Page 17 of A Wrench in the Plan
“Intoxicated?!” I scowled at her, then mumbled, “I’m not a kid anymore.”
“You’re right, you’re not.” She smiled at me as she crossed the room and wrapped me up in a hug. “But your dad won’t ever see it any other way. You know that.”
I sighed heavily, frustrated with how my dad was always going to treat me. I couldn’t see it changing, even though I was doing nothing but getting older. I hugged her back tightly, thankful that I had one parent that saw me as a grown woman.
“Thanks for taking care of her, boys,” she said to Chry and Evan with that look in her eyes that was too telling. Not only was she grateful that I had someone to tote my stupid drunk butt somewhere safe, but with things being crazy with the club right now— not that I was supposed to be aware of that— it was best if I didn’t go anywhere alone. “Now, get her upstairs and out of sight.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Chry said, giving her a kiss on the side of her head right before he tossed an arm around my shoulders and led me back outside.
“I do not need a babysitter. I’m fine,” I said, only then stumbling a bit and proving my words wrong.
“We’ve all had these kinds of nights,” Ev said, taking up my other side and wrapping his arm around my waist.
“So true,” Chry said.
“Seriously, I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t in my life,” I said, getting a tad bit emotional.
We somehow ended up in a three-person hug, and I held on for way too long.
It was… comforting. Like getting home and putting on your favorite lounge pants. That feeling of letting your hair down and not having to worry about being judged.
“Alright, let’s get inside,” Evan said, and we broke apart.
We made it up to Chry’s room without incident. Inside, Chry dug through his dresser for a quick minute, eventually tossing me a set of sweats and a shirt. I skirted into the bathroom to change. When I came out, he had a few bags of chips and some crackers on the bed. With zero shame, I jumped on the bed and began snacking.
“It’s not leftovers, but it’s the best I’ve got,” Chry said with a crooked smile.
“It’s perfect,” I told him, smiling back.
“We’re going to regret this tomorrow,” Evan said, climbing on the bed beside me. He was now in his comfy clothes that I knew for a fact were stored in the third drawer down of Chry’s dresser.
I laughed. Even if it was true, I currently was in no mood to care.
“Ev’s thinking of dropping out,” I tattled with a sly smile on my face.
Oh, yes, I knew what I was doing. Evan was likely still toying with the idea, even if he’d talked as if he’d made up his mind. He didn’t like to give up on things, that wasn’t his style. As if we all couldn’t tell by the way he hung on to Chry— but not in a desperate way. I was definitely not talking crap about it. In fact, I found it sweet. But anyway.
“Cat!” Ev said my name with narrowed eyes and a look of betrayal on his face.
“Really?” Chry asked, head cocked, looking almost… hurt that he didn’t know this.
“Well, yeah, it’s just that… I don’t think it’s for me.”
“I wouldn’t mind seeing you more at work,” Chry said, dropping down onto the bed and practically pulling Evan into his lap. Evan was blushing, even as he rolled his eyes.
And Chry went on. His words to Evan comforting and supportive without sounding too boyfriend-y. Like Chry did. I saw the way Evan relaxed. The way he began to feel more sure about what he wanted. The way he knowingly thanked me with his eyes.
This also made Chry ask me about how my classes were going. He didn’t usually do the small-talk thing. Mostly because if it wasn’t in his face, he didn’t think about it. You really couldn’t blame him for the way his brain worked.
“Movie?” Evan asked as we all kind of started to wind down and the talking died.
“Sure,” Chry answered as I shrugged.
It would take us another half an hour to decide on what to watch. And twenty minutes after that, the three of us were under the covers, squashed in like sardines in Chry’s queen-sized bed. Chry was actually snoring behind Evan, his arm wrapped around Ev’s waist and his face buried in the back of his neck.
“You okay?” Evan whispered, the light of the TV bouncing off his features.
“Yeah. You?”
