Page 136 of Before We're More Than Friends
“I prefer to wear boxers.” Hayden gave her a half-smile, though his muscles tensed.
“I’m nervous, too,” I said, knowing he didn’t want to admit it. My gaze went to the windows at the front of the café, looking for a girl with beautiful golden-brown waves and blue eyes that pierced my soul.
“Where the hell are they?” Hayden asked, reading my mind. “They’re always the last ones to show up to everything.”
“You sure you prefer to wear boxers?” Sienna asked.
Hayden rolled his eyes. “Okay,Caleb.”
“Watch your language.”
“Yeah, do not use my name in vain,” Caleb said. “I might have to strike you with lightning.”
“I wish you would,” Hayden grumbled.
Caleb’s brows furrowed. “What’s your problem, dude?”
I swallowed, looking down at the table. Even though I understood why he was stressed, I wasn’t a fan of this newHayden. This wasn’t the cheerful boy who had helped me fall in love with music again.
“I’m sorry, I just . . .” Hayden put his head in his hands. “I just don’t want to screw this up. We’ve worked so hard, you know? And we deserve it.” His gaze bounced to a band not too far away, two dark-haired guys and a blonde having milkshakes and laughing. Hayden muttered something under his breath about dairy being bad for your voice.
“Why do you keep looking at them?” I asked.
“Oh, they’re just?—”
“Our mortal enemies,” Caleb finished.
I raised an eyebrow. They had enemies this whole time, and I was just hearing about them? How out of the loop had I been? “What did they do?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Hayden said. “What matters is that we need to do our best.”
“I think stressing out is only going to make us more nervous,” Sienna said as she fiddled with her keys on the table. “We’re going to do fine.”
“They’re pretty good, though,” Caleb said. “Hayden?—”
“I don’t want to talk about that!” Hayden snapped, loud enough for a few people near us to look. He lowered his voice. “Okay?”
“Sheesh, can we just get our happy Hayden back?” Oliver asked, folding his arms over his chest. “You’re more wound up than Caleb when he’s out of chips.”
“And that’s saying a lot,” Caleb added.
Hayden sighed. “I’m sorry, I just haven’t been this nervous in a while.”
I rubbed his back. “It’ll be okay. We’re going to crush it.” I hoped.
The café door opened with a chime, and I looked over to see Raina and Arielle walking toward us. Raina gave me a beautifulsmile, and warmth spread to my cheeks as I grinned back. Today, she rocked a purple crop top with long sleeves, a pleated black skirt, and black wedges. With her usual jewelry and makeup to complement everything, she looked freaking stunning.
And way sexier than I’d expected for an event like this.
Not that I was complaining at all.
Sheesh, that’s a toned stomach.
“Bloody heck,” Sienna said. “Just run up and kiss her already.”
My cheeks grew warm. “Saving it for later.” I’d used to hate how much Raina made me blush, but now, I lived for it. I lived for her to fill me with warmth until I was overflowing with it.
“Sorry we’re late,” Raina said, wrapping an arm around me once she sat down. “Arielle drove slow today.”
