When The Whistle Blows

Chapter 21

Astrid

I grinned at the others from over my cards. "Suck it!" I cheered as I showed my cards to the guys.

"You offering?" Corey muttered. He flicked his cards down.

I blushed as I realized his words.

Colten noticed and turned to his twin.
"Way to go fucker, you made her uncomfortable." He punched Corey hard in the arm.

Corey's amber eyes looked up. "Shit, Astrid, I didn-"

"It's fine." I waved him off and smiled to make sure he knew it was okay. "Anyone want anything from the kitchen?" I asked as I uncoiled my legs and stood up.

Colten and Corey whispered harshly back and forth, while everyone else just shook their heads.

I took a little detour, going to my room instead of the kitchen. I quietly shut the door and went to my closet. Deciding to change into my PJs, I grabbed a pair of black shorts and an old black hockey sweatshirt. I quickly changed into them and found myself sitting at the end of my bed.

A soft knock on my door pulled me from my staring contest with the carpeted floor.

"Love? Mind if I peek in?" Bentleys accented voice spoke hesitantly.

"Umm, sure." I glanced up as he quickly slipped into my room. The only light source on, a lamp on my dresser, showed Bentley's soft-looking brown hair.

"Everything alright?" He asked gently as he crouched in front of me. His light green eyes softened as he grabbed my hands. His pointer finger lightly brushed the back of my hand.

"Yeah. I'm just not used to this.." I struggled to put what I felt into words. "Feeling? I went from only having one friend to five, not counting Ryder because who knows what his deal is. Yet I don't feel like you guys are my friend. I lik-" I paused as I realized what I about said.

Bentley patiently waited as I struggled. He is so patient. And cute. And hot. Man is he hot. Ugh, so not the time.

"I.. Like. All of you. That's weird, right? That's not normal. What person in their right mind likes five guys? The correct answer is no one.." I continued rambled, only stopping when I noticed Bentley smiling softly.

"What?" I huffed slightly out of breath from my long-winded rambling.

"You're cute when you're upset," Bentley said simply.

I squinted slightly at him. "I'm not upset. I'm-"

He cut me off as he spoke softly. "Your nose does this adorable scrunchy thing when your upset." he pointed out. "and you sound so cute when you ramble."

I stared at him slightly incredulously.

"Love. It's important that you hear what I'm about to say." His light green eyes searched my face for any signs of protest.

I nodded.

His hands squeezed mine. "That feeling that you're feeling? It's normal and it's okay. You wish to know why? Because I fancy you, and all of the others in that living room fancy you too. Well, I'm not so sure about Ryder. That's another tale for another day." Bentley chuckled.

"Wait.. you. like me?" I sputtered out. Classy. I scolded myself.

"Of course. You're an amazingly sweet and thoughtful person. Plus you make some amazing food. Why wouldn't I? You're beautiful..." Bentley paused. "I could go on and on why I like you, but I just need you to know that it's okay to be uncertain. Next time, just talk to us. I'm sure that others would love to have this conversation. Got it?"

I nodded and stared at our hands. "I've always been told communication is key. I'm sorry for not expressing my concerns earlier."

"There's no need to apologize. We are all in this together, and we will learn as we go." Bentley smiled softly at me. "Now how about some ice cream?"

I smiled back, "That sounds amazing."

Bentley continued to hold my hand as I stood up. Once I fully straightened, Bentley squeezed my hand as he stared down at me. Why are they all so tall? It's unfair.

"What?" I asked as his soft eyes studied me.

"You are just so wonderful." Bentley slowly leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on my lips. Just a quick peck, before he led me out into the kitchen.

I avoided all the others gazes as Bentley rutted around in my freezer for ice cream. He found three different kinds and turned to me for my opinion. "Vanilla, Mint, or Strawberry?"

"Mint." I grinned as he nodded his head in approval.

I heard someone stand up and walk behind me as Bentley went about dishing up the ice cream.

"Astrid," Corey sighed, his eyes watching me closely as his voice was coated with regret. "I'm so sorry. It was so inconsiderate of me-"

I turned in my bar stool and faced him, "Please don't apologize. I wasn't upset about your joke. I can handle jokes. It just got me thinking and then I was confused, because I didn't know where we all stood relationship-wise." His shoulders sagged with relief as I spoke.

He reached for my hands which I gladly gave him and whispered, "I proudly speak for me and my brother when I say that we like you and would very much like to be your boyfriends. I'm pretty sure the others could agree."

Boyfriends. Never had one of those, let alone five of them.

Although no one else heard Corey, they all seemed to know what we were talking about.

Before Corey could lean away, I quickly pressed a kiss to his cheek and whispered, "I would like that." Then I turned around and faced Bentley.

Bentley slid the bowl of ice cream across the island. His usual smile graced his face. I started eating my ice cream and risked a glance at the living room.

Everything seemed to return to normal, though when my eyes met Lukas he winked.

Were they all seriously okay with me dating all of them?

My eyes continued to scan the living room until I met ice blue eyes.

And where the fuck do I stand with him? Could he ever get over his hatred for me?

I sighed and looked at my bowl of ice cream. I love my life. I repeated the new mantra halfheartedly.

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Thank you for reading Chapter 21. I hope you liked this chapter. Feel free to leave feedback. Comments make me happy! Make sure to have a great rest of the week!
~Until Next Chapter