Ah, that made sense. “Nice to meet you.”
Colton smiled as he passed a quizzical gaze at Nick. “It’s good to meet you. Come on in. They’re about to get started.”
I followed Colton into an apartment that was larger than mine. Sparse and tidy, Reece kept good house. Several people were in his living room. I recognized Reece right off the bat. He was standing by the window, a beer in his hand, but not the guy who sat on the couch. Based on his buzz cut, I was going to take a wild guess and say he was a cop. There was a woman sitting on the arm on the other side of the couch. Her dark hair brushed her shoulders as she glanced up and smiled.
Reece looked over and did a double take, quickly hiding his surprise with a slow smile. “Hey guys.” Amusement twinkled in his eyes. “Glad you all could make it.”
I smiled, giving the small group a little wave. “Hi.”
Colton eased past us, dropping onto the couch beside the woman. “I guess I’ll do the introductions since Reece is an asshole. This is my girlfriend, Abby,” he said, introducing us. “And this other guy over here is Brad.”
His brother snorted. “Yeah, I am terrible at that shit.”
Brad glanced up and nodded slightly, and curiosity crawled across Abby’s pretty face. “I’m Steph,” I said. “Nice to meet you all.”
Reece glanced at Nick, raising his brow as Brad leaned forward, picking something small and black off the coffee table. The TV screen shifted, revealing they were playing a game.
“Game night,” Brad explained, waving a controller. “It’s an epic Mario Kart death match. We go in rounds—partners. I’m stuck with that loser.” He nodded at Reece.
Reece raised his middle finger.
“Do you play?” Nick asked, turning around.
I nodded. “Not in a while. I kind of suck.”
“That’s okay.” He grabbed two chairs from the kitchen and brought them into the living room, placing them near the couch. “I’m the best Mario Kart player in the world.”
“You think he’s exaggerating?” Colton laughed, shaking his head. “He’s not. It’s like he was born playing this game.”
“It’s because I have a lot of time on my hands,” Nick replied as I sat on the chair closest to Abby. “That’s why.”
Reece snickered as he walked around the coffee table. “That’s such bullshit and you know it.”
My little ears perked up at that comment, but Nick didn’t respond as he sat beside me. So if Nick said he had lots of time on his hands, but Reece called bs on that, what was Nick doing that he didn’t want to talk about? I told myself that even if we were becoming friends, it wasn’t any of my business, especially right now, but dammit, I wanted to know.
“Do you want anything to drink?” Reece offered, heading for the kitchen. “I have beer and soft drinks. And Roxy has half my fridge loaded with sweet tea.”
“I’m fine,” I called, shoving my oddly icy hands between my knees. “Thanks.”
Reece and Brad started off first, playing against Colton and Abby. Each player was racing against one another, and if either team member won, it counted for the team. Brad won the first round, and he was legit taking score. Abby handed over the controller, and of course I chose the princess as my character, and of course I could barely keep the damn thing on track. I sucked, but it was funny and the sides of my stomach ached from laughing so much.
After a few rounds the death match paused so the guys could get refills. I noticed Nick wasn’t drinking, and I wondered if he didn’t drink that much at all. The night at my place, he hadn’t even finished half the bottle.
I chatted with Abby, quickly discovering that she was a sweetheart and that she and Colton had only recently starting seeing each other.
“Are you and Nick together?” she asked, keeping her voice low. The guys were in the kitchen, but that wasn’t very far away.
“No. We’re just friends.”
“Oh.” Her brow wrinkled. “I thought you guys were. I don’t know him well, but ever since Colton and I started dating, I’ve never seen him with someone.”
That didn’t surprise me. I started to respond, but the guys returned, and Nick sat a glass of water for me down on the coffee table, next to a bowl of chips Reece had planted. I hadn’t asked for it, but it was a courtesy and sweet gesture that Abby noticed with eyes like a hawk.
I stayed longer than I thought I would, sucking utterly at Mario Kart, but I was enjoying my time with everyone. The only reason I left a little after ten was because I had work in the morning, unlike the rest of them, who had unorthodox schedules. When I rose and said good-bye, Nick tossed his controller to Colton and followed me out.
“You didn’t have to leave,” I told him as he closed Reece’s door behind us.
“I know.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans as we started walking down the hall. “I’m being a good friend and walking you home.”