Page 119 of Connectio

Derek raises his eyebrow at her.

She blows him a kiss. “Anyway, back to Mr Cunt.” Carly holds up her hand. “Sorry, I mean Bunt. Mr Bunt.”

“What about him?”

“He likes you, Lib. Little wanker has had a little stiffy for you for quite some time.”

“You’re wrong. The guy’s a jerk. A decent teacher, yes, but a selfish jerk nonetheless. The only little stiffy he has is for himself.”

She cackles. “Jerk or not, he likes you.”

“Who likes you?” Will questions, his voice muffled.

Carly and I turn toward the door to find Will in a full-length gorilla suit, Alexis behind him with a grin so wide I’m not sure where it starts and ends.

“Dude,” Derek says.

Bryce clutches his waist and lets out a belly laugh. “I fucking love you, honey.”

“Libby wanted the gorilla suit, so I rang the entertainment department and, voila, they had one.”

I bite my lip and finally burst into laughter when he gallops like a gorilla toward me, making oo-oo and aah-aah noises before engulfing and lifting me into his furry arms.

“This is a once-off, Elizabeth, because I love you too.” He mashes his hairy, plastic face against mine then puts me down, sits behind the drums, and pounds his chest a few times.

I cover my mouth with my hand and shake my head, astounded.

“How the hell am I supposed to pick up the sticks?” he says, fumbling for a second before managing to somehow hold them and tap the snare.

Giddiness tingles my fingertips, toes, and spine when Bryce strums the electric guitar and Derek starts singing about feeling something in the air tonight.

“Oh my God!” I say, taking a seat on the sofa, clapping and giggling like the girls in my class.

Alexis and Carly take a seat beside me, Carly wolf-whistling and Alexis sounding a “Whoooooo!”

Despite the hilarity of an ape playing the drums, the guys are exceptionally talented, Derek’s voice as smooth as oil, and Bryce’s fingers faultless. But as good as they are, I’m not paying much attention to them, instead completely stunned as what Will just said to me finally sinks in.

“He loves me too,” I blurt out quietly, but loud enough for Alexis and Carly to hear.

“We know,” they say simultaneously.

Carly squeezes my leg.

I blink and find her shimmering, black-eyeliner-rimmed eyes. “Oh. Good.”

“It’s more than good, sweets. It’s fucking excellent!”

Bursting into laughter yet again, I focus back on Will, loving his jovial personality as he pretends to sniff his armpits and do stupid gorilla-type things like scratch his head between taps.

“Ready?” Alexis prompts.

Bracing myself for the infamous drum solo, we ready our hands and air drum the beat along with him, Will slamming the drums in quick succession, his entire body bouncing with the beat.

I squeal and stomp my feat, laughing uncontrollably. It’s the best thing I’ve ever seen.

The song winds down, and I don’t know what comes over me, but I pretty much charge him, wrapping my arms around his neck and knocking him from his stool, both of us crashing to the ground with me on top of him.

“I take it you like the suit,” he says, voice muffled by his mask.

“Yes, you dork.”

“It’s fuckin’ itchy.” He throws the mask off. “And I can’t fuckin’ breathe.”

Placing my hands on either side of his face, I lean forward and kiss him, soft but firm before pulling back.

Will pounds his chest again then grabs my hips. “Come on, let’s go make some gorilla babies.”