Bad Boy Chemistry

20. Monopoly

Charlie's POV

"That's cheating!" I argued when he landed his car token on the Chance. "You rolled a six!"

"No, I rolled a seven!" He said in defence.

"Liar!"

Sufficed to say, it was awkward and weird that Ace Caldwell was currently seated on the other side of my mother's antique coffee table playing monopoly with me.

"You must have not been looking properly." He smirked.

God that smirk.

An incoming text on my phone distracts me. Hopefully it's my mother or father, finally explaining where in the heck they are!

I read the text and my face fell.

Hey. Texted Ryan.

"Everything okay, Charlotte?"

"Sure." I locked the phone and sat it screen-down on the coffee table.

Ace handed me the dice, slightly brushing his fingertips over my palm when doing so.

I shiver rushed through me and the hairs on my arm stuck up.

I quickly snapped myself back to reality before I wound up on a train of thoughts. I shook the dice in my clasped palms before rolling them onto the board.

A five.

I placed my Scottish Terrier token five spaces down, another text dinging from my phone.

"Someone's popular."

I gave him a half smile before flipping over my phone and reading the incoming text.

Wanna hang out?

I can come to you.

We did have a good time last time, before he straight up ignored my existence.

"Is it your girlfriend?"

I fought the urge to laugh as I gave him a look with my eyebrows furrowed.

"You know I'm gay, right?"

He genuinely looked surprised at that. Surely I've told him, or he at least would have heard it from someone else, maybe he's just very forgetful?

"Ohhhh. Really?"

"Yeah."

That probably just ruined the entire game, huh.

"Okay..."

I guess this would be the part where he excuses himself, claiming that he had an urgent matter to attend to.

"Is it a boyfriend, then?" He rolled the dice.

Oh. Not the outcome I expected.

How is he this casual?

"Yes. I mean. No. It's not. We're not. He's not my. We're just-"

"Dude, breathe." Ace laughed.

I paused to take a breath. "We're not dating."

"But you want to?"

Was I seriously about to converse with Ace Caldwell about my crush on a guy who was Narnia-deep in the closet?

"I don't know. Maybe? Yes?" I talk way too fast.

"He doesn't want anyone to know, and it's just. I don't know if I want to be someone's secret." I frowned.

"Not into scandalous trysts?" He peered at me, holding out the dice for me to take.