Page 37 of The Season
Tom’s sneering grin falls at the mention of ‘training’. “Good for you. I bet Liam fucking loves you, doesn’t he?” He looks between me and Matty, so I’m not entirely sure who he’s talking about.
I open my door, forcing Tom to step back or risk getting whacked in the face. He gives an affronted huff, like I’ve committed some unpardonable offense by daring to climb out of my own car.
“Oops,” I deadpan, flashing him a falsely bright smile. “Didn’t see you there.”
“Man, you look like shit,” Tom retorts, staring pointedly at my battered face, as if this is the first time he’s seen it. Which, it’s not.
I don’t bother replying to that, since it’s mostly true, and it’s not like there’s anything I can do about it. Instead, I shoulder past him, ignoring the twinge of protest in my back when my shoulder clips him.
“Hey,” Tom calls after us as we trudge up the long, icy steps to the condo. “Hey, I was going to ask if you would give me a lift to the grocery store.”
Matty freezes in place beside me, his usual smile gone as he turns to scowl at Tom. “What?”
Tom rolls his eyes. “Come on man,” he whines. “You know how expensive gas is. I’ve got a truck, and Lily only has that tiny thing. It’ll be cheaper. Iknowshe said you guys can drive it”
Is Tom serious right now?I shoot Matty a wide-eyed look, but his brow is furrowed in confusion as he stares down the steps to where Tom still lingers by my car in the parking lot.
“I…I don’t really like driving,” Matty mutters, his face paling slightly as his gaze drifts to my car.
Tom scoffs. “Whatever. I can drive us then.”
“No, you can’t,” I snap. “Use your own car.”
Tom blinks at me in surprise, as if he’s only just remembered that I’m standing here. As he talks with Matty about using my car. I feel my jaw tighten. Sure, I might have told the guys they can use my car. But none of them have actually taken me up on the offer. And Tom just wants to use my gas.
Gas that cost me a significant portion of my dwindling savings.
“You serious?” Tom snorts incredulously.
I give him my back, nudging Matty with my shoulder. It’s too cold, and I’m too tired to deal with this. “Come on, Matty,” I murmur. “He’ll be fine. Let’s go home.”
Chapter11
Matty
This is not a date. This is not a date. This is not a date.
I repeat the words silently over the cracked bathroom sink, staring intently at my overly hopeful reflection with the aim of talking some sense into myself.
It’s not working.
“Matty,” Eddie whines from the other side of the door, the sound quickly followed by a succession of frantic knocks. “Can you hurry it up in there? I really need to use the toilet.”
I quickly finish styling my hair, rinsing the pomade off as I call back. “Almost done. Just give me a sec.”
That reply is met with a groan of dismay, and several more knocks for good measure, but I ignore them. Instead, I uncap my body spray, lifting my shirt before spritzing a good amount under my thermals. Just in case I get a bit sweaty up on the mountain. I want to smell fresh if Lily sits next to me on the chairlift.
And she will sit next to me. I’ll make sure of it.
“Seriously. Hurry the fuck up.”
“Sheesh. Calm down,” I mutter.
I cast one last look in the mirror, cringing at the way my cheeks have reddened with the anticipated embarrassment of coming face-to-face with Eddie.
“Bloody hell.” Eddie stumbles back when I open the door, one hand coming up to cover his face as amusement and horror dance across his features. “You do know those Lynx ads weren’t instructional videos, right?”
He gives a dramatic, wheezing cough. I frown, wondering what Lynx is and turn to give my armpit a surreptitious sniff. I smell alright. Just like Axe body spray.
