Page 91 of Just for the Plot

“No, but my algorithm sure does and is always showing me videos of him.”

“You know, it’s catered to keep showing you what you watch the most. Very telling, man,” I say.

“I watch because I want to see if I could pull off the crop top.”

“Absolutely not.” Graydon shakes his head.

“No chance in hell, man.”

“I have abs.” He lifts up his shirt, showing us his stomach. “I could put on a good show.”

“It’s not about abs. It’s about aura, and you’re not a crop-top-aura kind of guy.”

“Facts,” Graydon says.

“Well, fuck both of you, but we’re getting off track. I want to get back to why we’re setting Bower up with Cougar Vajeen.”

I scrub my face with my hands. “Because I can’t tell her how I feel because she still sees me as the kid she first met, so Nolan said I should set her up with someone not good enough for her and then I can swoop in like a hero and show her how perfect I am for her.”

“Huh…” OC thinks about it for a moment. “Actually, not a bad plan.”

“The only problem is he set her up with Cougar, who is known to charm,” Graydon says.

“You’re the one who told me he’d be perfect,” I practically shout.

“Because you didn’t give me all the details. You said douchebag, and he’s the epitome of that. If I’d have known your entire plan, I’d have probably chosen someone like…Kent Ronald.”

“Ohhhhh, Kent Ronald would have been a great choice,” OC says.

My anger gets the best of me and I say, “Why the fuck is this happening? She had her third date today. Third. What does that even mean? Every time I ask her how her date went, she just says okay and that they don’t have that much in common, but she keeps going out with him.”

“Maybe it isn’t really a date,” OC says. “If you know what I mean.”

“I will fucking murder you,” I say through clenched teeth.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, that’s a bit harsh. I’m just saying out loud what this big guy is thinking.”

“Is that what you’re thinking?” I ask Graydon.

“It would track with him.”

“Oh my fucking God,” I say, popping out of my seat only to start pacing in front of them. “Are they having sex? Do you think they’re having sex? She said she was taking it slow. I don’t even think they’ve kissed, but do you think they’re doing it?”

OC winces and looks over at Graydon, who presses his lips together.

“Fucking fuck!” I yell before I feel everything around me collapse.

I’m such a goddamn moron.

CHAPTER 16

BOWER

“Don’t ever leave me everagain. You live here now,” I say to Gabby as I loop my arm through hers and hold on to her tightly while we make our way through the Bombers concourse.

Ryland’s behind us, carrying our food and drinks, because he insisted, not because we forced him, although I do enjoy him being a pack mule so I can gush with my best friend.

“You’re the one that left me,” Gabby says.