Page 30 of Love Medley (Med Wreck Romance #1)

I kick him under the table.

“Ow!”

This is another part of the guy code of conduct I can get behind. If one guy is being a dickwad to another guy, kicking is fair game .

“You deserve it, asshole. How about you?” I ask Ian. “Anyone special?”

“Despite what Crowd magazine says,” Ian glances pointedly at Luke, “I’m single. I don’t have time for a relationship. I’ve tried that before, and it didn’t go well because I travel a lot.”

Luke scoffs. “I don’t think that was the problem with Mandy.”

“Wait,” I say. “Mandy Spellman?”

Ian’s eyes cut to mine, something unreadable in his eyes. I speculate that maybe he’s not entirely over what happened with Mandy. “Oh right, you know her from Thatcher.”

I’m not sure anyone could have gone to Thatcher High School during Mandy’s time there and not known who she was. She was voted Homecoming Queen, Prom Queen, and Most Likely To Succeed. Most of the guys wanted to date her, and all the girls reportedly wanted to be her.

“Yeah, we didn’t really hang out during high school,” Ian continues. “But we ran into each other at Willow’s Wine Bar when she moved back here after college. We dated for a couple of years, but it didn’t work out because I was so busy. And I think the paparazzi got to be a bit much for her.”

Luke doesn’t say anything, but I can tell he has more thoughts that he’s holding back. From what I remember, Mandy was not the warmest person.

Not like Lucy.

“So where’s the paparazzi now?” I ask, trying to stay focused on the conversation and not on the woman I’m crazy about .

“I guess you two aren’t as exciting as someone I might be dating,” Ian laughs. “Naw, but really, I don’t think they know where I am. Word travels fast though, so I’m sure they’ll catch up to me soon. But I’m living the high life with you two until then.”

“Speaking of the high life, are we ever getting together with Trix to play video games?” Luke asks.

“Oh shit,” I say, slapping my forehead. “I keep meaning to text her about that. Let me do that right now.”

Ian says, “Trix Winstead?”

I had forgotten that Ian would also know Trix from high school—so many random connections. “Yeah. It feels like everyone went to Thatcher.”

“What’s she up to these days?” Ian asks.

“She’s the CEO of TechMedCo. It’s a medical app company,” I say, typing out a message.

Ian shakes his head. “That woman is brilliant. I’m not surprised.”

At that moment, the food arrives. While Ian and Luke dig into their burgers, I shoot off a text to Trix.

Me: Hey, I’m at Bill’s with Luke and Ian. Do you remember Ian Thompson from high school?

Trix: The tennis player?

Me: Yeah, that’s him. We just played tennis with him and surprise, surprise, got destroyed. Luke just reminded me we haven’t gotten together to play video games in a while. Didn’t Abandoned 2 Die 2 just come out?

Trix: Yup. Do you guys want to come over in a couple of hours?

At that moment, I lift my eyes up to Ian. While we didn’t interact in high school—an awkward time for those of us who weren't Mandy Spellman—that doesn’t mean we can’t now. He might actually be fun to hang out with.

A beat passes, and I make a decision.

Me: Is it okay if I invite Ian too? Round out our team?

Trix: The more the merrier. But if he can’t keep up, we leave him behind.

Me: You mean, we’ll abandon him 2 die?

Trix: You aren’t punny.

I set my phone to the side. “Ian, do you like playing video games?”

“Who doesn’t?” Ian says between bites.

“Have you ever played Abandoned 2 Die ?”

“Hell yes, I love that zombie game. ”

“Well, Trix invited Luke and me over to play the sequel, Abandoned 2 Die 2 today. You want to join?”

Ian’s eyes light up. Huh. Maybe he needed this more than I expected. I wonder if the tennis circuit gets lonely. “Yes. Yes, I would. Just let me know if you need me to bring anything.”

I shake my head. “Nah. You’ll see.”

We all take showers at our respective places and meet outside of Trix’s house a couple hours later.

“Wow, this place is sweet,” Ian whistles as he shuts his car door.

I’ve been here so much that I don’t really notice how nice it is anymore, but it really is. I prefer Trix’s modern style to the old stuffiness of my parents’ house. I’m starting to realize that even though the Whitlock mansion has never felt like home, these other places—Bill’s, TNT, and Trix’s—do.

While I like to keep those places close to the chest, it was the right call to include Ian. It’s nice to connect outside my core group.

After all, I let Lucy in. And that’s been working out…so far.

“Just wait until you see the basement,” Luke says, interrupting my thoughts. “It’ll change your life.”

Trix greets us at the door. I haven’t seen her in a few months, but she looks exactly the same—naturally thin, with chin-length white blond hair and sharp-angled hawkish features. She’s dressed in her usual gray tank top and olive cargo pants. “Hey losers. Hey Ian, it’s been a long time. ”

“Yeah, definitely. Thanks so much for inviting me,” Ian says, his eyes wide as he takes in the interior of her house.

I wonder what he thinks of her decor. The walls, the tables and chairs, the tiled floor, the modernistic light fixtures are all in shades of cream and tan…

there are no pops of color anywhere. Wyatt would be itching to flex his interior decorating skills if he were here.

The thought of my brother sends a pang through me. Maybe I should think about reaching out to him.

“Ian pummeled us earlier on the court,” I say, wishing my brain would shut off sometimes and just let me be. “So I figured we might as well return the favor.”

Ian laughs. “Do you guys do this a lot?”

Luke, Trix, and I eye each other.

“Maaaaybe,” I say. Warmth swells in my gut. Sometimes I forget that even though I have a crappy family by birth, maybe more important is the family I’ve found.

I glance over at Ian, who has a strange look in his eyes like…envy. Good thing I asked him to come.

And if I’m lucky, maybe one day Lucy can meet these fuckers too.

“Everything’s set up downstairs,” Trix says, and we follow her down the stairs.

This is where we spend most of our time. It’s a gamer’s haven. Just seeing it again reminds me of all the times in high school Trix and I played for hours in her parents’ basement.

But Trix’s basement is on an entirely different level .

“Damn, you weren’t joking,” Ian says, looking at the multiple screens, headsets, Xbox consoles, and gaming chairs.

Trix has relaxed her all-neutral colors rule for this room—the monitors, Xbox consoles and gaming chairs are black, and apparently her favorite headphones don’t come in cream—so they’re white.

Plus, as usual, there is a veritable buffet of snack food on the back table.

“The fridge is stocked,” Trix says. “So feel free to grab a soda or beer whenever you want.”

“Trix usually sits in the middle,” I say, as Luke plops into his usual seat left of Trix. “I’m on the right of her, but you can sit next to me.”

Ian chuckles. “I see how it is.”

“Hey, don’t get in the way of a person and their gaming spot,” Luke says. “Trix will pop you if you sit in her chair.”

Trix rolls her eyes. “Whatever, Barrett.”

“We hook up online instead of trying to do co-op on one Xbox so we all get our own screen,” Luke grins.

Ian shakes his head in disbelief.

“Shocked at the extravagance? Welcome to the Winstead place,” Luke says, adjusting his cap. “By the way, Trix, have you heard the whole scoop on the ridiculous movie-worthy situation our boy Jake has gotten himself into?”

Trix lifts her eyebrows as I glare at Luke. “Do tell.”

Sighing, I quickly regale her with the highlights.

“I’ve never talked this much about my personal affairs in the span of a single day,” I grouse, but part of me revels in the natural rhythm of our conversation. I’ve missed this more than I realized .

“It’s your own fault for having such an entertaining love life,” Luke guffaws.

Then I remember I have ammo of my own. “I heard you were a dipshit to one of Lucy’s friends. I think her name was Zoe?”

Luke stares at me. “The redhead?”

Hah. He knows exactly who I’m talking about. “Yup. Sounds like you made a great first impression.”

Shifting in his gaming chair, Luke mutters, “I’ll show you a good first impression, asshole.”

Trix clears her throat over my laughter. “Are we ready to play? Or are we gonna gossip like old biddies for the rest of the afternoon?”

After a few minutes, we all settle down into our spots.

“Four campaigns like the last one,” Trix says. “Fasten your seat belts, gentlemen. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride.”

As in the first game in the series, the “zombies” are people infected with a rabies-like virus, which transforms them into dangerous, killing machines.

There are various types of “bosses” with different difficulty levels.

Some of the special zombies are super hard to kill.

For example, the Hulker can run players down like bowling pins, causing lots of damage.

As we make our way through the first level, it’s clear that Ian needs a refresher.

We're constantly rescuing him and healing him with first-aid packs.

“Ugh,” Ian growls, as he respawns yet again. “I guess this is how you guys feel when we play tennis.”

“Yup,” Luke and I say simultaneously, and we grin at each other .

It seems unfathomable to me at this moment that I could be this content. I’m taking out a beautiful girl on a real date. And I have really good friends that I can count on.

My gaze cuts to Ian. And maybe a new friend.

What more could I ask for?

It’s a good feeling—scary good, the kind that makes you hope it lasts.