The Love I Need

Chapter 74

"I still can't believe we won," Trevor explains with a laugh as he tops up my glass of wine again with a second bottle.

I take a drink of the cool liquid, relishing in the feeling of its smooth descent down my throat. Oh, wine, how I've missed you. Which is a good reminder that I should slow down with my consumption. It's already affecting me, making the edges of my brain feel a little fuzzy in a warm welcome. It may already be too late to start worrying about slowing down.

"And it's a good thing we won," I reply to Trevor. "I have a feeling you would have been a bit of a sore loser if we didn't."

"Who, me?" Trevor places a hand over his chest, hamming it up in his dorky way after placing the now-empty bottle back on the counter. He crosses the room again to join me on the couch.

"Yes, you," I laugh while I shift my body closer to the armrest, creating some more distance between us. I don't know why I do it. It's just a trigger reaction that I make without meaning to. I'm not afraid of Trevor. In fact, I told myself when I agreed to come here that he would be a good rebound.

Is it still considered a rebound if you weren't sleeping with the guy that you're trying to rebound from?

"Hey, at least I wouldn't fall to the ground if we lost." He smirks and gives his head an amused shake before he sips his wine.

I laugh at the memory of Cal's dramatics. "You saw Cal do that too, huh?"

"Yeah." He rolls his eyes. "He's always been such a child."

My laughter subsides, and a frown forms on my face. "What do you mean?"

"Cal." He says his name like it should be obvious, but when I keep staring at him he continues. "He has the emotional reactivity of a small child. Except, I've seen children with a much better hold on their emotions than that guy." He grins at me and then laughs again, but I don't understand where the humour in his statement is, so I ask him.

"Why is that funny to you?"

Trevor's laughter peters off when he realizes that I haven't joined him. He shrugs. "I don't know. He's supposed to be a grown man. He has all these tough guy tattoos and this I'm-king-shit persona but if anything doesn't go his way he becomes a petulant child."

He's not exactly wrong but his words still rub me the wrong way. I take a long drink of my wine while I avoid eye contact with him, trying to keep my temper in check. "Maybe," I begin and flick my gaze back to him, "he has a reason for being like that."

Trevor gives me a skeptical grin. "He has a reason for acting like a child?"

I can't keep the glare off of my face, and Trevor finally seems to notice that I'm pissed.

"I'm not trying to offend you or your friends, Emilia." He chuckles and shrugs again. "I'm just saying it how it is."

"You're being an asshole."

"Woah, woah." He laughs again, although this time it sounds a little awkward. "Let's backtrack, okay? I was just joking around."

I lean forward to place my glass of wine on the coffee table. "I don't know if I can just backtrack. Cal is my best friend. I can't even begin to explain how important he is to me."

Trevor sighs and sinks into the couch, muttering under his breath, "Figures..."

I much preferred rambling, dorky Trevor. I narrow my eyes at him while I cross my arms over my chest. "What is that supposed to mean?"

He sighs and takes a drink from his glass before he answers bitterly, "Whenever I find a woman that I'm really into, they're already in love with Cal Jones."