Page 6 of Between Regrets and Promises

Hard pass.

Mason

Just leaving the gym. Meet you guys there.

Liam

Come pick me up before this chick ties me up and does some weird, freaky shit to me.

Mason

HARD PASS.

Brandon

Thought you liked that?

Liam

Fuckers. Hate you both.

I chuckle, shaking my head as I stuff my phone in my pocket. Liam’s been my roommate since we moved out the summer after freshman year. We didn’t want to live on campus anymore and found a three-bedroom house close enough to walk if we wanted. The following summer, we added a third roommate, but she’s busier than both of us, and we hardly ever see her anymore.

Once I’m home, I shower, eat, get dressed, then hang out for a bit before I get too bored and leave for the bar early. It’s Friday night, and after the week I’ve had, I need a drink or two.

I walk into the Coliseum and see the guys haven’t arrived yet. Not that I should be too surprised. Liam’s always late, and Brandon probably got lost in his bed with Lennon. They’veonly been dating for a few months, but I can tell he’s head over heels in love with her already. It’s sickeningly cute, but I’d never admit that aloud.

Lennon’s a year younger than us, and now that she’s on summer break, she and Brandon are attached at the hip. When he suggested a time to meet up, I should’ve known that actually meant an hour later.

Instead of calling them out for their tardiness, I order a beer. We’ve been coming here since before we could legally drink, so the bartender knows us all by name.

“Riding solo tonight, Holt?” Dan asks as he grabs me a beer.

“Nah, just waiting on everyone.” He hands over a bottle, and I ask him to start a tab.

Ten minutes pass, and I check my phone to see Hunter got caught up at work and will be late. We graduated two months ago, and the asshole already has a full-time job in construction management. Not that he didn’t work his ass off for it. I’m just bitter that I still have to finish graduate school, complete internships, and gain more work experience before I can apply for my dream job as a forensic investigator. Three more years and I’ll hopefully be doing what I truly want with my life.

I send him a snarky text and tell him to hurry. However, knowing Hunter, he’s probably just making excuses so he can skip. He’s been doing that a lot lately, mostly since Brandon started dating Lennon, and I’m convinced it’s not a coincidence. In fact, I think he’s avoiding her on purpose, which means one of two things: he thinks she’s annoying to be around and can’t stand their PDA, or he secretly wants to fuck her.

My money’s on the latter.

Though he’d never admit it since his loyalty to Brandon is solid. He’s a smart guy for staying away as much as possible, which will be a lot easier once she’s back at school in the fall.

Just as I’m finishing my first beer, a brunette bombshell comes to the bar, and it takes me only seconds to decide I need to buy her a drink.

Dan asks what she wants. She sucks in her plump bottom lip, hesitating.

“Jack and Coke, please,” she finally orders, setting down her clutch. I take the opportunity to run my gaze down her body and notice how beautiful she is. She has a section of her hair in a braid that wraps around the top of her head like a headband, which looks sexy as hell.

“Put hers on my tab, Dan, and bring me another, please.”

“And who mightyoube?” She raises a flirty brow.

I study her features as if I’ll be tested on them later. Her sun-kissed skin looks so damn smooth that I’m tempted to reach out and touch her just to see if I’m right.

“Mason,” I respond, smirking at the way she’s looking me up and down. Leaning toward her, I whisper, “And what’s your name?”

“Well, I guess since you bought me a drink, you’ve earned the right to know,” she taunts as Dan places the glass on a napkin in front of her and scoots another beer toward me. “Thank you, by the way.”

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