Enemies with Benefits

Chapter Nineteen

I gave an awkward smile of reassurance and reached for my glass, sipping at it rapidly. Sighing, I reached over for my phone.

"What in hell did you do, Hails?"

The moment I opened it, I wished I hadn't. I wanted to sink through the floor and die in the shell of embarrassment clawing its way through my skin.

Sitting on the screen at the top of my messages was a text to Caleb and our location pin dropped in the thread. And I sure as shit hadn't sent either. I was drunk, sure, but not that drunk. No, this had Hailey written all over it.

Me: Come here! I rhink we're gonna beed a ride hhome. I'll thank uou when we get to your bed. I miss you.

Me: *house. Not bed. Whoops

The winking emoji and water droplets followed up her feigned typo correction had me wide eyed and locking my phone immediately.

I'm gonna kill her. I'm actually gonna kill her.

I took a long breath and steadied my nerves, shaking my head. Reaching for my glass, I held my breath and downed its contents, shuddering through the burn that trailed down my throat. I reopened my phone and typed out an awkwardly lame, 'my friend had my phone' text, which was promptly read and ignored.

I chewed on the nail of my thumb. When a few minutes had passed and my nail bed was screaming, I checked my phone again. Nothing.

Fuck.

I clicked Caleb's name and hit the call button, lifting my phone to my ear with one hand and Hailey's neglected drink to my lips with the other. The call was picked up, but I couldn't hear a damn thing over the music blaring above.

"Caleb? Hello?!"

A few light muffles were the only response my ears could manage, but nothing made sense.

"I can't hear you!"

"I said," my neck prickled, and I shrieked when his familiar deep voice was at my ear, his lips caressing my skin, "if you drink one more, I might just believe you're the one who sexted me drunkenly."

Goosebumps covered my arms and chest, and the chills made my nipples hard. What a time to skip out on a bra. The tank top I wore had a built-in one—it was shitty, but it was there.

Caleb slipped around the table, his hand skimming along my back to my hip, then down my thigh as he made his way to Hailey's seat. He stared back at me with amusement lining his face. I wanted to throw something at it to wipe the smirk from his lips.

Like a chair. Or myself.

He reached for my drink and took a sip, and when a drop ran down his lip and his tongue peaked out to capture it, I sucked in a breath and sat straighter while my eyes glued onto the movement. I repositioned myself in my own seat. God, did they turn the heat on?

"Your friend seems animated," he noted aloud. "Why does she look like a stalk of asparagus?"

I burst out in grating laughter. "I said the same. She thought I was just being dramatic."

"Well, you are dramatic."

I flipped him off mindlessly and glanced around, searching the overly crowded dance floor. When I found the green bean stalk that was Hailey, I smiled and slid from my chair. She'd come out to see me. It was the least I could do to go out and dance with her, despite the two guys she was taking turns grinding on. She was testing them, I knew, before deciding which to take home. Home being my apartment, for sure.

Oh, god, I groaned. I don't wanna hear that later.

Like he could read my lowering mood, Caleb reached for my hand and held tight. "Have a drink with me."