing I need is for Spencer to notice that I’m checking out his girlfriend.

I grab a beer from the fridge and flick the bottle cap into the bowl on the counter. I pump my fist in the air when the cap clinks against the glass, landing directly in the bowl. I take my time returning to the living room.

I take my seat back on the couch, ignoring Brynn and Spencer, who speak in hushed tones. Light from the hallway reflects on the paused screen on the TV as Spencer opens the front door.

Brynn leans over the couch, pressing a quick kiss against my cheek. “We’re out of here. Don’t wait up.”

“Ha! You kids be good.” I twist on the couch, extending my arm along the back. “Bye, Spencer,” I taunt.

He doesn’t respond with his voice. Instead, he wraps his arm around Brynn low on her waist as he ushers her out the door.

Once the door closes, a muttered “asshole” leaves my lips. I take a large pull from my beer, nearly finishing the bottle. I tilt my neck from side to side, trying to relieve the tension in my shoulders. It doesn’t help, though.

I sink back into the couch and bring up my text conversation with Zoe. I shoot off a GIF of Chris Farley dancing, saying “It’s Go Time!” and allow mindless television to distract me from the fact that the woman I am head over heels in love with just left on a date with another man.

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