“You don’t have to tell them anything,” I say when I pull away so I can look up at him. “It’s no one else’s business, what we’re doing.”

“You really believe that?” He touches my cheek, traces my lower lip with his thumb. His gentle touch makes me shiver. Makes me want more.

I nod. “I can’t even describe what we’re doing,” I admit in a whisper. “So I can’t expect you to either. Let them ask their questions. Let them speculate and wonder. We can be a mystery they’re desperate to unravel.”

He smiles, running his hands up and down my back. “You make us sound a lot more exciting than we might be.”

“Oh, we are very exciting.” I tip my head back just as he kisses my nose. “Wait until you see what I have in store for you tonight.”

Tristan perks right up at that. “There’s something extra sexy under that shirt you’re wearing, huh.”

I smile. “It’s going to blow your mind.”

He slips his hand beneath my shirt, touching my back, his fingers hot on my skin. “I can’t fucking wait.”

I’m down in the dumps on a gloomy Monday morning, sad that Tristan has left for the week when I get a text from Kelli.

Emergency. Need coffee. PSL preferred. Meet me in 20 at the SB closest to you?

Why not?

Twenty minutes later I enter the crowded Starbucks, spotting Kelli sitting at a small round table, two venti pumpkin spice lattes sitting in front of her along with a giant muffin that she’s currently devouring.

Uh oh.

“What’s up?” I ask as I slide into my chair, gratefully taking the cup she pushes my way.

She doesn’t say anything, just pinches off part of the muffin and shoves it into her mouth, her eyes closing for a moment as she slowly chews, like she’s completely blissed out over a basic blueberry muffin. Then she grabs her coffee and chugs like, half of it before setting it on the table. “I had sex,” she declares.

“What?” I grip the edge of the table. “When? Where? With who?”

“Shh, keep it down.” She glances around, making sure no one’s paying attention before she resumes. “It happened Saturday night.”

“But…” My brain is scrambling. “It’s Monday.”

“I know.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” She’s been sitting on this for what, thirty-six hours and is only telling me now?

Kelli shrugs. “You were spending your last day with Tristan before he left. I didn’t want to interrupt you.”

We went back to his house after the video game fest and spent the rest of the night wrapped up in each other’s arms. Then proceeded to do the same thing most of Sunday, locked away in his room. I didn’t want him to leave. He claimed he didn’t want to leave either, but I don’t know if he was telling the truth or just saying that to make me happy.

“I wish you would’ve told me sooner.” I reach across the table and grab hold of her hand, giving it a squeeze. We haven’t really talked since she got so pissed at me Saturday night. “I’m here for you always, Kel. I hope you know that.”

“I do, I know it, Alex. I was just a bitch Saturday and so frustrated. I took it out on you. I took it out on everyone, including that stupid fucking game that I hate with a passion,” she says bitterly.

At one point, she was right in the middle of the guys, playing the new Call of Duty like a crazy woman. Shooting up everything in sight, screaming motherfucker over and over again, all while sitting on…Conrad’s lap.

Oh. Freaking. No.

I gasp just remembering it. “Don’t tell me you had sex with Conrad,” I whisper, leaning across the table so no one else can hear me.

“Hell no.” Kelli shakes her head, furiously. “He wishes. I was just using him to make Steven jealous.”

“Ah, Kel. That sucks.”

“It doesn’t matter. I walked into the bathroom later that night and found Conrad and Felisha in there making out!” Kelli smiles, looking quite satisfied with her revelation.

I’m gasping all over again. “Are you serious?”

“Yep. He had his hands all over her. They were really going at it, hot and heavy.” Kelli smirks. “I think Conrad’s been using me to make Felisha jealous. Can you imagine?”

No. I can’t. It’s a regular freaking soap opera at my house.

“So wait a minute, let’s back track to you,” I say before I sip from my cup. “You haven’t told me who you had sex with. Was it…Steven?”

Kelli nods, her face crumpling right before she bursts into tears. She covers her face with her hands, sobbing into them and I immediately leap to my feet, going to her side so I can wrap her in a comforting hug.

I’m confused. She’s been after Steven for weeks and now that she finally landed him, she’s crying?

“Was it that bad?” I ask.

She removes her hands, baring her tear-streaked face. “Of course not. It was amazing.”

When she starts crying again I push her face against my shoulder, patting her back and totally baffled. “I thought this was what you wanted,” I murmur.

“It was. It so was.” She pushes away from me, waving her hand toward my empty chair. “Go sit down. This is ridiculous. I’ll keep it together. I promise.”

“But…”

“Sit,” she demands like I’m her dog.

I do as she says, hoping she explains herself better.

“Okay, let me tell you what happened.” She takes a deep breath and exhales shakily. “I was all over Conrad the entire night. And when I realized that he was hooking up with Felisha, I gave up on him. So I started flirting with other guys. I had a bunch of them to choose from, considering there were so many there, you know?”

I nod, slightly horrified by what she’s saying. She was putting herself in a sketchy situation, especially because she was drinking.

“Don’t give me that look. You took off with Tristan to go fuck around so Gabe was watching over me, I promise. He even got in one dude’s face and told him to back off.”

Thank God for Gabe.

“Anyway, Steven was watching me the entire night but he never said a word. Never spoke to me, never did anything. Let Gabe be the macho man and bail me out and that pissed me off, you know? He should’ve stepped in.”

“Maybe he was scared,” I say in defense of poor, quiet Steven.

“Please. I don’t know what his deal was but I finally decided to give up on all of them. Told everyone I was going home. Gabe was like, oh hell no, and was going to give me a ride but Steven stepped in and said he’d be the one to take me home.” Kelli finishes off her drink and looks toward the counter. “I want another PSL.”

“No, you don’t.” I snap my fingers in front of her face. “Focus. What happened next?”

“So we get into his car and he said he was driving me home but he lied.” She presses her lips together and ducks her head. “He took me back to his place instead. And…attacked me in his car.”

“Wait,” I interrupt. “Attack in a good way, or a bad way?”

“In the best way possible. My God, the boy can kiss.” Kelli’s eyes go hazy as she remembers and I recognize the look. I bet I wear the same expression every time I think of kissing Tristan. “The next thing I know we’re walking into his house, our lips still attached and we end up in his room. Where he proceeded to strip off my clothes, push me onto his bed and give me the best orgasm of my life.”

“Sounds hot,” I tell her, unable to imagine Steven actually doing everything she just described, which is probably best. “So why are you crying and down in the dumps?”

“Because I left his house in the middle of the night and haven’t heard from him since! Why hasn’t he texted? Called?” She throws her hands up into the air. “He hated having sex with me. I’m sure of it.”

“Please. He likes you. Why would he hate it? He gave you the best orgasm of your life. That means he was into you,” I reassure her.