“You’re never going to give up, are you?” I teasingly asked.

“Not in my nature.”

“I don’t know, Cole.”

“It’s just a movie. I’ll sit on another couch, you won’t even have to touch me, look at me, or talk to me.”

I laughed. “Then what’s the point?”

“To be near you.”

I laughed again. “Still saying all the right things, I see.”

“You got me on one of my good days.”

I cocked my head to the side and placed my hand on my hip. “Do you ever have a bad one?”

“Everyday these last three weeks has been a bad day.”

I instinctively stepped back, putting some space between us. “I just don’t think I’m ready for all that. I’m sorry.”

“I deserve it. I leave in two weeks, and I’d love to spend more time with you before I go.”

“You’ll be back,” I reasoned.

“I will, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want to see you before I go.”

“Maybe,” I breathed out, not giving in but not declining either. “Okay?”

He nodded as he stood. I think he wanted to leave before I changed my mind.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.

I watched him leave and then made my way toward the boys and Aubrey.

“Anything else before I clock out?” I asked them.

“You look tired, Half-Pint,” Jacob noticed. He was never one to hold back what he thought.

“I am tired. It’s been a long day.”

“Is that the only reason?” Dylan chimed in and my eyes immediately shifted to Aubrey. Who looked as nervous as I appeared.

“Would there be another one?” I challenged, needing to hear his response to my question.

“You talk to Lucas?” Austin asked, bringing my attention to him.

“No.”

His eyebrows lowered in a curious yet serious manner while he glanced at the boys before saying, “Maybe you should.”

I didn’t falter. “How’s he doing?”

“Don’t pretend like you don’t know,” Jacob accused only staring at me.

I placed my hand on my hip, leaning all my weight into it. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You tell us,” Dylan countered.

“Boys!” Aubrey scolded, but none of them turned to look at her. Their intense glares placed on me. I felt like I was on trial or something. Every move I made or anything I said would receive an objection.

“Stop ganging up on her,” Aubrey yelled out, sticking up for me. But even I didn’t back down from their glares.

“Mind your business, baby,” Dylan ordered in a husky tone I’d never heard before.

“We’ve given you weeks, Half-Pint, and you haven’t said a word. Is there anything you need to tell us? Or do we need to keeping assuming?” Dylan proclaimed.

“You know what they say about people who assume,” I sassed, and I could feel Aubrey smiling behind me. It gave me the courage I needed to keep going and for some reason, I felt she knew that.

Jacob stood first and the rest followed, their large frames towering over my small one.

“Get your shit together. Ya hear me?” Jacob insinuated something that I couldn’t place my finger on, but his tone left me contemplating what he really meant.

I nodded even though I didn’t understand. “Loud and clear.”

“Good, while you’re at it give Lucas a call. He needs a friend,” Austin implied, accentuating the last word.

“He’s got you boys,” I simply stated.

“He. Needs. You. As a friend,” Dylan coaxed, also stressing that word. He pulled me over to him with his hand on the back of my neck and kissed the top of my head, murmuring, “Don’t lie to us again.”

I lifted my face to look at him but I was too late, he already turned to leave. Jacob hugged me next, tight and securely around my waist and Austin followed suit. They trailed after Dylan toward the pool table.

I turned to Aubrey when they were out of earshot. “What the hell was that?” I questioned, surprised and utterly perplexed with what just happened in the last five minutes.

“I wish I could tell you. Dylan has been pissed at me since the accident and I didn’t even do anything. I swear he knows that I knew or something. He smells it on me like a bloodhound.”

“Have they talked to Lucas?”

“I mean they have but they haven’t. I don’t know. It’s weird. It’s obvious they know something’s up. I think they’re hurt that they’re just now figuring it out. I’m not really sure, it’s very confusing.”

I swallowed the saliva that had pooled in my mouth. “What should I do?”

“Fuck if I know.”

I shrugged, glancing over at them with her. “I guess I didn’t even notice they had been acting weird toward me. I’ve been too caught up in work and trying to ignore everything else around me. Is it bad?”

“It’s not good. Maybe talk to Lucas and see where that goes. All I know is they’ve been keeping their distance from him.”

My eyes widened, stunned. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t want that. I don’t want to cause a rift between them. Not ever.”

She nodded. “I know you don’t, but you’ve always been the glue that’s kept them together, Alex, you know that right?”

I didn’t.

And it made me feel worse.

As I looked back over at my good ol’ boys, it was the first time I realized that it wasn’t just about Lucas and me anymore or maybe it never was? It involved all of us in some way, shape, or form.

I never wanted to come between them and I knew what I had to do.

Even though the thought alone.

Nearly killed me.

It had been a month since the accident and I finally moved around without the crutches. Not for very long but it was progress nonetheless. When I heard the doorbell ring I figured it was the boys. They hadn’t been around a lot since the accident. I figured they were just busy with summer. I didn’t blame them for not wanting to hang out with a crippled that couldn’t leave his house. My mom was out for the day and my dad was at work.

When I heard the knock on my bedroom door, I realized it wasn’t the boys because they would have just walked right in. That only left one other person.

“Lily, go away! I’m not playing Barbie’s with you again, that was a one-time thing.”

The door opened and Alex stepped in smiling like a fool. I hadn’t seen her since the accident. She wore a white crop top with black cotton shorts. Her hair sat on the top of her head in a messy bun with pieces scattered and falling around her face. I knew she didn’t do that on purpose, she probably just slept with her hair like that and didn’t bother doing anything with it when she woke up.

Her sun-kissed skin and her glossy lips immediately did things to my cock, which had me reaching over to grab a pillow to cover it.

“Barbies?” she teased with a cocked head and arched eyebrow. “You never played Barbie’s with me,” she giggled, and it felt incredible to hear her laugh again.

My day drastically changed from bad to amazing.

“You didn’t have Barbies, but you did play G.I. Joes with me,” I stated, mirroring her smile.

“That’s because he blew stuff up and it was cool. Barbies are stupid.”

“In my defense Lily got me at my all time weakness. Being lonely and fucked up on pain medication will make you do things,” I shared as a joke to keep the momentum of our light banter going, but when her smile faltered and she frowned. I knew I fucked it up.

“I’m not lonely anymore. You’re here now,” I reassured, hoping to see that smile that lights up her entire face again.

She softly grinned, it wasn’t the one I wanted to see, but she still looked beautiful.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, walking toward me. I nodded to the place in front of me on my bed. I slid over putting my back against my headboard to allow her more room.

She climbed up and lay sideways with her head pitched up on her hand, always lying like that. It warmed my heart that she was still able to feel comfortable around me, even though we hadn’t spoken in a month and were nowhere near where we used to be.