Irresponsible Puckboy (Puckboys 2)

“Aw … you save your snuggles for me?” It makes me insanely happy. I wriggle in closer until my face is buried in his chest.

“Oskar isn’t going to like this.”

“Do we care what Oskar likes?”

Tripp doesn’t answer me.

“I’ve missed you,” I complain.

“Sorry.”

“And you missed me too, right?”

His chest moves with his soft laugh. “Have you been feeling neglected?”

“Very. All you’ve done is kiss Oskar and have sex with Oskar. Stupid, dumb Oskar.”

He hums. “First, I haven’t kissed him in front of you, and secondly, I thought you liked him?”

“I did. Now I’m suddenly having doubts. Murderous doubts.”

“Remember how you didn’t like me saying things about Jessica?”

“What about it?”

“I think this is our problem,” he says.

“What?”

“Look at us. I hated when Jessica would get time with you, and now you hate Oskar having time with me.”

“Because we’re best friends.”

“I don’t know any best friends like us.”

“And?” I try to burrow deeper into his chest so I don’t have to look him in the eye, but Tripp pulls me back.

“I think … I think we need to start looking at us from the outside. If we’re ever going to make our relationships work, maybe we need to—” He takes a breath. “—stop being so possessive of each other.”

“I’m not possessive!”

“Who do I belong to?”

“Me, but—”

He grins.

“Shut up.”

Tripp chuckles. “I know it’s hard to believe, but when people start a relationship, they want to be that person’s world. Not their whole world, because that’s unhealthy, but the most important part. I think Jessica could sense she wasn’t that for you, which is why she always got so panicked about you spending time with me.”

“And Oskar?”

“Is making sure you’re not that for me. It’s … time we start … I start …” He puffs out a breath. “I think I want a proper relationship, and I can’t do that—neither of us can do that—when we’re in each other’s way.”

But he’s not in my way. I was with Jessica for eighteen months. Which means … Is he saying I’m in his way? “I’ve been giving you guys space. I thought we were having this vacation together, and then I get here and you drop a boyfriend on me. What, because Oskar is here I don’t get you at all?”

He sighs. “What am I supposed to say to that?”

“Fine. Oskar is so much better than me. Oskar can be your new best friend.” I roll onto my back.

Tripp’s smirking face appears hovering over me a second later. “Are you sulking?”

“My best friend doesn’t love me anymore. Of course I’m sulking.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Sure you did. A second ago. And I quote, Dex, you’re a stupidhead who is stupid and I hate you.”

He jostles me. “Call yourself a stupidhead again.”

“I didn’t. That was all you.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I can’t believe you would say that about me.”

Tripp flicks my nose, and I slap his hand away. He lifts his hand, and I raise mine, ready to block him.

“Oh, it’s on.” I tackle Tripp, but he gets me in a headlock and flips me onto my back. We wrestle back and forth, slapping and biting, and the bastard even pulls my hair as he shoves me back into the mattress.

We’re gasping around heavy breaths when Tripp pins me. “You really suck at—”

A throat clears, and we both freeze.

Tripp quickly scrambles off me at the sight of Oskar standing in the doorway, and I let out a loud groan and cover my face with my arms.

“Should I be jealous?” he asks.

The bastard could at least have the decency to sound threatened.

“Maybe you should be.”

Judging by his laugh, he probably isn’t though.

“Come on, boyfriend, let’s take that hike.”

I can’t take it anymore.

“No.” I sit up and glare at him. “It’s my turn.”

“Dex …” Tripp starts, but I don’t want to hear it.

I turn to him. “I get it. He has to be your priority now, but I’m still a priority, aren’t I? When do I get to have you?”

“You don’t, Dex; that’s the point.” Oskar’s voice has a warning edge to it.

“Pretty sure I didn’t ask you.”

“You don’t have to ask me to have an opinion on my friend.”

“Don’t you mean boyfriend?” I raise an eyebrow.

“Does it matter what he is to me?” Oskar crosses his arms. “At the end of the day, I can give him things you can’t. And if you care about him as much as you say you do, you should be happy to step aside and let Tripp be happy.”

“But he can’t be happy without me.”

Oskar’s eyes widen. “Are you hearing yourself?”

And here it comes, the Dex-is-an-idiot tone. “So sorry you don’t know what it’s like to have a best friend.”

“I’m beginning to think you don’t either.”

Tripp climbs out of bed to pull some shorts on. “Can you both shut up?”

“Nope.” I stand firm.

“Come on, Tripp. Dex needs to calm down.”