Page 123 of A Little Secret
“I’ll pull my name,” he decides.
“Ev—”
“Don’t,” he grumbles. “Tell Fin I love her. I gotta make a call.”
“Ev,” I repeat, but he doesn’t listen. He only walks away.
CHAPTER FORTY
FINLEY
The walls shake as Griffin guides me out the front door. We played beer pong, which I usually thrive at, thanks to subbing the beer with Diet Coke. But after losing my reigning champion title to a couple of bombed puck bunnies, I decided to call it a night.
Yeah, I’m a sore loser. So sue me.
There are benefits to living next door to your boyfriend, and when I’m peopled out, a short walk like this is definitely one of them.
Okay, peopled out is probably the wrong term. More like bone tired with a side of my-brain-feels-like-it-was-dipped-in-pudding-and-thinking-straight-is-impossible, but hey. Semantics. After celebrating tonight’s win, being bombarded with a billion questions and congratulations from my friends, and not-so-subtly noticing my brother’s absence at the party, I’m officially exhausted.
“You talked to Raine, right?” Griffin asks for what feels like the millionth time.
I nod. “Yeah. How was Ev at the game? What’d he say?”
“He’s…handling it,” Griffin mutters. “Really wish he’d answer my calls, though.”
I’m not the only one who’s been distracted by Everett’s absence. Griffin’s been glued to his phone all night. Texting. Calling. Trying to reach Everett despite my conversation with Raine.
“You’re not exactly making me feel better,” I point out. “When I spoke with Raine, she said he’s okay, and they were staying home to celebrate on their own.” My nose scrunches. “Which, when I put it that way… Maybe I should sleep at your place.”
I wait for Griffin’s familiar laughter or, at the very least, an invitation to spend the night, but when I’m only greeted with silence, I glance at him. His nose is still in his phone, and he looks…stressed.
I grab his wrist, forcing him to lower his phone-wielding hand. “Hey.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” Rising onto my tiptoes, I brush my lips against his. “You played well tonight.”
“Thanks.”
“And you wanted to play well,” I continue.
“I know I did.”
“So, what’s wrong, Griff?”
With a quiet sigh, he pulls me closer, letting me steal his body heat as the cold breeze seeps through our coats. “Ev said he’s gonna pull his name.”
My brows raise. “What?”
“I wanted to come clean about the Lions thing, but when I told him, he said he was gonna pull his name, and?—”
“He can’t do that.”
“I know he can’t.”
“That isn’t fair to him.”
“I know it isn’t,” he murmurs. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of him all night, but…”