Page 120 of Cactus Heart
Mateo’s grip didn’t lessen though.
And neither did the feeling that I’d just somehow fucked everything up.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Levi
“I’ll walk you home.”
I almost told Austin to fuck off, but restrained myself. After dinner, the rest of the evening was fun. Evie really did have the best Whynot gossip. I’d heard more about a couple of old women than I’d ever wanted to, but I also couldn’t stop listening. It was like I craved the words of the grapevine.
Dinner flew by, and then we’d all settled in for a card game Dallas brought. I’d lost every single round, but I also hadn’t really been trying.
I felt the clock ticking. Next Monday was breathing down my neck. I’d gotten my flight confirmation text, the Airbnb notification that my stay was coming to an end, and the Google Calendar invite from Robin about our meeting.
My decision loomed in front of me, and Austin was making it worse.
“He’s across the street,” Avery said, giving her brother a dirty look. “He’ll find his way.”
Austin kissed the top of her head and ruffled her hair. “Sleep well.”
We were the last two out the door. Evie and June had already headed home. Honestly, I felt like I owed the two of them forrunning interference all night. Having June and Evie on the inside was the best thing the three of us idiots had done, because they’d kept it all from imploding.
Mateo had offered to give Dallas a ride back to his place. On their way out, Mateo hadn’t looked at me. He wouldn’t look at me.
I didn’t blame him. Part of me wished he and Avery would choose to hate me for leaving. It would be easier for them to just eject me from their lives than to deal with this awful, sticky feeling.
“Ready to head out?” Austin asked.
“Yep.” I held Avery’s gaze for a moment and smiled. “Goodnight.”
Austin clapped his hand on my shoulder and led me out the door before she said anything else. He wassteeringme away from his sister.
Had I given something away?
It was hard not to look at Avery. It was hard to act like I didn’t want her. And to make matters worse, I’d definitely found myself staring at Mateo instead. There were no rules against us flirting with each other.
The thing was, what she said at dinner had stuck with me. She had no reason to defend me and my choices, and yet she had.
The street was quiet. Stars speckled the dark skies above, the air still and thick with heat. Our footsteps echoed as we walked toward my place.
“What is it?” I finally asked as we hit my doorstep.
Austin pressed his lips together, his hands settling on his hips. “You know Avery is off-limits, right? You’re leaving in just a few days.”
So maybe staring at Mateo hadn’t worked. “I’m aware.”
“It’s just . . .”
I raised a brow. I wasn’t saying anything else though.
“The way she looks at you. The way she defended you. I know what a crush looks like. What’s going on?”
I swallowed hard and met his gaze.
I’d known Austin for almost my entire life. Countless summers spent together. Countless hours of conversation over the years. Even with the omissions he’d made about his life recently, I still knew him.
He knew me.
