Page 20 of Sunflower Persona (Classic City Romance #2)

The game descended into chaos the second James flipped the timer and started on her first drawing.

I thought Pictionary was played one team at a time, but based on the way Karis, Nathan, and James have hurled trash talk at the others and actively tried to sabotage their drawings, it’s clear they aren’t playing by the written rules.

Gage was right about James being good at this, though.

We never stood a chance, even with the “advantage” of having an extra member on our team.

James is pretty much the Van Gogh of the game.

Nathan, on the other hand, is the Picasso, and I doubt Picasso was good Pictionary.

“It looks like an ass getting spanked by a spiked paddle,” Karis snaps.

If I squint, I can see it.

“Why would ‘Spank’ be in the Pictionary deck? Or ‘Ass’? James said no when I offered to buy Pictionary After Dark,” Nathan fires back.

“I don’t fucking know, but that’s what it looks like.”

“You come draw if you think you can do better.”

“Enough, both of you. Or I’m adding Pictionary to the banned-games shelf,” Gage cuts in.

Hello, Coach Gage.

The sudden surge of emotion in his voice—the authority behind it—sends a shiver all the way to my core. He doesn’t need to yell. The sharp command carries over their bickering, rendering them both silent.

“Not Pictionary. It’s my favorite,” James whines.

“Take it up with dumb and dumber,” Gage tells her. “But it’s going in time out.”

“Fine,” she sighs. “Y’all want to play something else or call it for the night?”

I check the time and wince. It’s not too late, but late enough that getting up for class tomorrow is going to suck. I’m not sure what the rest of their schedules look like. Tonight has been fun—way more fun than going out to the bar was—and I don’t want to be the one who ends it.

“I’ve got an early class tomorrow, so I say we call it,” Evelyn says, unknowingly saving me from my own internal war.

A couple of the others mumble similar sentiments and begin cleaning up the area around them.

I stand to help, but Gage grabs the chair he brought me and puts it away, not leaving me much to do.

They all move around each other so seamlessly, like this is something they do all the time, and I don’t know what to do.

I’m just sort of here, an outsider looking in.

I drift over toward one of the walls to get out of their way.

“Did you have fun?” Evelyn asks as she joins me on the edge of the room.

“It was great.” They are great. Together, they have found the thing I’ve been searching for—friendship that feels like family.

“Good. You should come around again, then.”

Emotions lodge themselves in my throat, and my hopes fly higher than they have any right to.

I know a vague invitation to hang out again doesn’t mean much—people hand those out all the time with the messed-up notion that it’s somehow polite.

But I don’t think she means it that way.

I wouldn’t be here now if that was something she did.

Although that could be my naive hope talking.

I want her to mean it. I want to belong.

“I’d like that,” I tell her and turn my attention to the group. “Thank you for having me. It’s been fun.”

I give them an awkward wave and start toward the door.

“Wait, let me walk you to your car,” Gage says and starts moving.

“Oh, I didn’t drive.” I stop him before he gets more than a few steps in my direction.

“You’re walking?” He spits the question like it personally offended him.

“My dorm isn’t too far.”

“It’s dark.”

I can’t help but roll my eyes at that. Based on his tone, “it’s dark” is Gage for “there’s no way in hell you’re walking,” but I could be wrong. I’m still learning how to speak his language. I guess we’re back to this him-making-decisions-for-me bullshit again.

“So? I used to walk around Atlanta later than this. Athens is nothing compared to that,” I argue, and the muscles in his jaw tighten.

“At least let me walk with you. Please.”

The “please” almost gets to me. I’m about to agree, but Karis interrupts me before I can.

“And how are you getting home, then? Because in case you forgot, I’m your ride. Evelyn walks home alone all the time, and you never say shit about that.”

“It’s different,” Gage growls.

“The fuck it is. Kori is a grown woman. The last thing she needs is your overbearing ass trying to tell her what to do,” Karis snaps back.

It’s only then I realize how quiet the apartment has gotten. Everyone is staring at Gage and Karis with a wide range of expressions: Evelyn and James with concern, Morgan with confusion, and Nathan looks amused at the whole situation.

“Where do you live?” Evelyn’s soft, almost melodic voice cuts through the tension.

“Rutherford.”

“I’m next door in Myers. I can walk with you if you want,” she offers.

“Is that to your satisfaction?” Karis asks Gage with a mocking sneer.

Gage huffs, which I assume is his way of relenting. I don’t get him. He barely said a word once the game started, but then gets all growly when I want to walk home alone. From how Karis is acting, this isn’t normal behavior for him either.

“Sure. That sounds good. Ready to go now?” I ask.

Evelyn nods, and I grab my stuff to follow her.

“Thank you again for having me,” I tell James before I walk out the door.

Evelyn stays silent as we step out into the humid night air. The tension from inside follows us even as we make it back onto campus.

“Okay, spill,” she says when she can’t hold back any longer.

“Spill what?”

“What’s going on between you and Gage?”

“Nothing?”

It shouldn’t be that hard to believe we are friends.

“You can’t tell me what happened in there was nothing.”

“What do you mean?”

Talking? That’s nothing unusual. Hell, I’m talking to her now. Isn’t that what people do with their friends?

“How could you not see it? The longing glances, the getting close without touching,” she gushes. “I think that’s the most I’ve ever heard him talk. Normally, it’s just one-word answers or those annoying grunts.”

“Oh. He does grunt a lot,” I say with a laugh, “and huff.”

“How could I forget the huffs? He’s all ‘Me too manly for word. Man no need word. Word bad.’” Evelyn does her best caveman impression, which has us both bursting into a fit of laughter.

“Have you known them long?” I ask.

“About a year now. But I’ve been friends with Jamie longer. I met the rest through Morgan, and our other friend Chelsea dated Nathan for a while, so our groups sort of merged. She graduated last spring, though.”

The rest of the walk passes by with comfortable small talk.

That should be an oxymoron, but somehow with her, the words flow easily.

All thoughts of Gage slip from my mind as we talk.

Yes, I might have a crush on him, but crushes are fleeting.

Friendship—especially from a group like this one—is far more valuable.

In the most convoluted way imaginable, I somehow stumbled upon exactly what I was after.

I manage to stick to my convictions for a whole forty-five minutes before he goes and ruins it.

Did you get home safe?

My heart ramps up to one hundred miles a minute as I read and reread the text. It still hasn’t gotten on board with this whole only-friends program.

I did.

Good.

The “typing” pop-up appears before I can respond, flashing in and out of existence several times before disappearing altogether. With each repetition, the fluttering in my chest dwindles into disappointment.

Dejected, I toss my phone on my side table and get ready for bed. But the notification waiting for me when I’m done spurs those feelings to life again.

I’m glad you came tonight.

I fight the urge to kick my legs and squeal like a girl from an early-2000s teen movie. It’s a stupid reaction to have because of a text from a friend. A completely platonic, hot-as-sin friend.

I’m glad I could make it.

Get some sleep.

Yes, Coach.

I’ll see you next Sunday.

Bring water.

I roll my eyes and put my phone away for the night. No matter how hard I try, I can’t keep the giddy smile off my face as I drift to sleep.