Page 8 of Cloudless
Dax’s face breaks into his usual shit-eating grin as he shoots from his chair. The scrape of the legs on the sticky floor earns glances from patrons around us. He places a hand over his heart as he bows his head. His usual grin falls away to be replaced by solemn eyes. “Let’s have a moment of silence for our fallen comrade. Kam was a good man. Stubborn, but good all the same. People will remember his fierce loyalty, but—Hey!”
I interrupt his grand gesture by pulling him down into his seat. The sound of his tailbone hitting the chair is loud enough to hear over all the chatter. I feel zero remorse.
“Don’t be dramatic,” I seethe, pivoting in my seat so I see her drop off drinks to a table across the room. The excess length of her apron strings float behind her as she disappears through the kitchen door.
Dax only rubs his tailbone and shrugs, completely undeterred by my protest. “I’m just calling it how I see it, Cap. Hell, I hardly recognize you. If your thirty-minute recounting of seeing her in class wasn’t enough, the look on your face says it all.”
Mace nods in agreement. His mouth full of French fries obscures his words. “I’ve never seen you like this, man.” He swallows before chewing not nearly enough and turns to our roommates. “When have you ever heard Kam talk about a girl at all, let alone like this?”
Wyatt's green eyes pierce me, but he says nothing.
I’m saved from answering by Kim’s long, pink-tipped fingers curling around the back of my seat. Her flirtatious smile hasn’tchanged since she learned how to use it in elementary school. “What can I get ya, Kam? The usual?”
My eyes never stray to hers as I say, “Yep, and a root beer. Make the food to go. Thanks, Kim.”
“Sure thing, Kam.” Her fingers drag along the back of my neck before she struts off, clearly walking with a purpose.
Dax blows out an exasperated breath. “Pretty sure that girl’s got your wedding planned already, man.”
Mace’s groan speaks for us all. Thankfully, Kim’s distraction shifts the conversation away from my love life, or lack thereof.
I barely contribute to the guys' conversation about tomorrow's scrimmage, spending most of my time watching Lila.
She never stops moving, constantly refilling drinks, delivering orders, and running back to the kitchen to do it all over again. After only a few minutes of watching her, I realize she has almost double the tables of the other servers.
I don’t know how she’s managing it all, but it’s damn impressive to watch.
“Earth to Kam.”
I blink rapidly as my roommates come back into focus, only to find Dax snapping his fingers in my face. “I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
Mace fights his smile as he pushes my to-go bag closer to me. “You ready to go, man?”
I’ve been so caught up in my head, I didn’t even realize Kim brought my to-go order out already.
My movements are slow as I stand. My eyes scan the table in search of any way to delay leaving as I fiddle with my to-go bag.
A blur of red draws my attention to Dax as he walks over to Lila and smiles. Her brows crease as his hands move around him like he’s telling the most riveting story.
Mace mumbles, “Oh, shit.”
I’m already heading that way, my long strides eating up the distance between me and her in seconds. The other tables are a blur in my peripherals. She’s the only thing I can see. Lila and my dumbass best friend who’s known for flirting with everyone.
Do I think he will try to “steal” her?
No, of course not.
Do I think he will do everything within his power to push every button I have?
Hell yes I do.
CHAPTER 5
GENDER-FLUID FISH
LILA
Who is this guy, and why the hell is he talking to me about gender-fluid fish?
