Page 92 of Tiny Fractures
He chuckles. “I can’t believe you noticed that.”
“Of course I noticed,” I say. “I notice everything about you.” I think about how Ronan probably isn’t wearing boxers right now, and I blush.
“That’s a super-touching story,” Shane says, “but seriously, Ran, can you help me out really quick?”
Ronan sighs deeply and kisses my temple again before he gets up to help Shane cook the burgers.
Ronan
By the time food is ready, the sun has completely set and Steve has started another fire in the pit. Cat is still sitting on one of the huge logs by the fire pit, chatting with Tori about god-knows-what. My eyes keep wandering toward her and I get distracted admiring her. She’s such a reprieve from my life, the constant anxiety, and the perpetual exhaustion.
“Alright, food’s ready,” Shane yells loud enough for everyone to hear, and we gather around the fire pit. Shane and I carry the food and place the plates on a beach towel for everyone to serve themselves.
“Man, I wish I was a guy and could walk around without a shirt on all day,” Vada says to me as she wraps a towel around herself and eyes my bare chest. I haven’t bothered putting my shirt back on since getting back from the store a while ago. I tend to run hot, even without clothes on.
“Who’s stopping you?” Steve asks, amused. “I would have absolutely no problem with you walking around without a shirt on all day.” He finds the edges of the towel Vada just wrapped around her shoulders and opens it up, letting his gaze roam her upper body, lingering on her breasts.
She giggles and swats his hands away, then wraps the towel tightly around herself. “Yeah, I bet you wouldn’t, you horny pervert.” She gives him a peck on his lips, and her hands snake around his backside before she squeezes his butt, making him jump. “But hey”—she turns her attention to me—“I’m thinking we should just say it how it is. I’m for sure going to sneak into your tent tonight, so should we just cut out the waking-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night stuff and agree that I’ll sleep in your tent with Steve and you stay with Cat?” Vada grins, her eyes moving between me and Cat.
I lock eyes with Cat, and I can see her blush in the firelight. “It’s your call.”
She nods, apparently in agreement with the plan, and I smile.
We all sit and eat our burgers. After a little while, a couple of bottles of tequila start getting passed around, and it takes no time at all before the mood around the fireplace becomes livelier as people get tipsy and verge on being drunk.
“Game time,” Vada calls out as she takes another swig of tequila.
“What’s it gonna be tonight?” Summer asks. By her glassy eyes and slow speech, it’s clear she’s had more than her fair share of tequila already.
“Never have I ever,” Vada exclaims, looking around at us. “We go around and each of us says something they’ve never done. If you have done it, you have to take a shot; if you haven’t, well, then you don’t have to take a shot.” Vada places red plastic cups in everyone’s hands and tips the bottle of tequila to pour a very generous amount of liquor into each cup.
“Okay, easy,” Summer hiccups. “I’ll go first.” She clears her throat. “Never have I ever…” She thinks, then makes an a-ha face. “Never have I ever used a fake ID.” She looks around with a grin.
“Uh, Summer, I think you misunderstood the rules,” Shane laughs. “You’re supposed to say something you haven’t done, not something you do at least three times a week.”
“Oh, shit,” Summer says, giggling. “Guess I have to take a shot then.” She tips her cup against her lips. Everyone, except for Cat, follows suit. The tequila heats my throat as it goes down, stinging slightly. I lock eyes with Cat, who watches me intently. I’m not usually a fan of these games because they’re designed to embarrass each other, but I look at them as an opportunity to learn more about Cat. After all, last night’s game of five hundred questions disclosed some really insightful information.
“Tori, your turn,” Vada says.
Tori sits up a little straighter. “Never have I ever gotten a tattoo,” she says, and Shane and Cheyenne both take a sip from their cups.
“What’s your tattoo of?” Cat asks Shane and Cheyenne.
“I have my little brother’s name tattooed on my ribs,” Shane says and takes another shot of tequila, even though he already took one. I don’t think Cat knows what happened to Liam, but she picks up on Shane’s sudden mood shift and doesn’t press him. I love that about her; she is so empathic that she picks up on the subtlest shifts in energy.
“How about you?” she asks Cheyenne, who throws Cat a contemptuous look. It’s agitating how much of a bitch Cheyenne is to Cat, though I obviously know what the origin of her dislike is.
“I have a few,” Cheyenne finally says.
I shake my head at Cheyenne, who frowns at me as Cat scoots a little closer to me and I wrap my arm around her waist, holding her.
“Alright, alright, my turn,” Vada says, and by the way she’s looking at Steve, I know hers is going to be a zinger. “Never have I ever cried after sex,” she says, grinning from ear to ear.
“What the fuck, Vada? That was one time, and I was drunk. Way to call me out,” Steve says, and takes a big gulp while everyone is dying of laughter.
I watch Cat, who has both her arms crossed over her stomach while she’s folded over, laughing. When she comes up for air she has tears in her eyes, and I love how alive her face is.
“So, why exactly did you cry?” Shane wants to know, a wide grin on his face.