I may not want to lead Leah on, but maybe I should do like Copeland says. Date a guy. See if I can’t channel some of those emotions and have an outlet for them. I’m not ready to tell the school about my sexual preference, but I think he’s onto something.
“Is Dante seeing anyone?” I ask as we all pile out of Cope’s car.
Cope snaps his head my way, his posture stiff. Leah simply gapes at me.
“Dante Phillips?” Her eyes are round behind her glasses.
“Yeah,” I grunt, not making eye contact with Cope. “He’s your friend, right?”
“He is my friend,” she says slowly. “Why? You know someone who wants to go out with him?”
“Maybe,” I mumble, unable to commit to coming out even to Leah.
“Who?” she probes, a knowing glint in her eyes. “Who wants to know?”
“Me,” I admit, frowning. “I think. Well, I’m not sure. I don’t know what I want, but I figure I should explore a little.”
Copeland lets out a grunt and his blue eyes flare. “Call Dante and invite him,” he instructs Leah, his gaze challenging mine.
I give him a defeated smile. I’ll try. I’m not sure that my feelings for Cope will dissipate, but it’s torture to pine after someone I’ll never be able to have.
After she makes a call, we head inside the theater. The movie doesn’t start for a half hour, so we feed coins into the arcade machines to pass the time. When Dante arrives, I panic. Sure, Dante looks good. He’s tall and lanky with a mop of brown hair. It’s his lazy smile that makes him so attractive, though.
But what if I change my mind?
Will he tell everyone?
A cold sweat breaks out over my skin and I start pacing near a machine. Cope grips my shoulder, stopping me, but doesn’t let go. His glare is icy as he regards Dante. Dante flinches under his stare and hangs his head.
“Penn doesn’t know what he wants,” Cope says to both Leah and Dante. “He just wants to hang out. See what happens. If any of this makes it back to school, there’ll be hell to pay. Feel me, Phillips?”
Dante jolts at Cope addressing him and nods. “I’m not Liam,” he grumbles. A pang of sympathy washes over me. Liam and Dante dated for a little while, but it ended before it’d really gotten started. I know Dante was upset about it because he moped around for a week.
“Come on,” Cope says, “the movie will start soon.”
We grab some snacks from the concession stand and then find our theater. Cope sits next to Leah and nods his head at me to sit on the other side of him. Dante plops down on my other side. The conversation is light and before we know it, the theater has darkened as the movie starts. Cope slouches in his seat, his legs spread apart, and I try not to acknowledge the thrill that runs through me when our knees touch. I don’t pull away, because like the sad sap I am, I crave the connection.
Dante leans in to tell me a factoid about the film and I find myself chuckling. This seems to encourage him because he spends the movie whispering tidbits of information about the superheroes we’re watching. Apparently he’s a big comic book buff. Knows all the inside information. I’m grinning about the last thing he mentioned when his hand rests on my thigh. Heat burns on my leg at his touch. I shoot him a questioning look, but he’s smirking at the screen.
Cope nudges my shoulder and I peel my gaze from Dante to look at him. His blue eyes blaze and he arches a brow before pointedly looking at where Dante’s hand is. Then, he leans close to whisper to me.
“You don’t seem to be hating it,” he observes.
“I definitely don’t hate it.”
His utters something hateful about Dante under his breath, but then he turns back to his seat. When he takes Leah’s hand, I try not to wince. It’s better like this. Him with Leah—because she’s a helluva lot better than Ivy—and me with Dante. This could work. Especially if Cope is with me. Beside me. My best friend again. Hope surges up inside me.
I’m dragged from my thoughts when Dante starts rubbing circles over my track pants with his thumb. Tiny thrills shoot through me straight to my dick. I discreetly rest my hand over my crotch so it’s not obvious how turned on I’m getting.
Dante leans back toward me to tell me something else. When he doesn’t say anything, I turn to look at him. His lips press to mine in a soft way. I’m so stunned he has his lips on mine, I simply freeze. He pulls his hand off my leg to cup my cheek. Then, his lips part, urging my own open. Closing my eyes, I give in to the kiss. His hot tongue swipes over mine and I groan. He smiles against my mouth before doing it again. While Leah’s kiss was fun, this one is better. I like how he’s not as soft as her. I like his smell. The insistent, leading way with which he kisses me.