Page 78 of Our Secret Moments
Elle shakes her head. “Not yet. I’m going to wait–” The sound of Annie and Phoebe’s shrill voices take over Elle’s voice and the screen too. Both of their eyes widen when they see Nora and I, smiling wide as they wave erratically.
“Hi girls! You look so grown up.” Annie greets, still waving. Nora and I are laughing so hard at the fact that Elle has now momentarily disappeared from the screen as her moms take over. “I miss your wikkle faces.”
“You’re going to wait for what?” Phoebe asks Elle and I hardly get to hear the conversation before she quickly says goodbye and ends the call. That girl hides a lot from her parents, which I understand. They’re extremely protective over her,especially after her accident last year which she’s still technically in rehab for.
“Well,” Nora says, getting up from the swing. “I guess that’s our cue to get ready for dinner and board games.”
“I guess it’s time for you to get ready to get your ass beat,” I retort, following her into the warm comfort of the house. She turns back to me, narrowing her eyes as she walks backwards.
“That wasonetime and I wasn’t even paying attention,” she argues.
“If I remember correctly, you were involved in a very heated conversation with your dad. Wes had to talk you down from a ledge when you were sulking all evening,” I challenge. She just rolls her eyes at me and turns back around, walking the right way. I giggle as I catch up with her, slinging my arm around her shoulder. “It’s okay, Nor-Nor. I promise I’ll go easy on you.”
“Whatever,” she groans through a laugh, pushing me away from her as we make our way into the kitchen. I move over to the window, placing our now empty hot cocoa mugs into the sink and I notice Connor sitting by himself on the bench at the side of the house.
What is he doing on his own? And how do I get to him without making it obvious. We’re supposed to be getting ready to eat and play board games in five minutes, but something is tugging at me to know what is going on in his brain right now.
“Don’t you think Connor’s been acting weird recently?” Nora’s voice startles me and I almost let the mug slip through my hands. I turn to her, resting my back against the sink.
“What do you mean?” I ask shakily. She shrugs, pulling open one of the drawers filled with snacks.
“I dunno. He’s always been uptight. We know that. But recently… I don’t know. Other than that slip up yesterday, he’s been more chill than usual,” she explains, sighing. “Maybe it was you.”
I almost choke on air. I clear my throat, trying to play it out. “What?”
“You know, with the thing you’re doing for the team,” she replies and I sigh. I need to work on keeping my cool around her whenever she talks about Connor. It’s not a good look. “Honestly, props to you. That team is a nightmare.”
“Tell me about it,” I mutter, although I know she’s only partly right.
As much as they irritate me and can be a handful, I love them all so much. They’re chaotic and loud, but the main thing is they care about each other and their sport. They’re dedicated regardless of the jokes they play and with the games I’ve watched them win, they’ve proved that more than once.
“This game is rigged. I’m not playing anymore,” Nora sighs, sulking back in her chair.
We’ve been huddled around the dining room table for the last hour after eating our dinner, and since we started playing Monopoly, we’ve had this back and forth with a certain drama queen.
“It’s not rigged, honey,” Emma coos, organising the fake money again. Nora peers beside her, looking over at the bank she’s set up and rolls her eyes.
“I think Cat’s cheating,” Mark says.
I gasp. “What!? I’m not even doing anything.”
“That’s the problem,” Connor says beside me, teaming up with his dad. He smiles at me, those brown eyes squinting as his cheeks turn the sweetest shade of pink. “You’re not even paying attention, yet you’re still ahead of us all.”
“Well, I keep getting distracted,” I mutter.
Connor tilts his head innocently. “Hm, by what?”
I’ve hardly been paying attention because all I’ve felt since I sat down has been Connor’s huge hand on my thigh. I’m wearing a long, light red dress with a slit along the side, which gives Connor the perfect opportunity to torture me. He’s had his hand there all night, silently squeezing, teasing me by dragging his hand higher up and then back down again. I’m not wearing anything under this dress and I’mterrified for when he figures that out.
I pretend to fiddle with my property piece in front of me. “Maybe I’ve just outsmarted you all,” I say coyly.
They all laugh and the game moves on around us. Connor squeezes my thigh again, not looking at me as he rubs his thumb up and down. If someone sees what he’s doing he’s going to get us both in big trouble.
“If Ryan was here, he definitely would’ve outsmarted you too, Cat,” Nora mentions, smiling at the thought of her boyfriend. Connor’s hand flexes on my thigh.
“Is that right?” I muse and she nods, sticking her tongue in her cheek.
“Yeah, howisRy-Ry?” Emma asks, nudging Nora in the shoulder. “I’m surprised that was his first cameo of the night. How are things with you two?”