Page 93 of Ten Rules for Faking It
She bit her lip to keep from grinning about this new information. “Nice.”
Mason took a long drink. “Picked up a guitar at sixteen because I figured chicks dig it. I was not wrong. I also was not good.”
Laughter prolonged the game while others shared stories.
“Mason’s turn,” Stacey said, cozying into her seat a little more, her head drooping.
“Never have I ever gotten drunk playing one of these games,” Mason said.
Several people drank, including Everly. Chris looked at her, and even though they were surrounded by people and music and waves crashing in the distance, she felt like they were in their own bubble.
“That surprises me,” he said.
“I was a teenager once, you know,” she said after taking her drink.
“Everly’s turn,” Kitty said.
“Why’s it my turn?”
“You haven’t gone yet.” Kitty shrugged, like the reason was obvious. Others looked her way. When she was younger, there were times she had to pull on an invisible shield that let her get through things, like speaking in front of her class, with minimal panic. Faux confidence brought on by necessity.
Counting to ten in her head helped to loosen the pressure in her chest. Chris’s finger sliding over hers, covering it like hehad last weekend at the restaurant, pushed everything else out of her head.
“Never have I ever dated someone who I knew was going to be my forever,” she said. Even knowing Owen was her choice of the bachelors, who was to say where it would go? There was a slight pause, and she cursed herself for turning things so seriously, but what was she supposed to say?I’ve never had sex outside? I’ve never done anything terrifying? I’ve never done anything exciting?She didn’t need people to know these things even if there was a strong chance they wouldn’t remember tomorrow.
When Jane and her girlfriend drank at the same moment, eyes locked on each other, a chorus ofawwssounded along with some colorful commentary from Mason, Luke, and Noah. Luke and his wife were leaning against one of the railings, drinks in hand. He leaned down and whispered something in her ear that made her laugh. Everly’s heart clutched with want.
Everly noted Chris hadn’t drank when she’d said hers. Had he ever been in love? Thought he was?
“You go, Jane’s girlfriend,” Stacey called.
“Petra. I’ve introduced you three times tonight, Stacey,” Jane said, laughter underlying her tone.
“Petra. Right. Hey, Petra. I love your skirt.”
“Hi, Stacey. Again. Thank you, and all right, let me think. Never have I ever… I don’t know. Uh? Never have I ever been married.”
Everly glanced around, grinning when Mari, Kitty, Benny, Luke and their respective spouses drank. She turned her head slightly to look at Chris. He was already looking her way.
She would have kept on staring if his brother hadn’t spoken up. Or yelled, more accurately.
Noah leaned across others to nudge his brother in the arm. “No cheating. Even quickie marriages count, little brother.”
Everly’s heart slammed full force into her rib cage. What?She watched his fingers tighten around his glass. When her gaze moved back up, he was glaring at Noah.
“Whoa! You were married?” Stacey asked, sitting up so she could lean forward to point at him.
Everly felt him stiffen at her side but couldn’t take her eyes off his profile. His jaw tightened, his shoulders went back just a touch. He wouldn’t meet her gaze.
Noah cleared his throat, giving a forced laugh. “He was married for about five minutes.” He picked up a handful of chips from a bowl on the table beside him, popping a couple in his mouth like they were discussing the latest sports highlights. “Our dad waspissed.” He saluted his brother with his bottle of beer. “One benefit, right?”
Chris huffed out a sound between a growl and a laugh. His eyes caught Everly’s. Her throat went dry, and her pulse beat too fast. It probably wasn’t healthy for it to beat that fast. Now everyone was probably staring at her, staring at Chris.
“You’re not still married, are you?” Stacey asked.
Even drunk, her friend could read Everly’s thoughts.
Chris’s jaw dropped, and he shook his head. “No. I’m not.” He looked into Everly’s eyes like he was trying to hold her in one place with his gaze. “I’m not. And it wasn’t only to piss my dad off. That was a definite side benefit, but we… I think we confused love with something else entirely. We were young.”
