Changing Tides 《COMPLETE》

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

I skip down the steps, and a ball of anxiety settles in the pit of my stomach when my eyes sweep across the entryway. It's Roland. He's standing just inside the front door, his hand stuffed into the pockets of his light jacket. Dan, Weston, and the other two guys from outside are back to gaming, but Bennett's nowhere to be seen.

I shoot a fleeting glance to the living room, reassuring myself that they're not paying attention before turning my gaze to my best friend. Roland's pinched expression softens when he sees me. His shoulders relax, and a small smile even manages to slip across his lips.

As much as I hate to admit, it's good to see him smile....hell, it's just good to see him. He runs a nervous hand through his hair and shifts his weight from one foot to the other. Then he juts a thumb towards the door and shrugs.

"I, ah, texted you," he says hesitantly. "And I'm sorry – for showing up without calling. But when I didn't hear anything, I thought I'd just drop off your kitchen stuff myself."

Ah, the kitchenware.

"Roland!"

Bennett's overly joyous voice slices through the tension between us before I have a chance to respond. He offers a beer to Roland – an offer which is declined with an icy grunt of decline. Bennett shrugs and cracks the can open, draining a few gulps of alcohol before wiping away the remnants with the back of his hand.

He glances between the two of us and smirks. "I didn't come at a bad time, did I?"

Roland's nostrils flare, and the tension in his shoulders returns. Why is it that whenever I'm around the two of them, I'm ten steps behind what they're thinking? It's like the both of them are having a silent conversation – one which I'm not even allowed to see the cue cards.

"I forgot a few things at the apartment," I say after a moment of silence. "Roland is just dropping 'em off."

Bennett nods and takes a step closer to me. He throws an arm around my shoulders, playfully hugging me towards his chest. Instead of pushing him away, I find myself closing my eyes and inhaling his scent – a perfect mix between cologne and chlorine. The heat from his torso permeates through my clothes, and the sound of his voice vibrates along his chest.

"Well, since you're not sticking around, why don't you just drop them on the front porch?"

"I'd like to talk to Trey," Roland argues brusquely.

Bennett laughs and reaches out to lightly punch Roland on the arm. "Trey's a little busy right now. We've got a gaming tournament going on. You understand."

Roland's eyes dance over Bennett's face for a thoughtful moment before pursing his lips. It's clear he wants to say something, but whatever it is he keeps to himself. For now. His reaction is enough to stir my defensive nerve endings into action. Roland might still be on my shit list, but witnessing him being picked on never sits well with me.

"I'm done gaming for the night," I argue, nudging away Bennett's touch.

He opens his mouth to say something but quickly clamps his lips shut. A myriad of shouts erupt from the living room. Dan slams his controller onto the coffee table, flipping off Weston while shouting profanities across the room. Weston and his teammate, on the other hand, ignore him completely. They exchange a fist bump, laughing at Dan's reaction with little remorse.

"Have fun moving your shit," Bennett says quietly, redirecting my attention back to him. "I'd offer to help, but I don't want to."

He claps me on the shoulder, a little too hard to be friendly, before shooting Roland a glare and walking away. Only when he's out of earshot does Roland relax enough to open the door. His deep, brown eyes collide with mine and he lowers his voice to a whisper.