Page 27 of The Late Hit
Am I taking credit for their bromance? Oh, hell yeah.
A lot of margaritas are consumed, causing even more giggles.
There really isn’t anything better than surrounding yourself with your tribe.
Growing up, I was never without a crowd. There were always people wanting to hang out with me. Those people called themselves my friends, but the truth is they were just using me for status. That’s the problem with living where I grew up. It’s full of fake people needing clout to make themselves feel important. Getting out of Chicago, and the toxic dynamic that surrounded my family and their “friends,” was the best thing that I ever did. To this day, I’m so glad I chose to continue the dream that Bryce and I had in junior high. We both wanted to see the country, but we didn’t want to do it without the other.
Little did we know that I would be doing it alone.
And, in just two short days, I’ll be catching a flight back to Chicago to honor my brother’s memory.
“Ican’tbelieveThadgot us tickets to the Colts–Patriots game!” Bryce exclaims, running into the living room where I’m curled on the couch watching a movie with Asher.
Thad is our older cousin on our dad’s side. He’s a cousin who is closest in age to me and Bryce. We haven’t seen him in a while, not since he graduated high school and spent a year in rehab.
“Dude, I’m seriously so jealous,” Asher says, folding his arms across his chest.
Thad scored 50-yard line tickets and asked Bryce and me to go with him.
Pushing myself up in a sitting position, I look up at Asher and glance over at Bryce.
“Why don’t you go with them?”
“Are you serious?” Asher asks me, eyes widening in surprise.
Smiling up at him, I say, “Yeah, you should go with them. Make it a guys’ night, and you can crush on your man, Tom Brady.”
Grabbing my face between his hands, Asher leans down and gives me a kiss that makes my toes curl. Every time he kisses me, I swear he makes my cheeks flush and my blood pump harder.
“Would you two knock it off?” Bryce says, making a gagging noise. “I’m still having a hard time seeing you two together.”
Asher looks me in the eye and smiles against my lips before replying to my brother. “Seriously, dude, it’s been almost two years.”
Making his way farther into the room, Bryce plops down on the other side of the sectional.
“Yeah, seriously. That’s my sister. It’s weird to think about my childhood best friend and my sister making out and…” he trails off, his body shivering at whatever thought just crossed his mind.
Pulling away from me, Asher gives me a wink. I know that smirk on his face. He’s about to make my brother and me uncomfortable. Running his hand up my thigh in a slow, seductive movement, Asher looks over at Bryce.
“And what, Bryce? Cuddling and touching—”
Asher’s voice is immediately cut off as a pillow hits him directly in his face.
“Dude, shut the fuck up.”
I laugh at the two of them, even though my cheeks are red. It’s only been a couple of months since Asher and I took things to the next level in our relationship. He waited until my sixteenth birthday this summer before surprising me with a sleepover. The night was perfect. The moment was perfect. And Asher was perfect.
Pounding sounds in the distance.
What the hell? Where’s that pounding coming from?
More banging, and it’s getting louder and louder.
“B, you’re going to be late!” Chloe yells from the other side of my door.
Jerking up from my dream, I reach for my phone on my nightstand. Shit, I overslept. Ripping off the covers, I jump out of bed. Racing off too quickly, I stub my toe against the metal bed post.
“Ow, fuck!” I scream. “Shit, shit, shit!”
