Dammit! Clearly, his intense workout hadn’t tired him out enough because sure enough, his brain went there, tossing in the feel of her body against his as an added fun bonus.

They hadn’t spoken in a week since the world’s most ill-timed kiss, but they’d have to eventually. It was already April. There were shower details to finalize. They had to pull this off. Eric and Ava deserved the best. Then, the wedding after that. Avoiding each other forever wasn’t feasible. Keiran didn’t even want to—that was all Cherisse. He wanted to explore where that kiss had been about to go. If they’d made it to the couch, he suspected they’d catch the damn thing on fire with the heat that had been rolling off them both.

“Yo. What you doing, man?”

Keiran opened his eyes and stared up at his best friend. Scott was frowning down at him as he wiped away his workout sweat with a towel, two bottles of water cradled against his side.

“Taking a nap. Contemplating life. You know, the usual.”

Scott dropped down next to Keiran, placing one of the bottles near him. “What’s going on with you? You were wailing on that punching bag like it insulted your mother or something.”

Keiran blew out a breath, cheeks puffing up as he exhaled. He hadn’t told Scott about the kiss yet. He’d told Maxine. Well, more like she’d pried it out of him. His twin had a knack for that.

“Nothing, I’m good. Just blowing off some steam.”

“Uh-huh,” Scott said, voice heavy with disbelief.

Scott and Maxine were way too in tune with his moods; it was annoying and yet sort of comforting, knowing that they knew him so well. They were two of the most important people in his circle, and he knew he could trust them to offer up advice, tell him like it is, hold nothing back.

He should just blurt it out, get it over with. Scott was his boy, his best friend. They held each other’s secrets safe. It shouldn’t be so hard to answer him honestly. Scott already figured there was something there with him and Cherisse, at least on Keiran’s end anyway. Cherisse had been into the kiss. Her reaction didn’t lie—she’d kissed him back, enthusiastically—but her actions after were loud and clear. Regret.

Scott watched him intently, sipping his water, waiting, trying to wear him down into spilling.

“I kissed Cherisse. Not sure how to process it yet? It’s been a long week,” he said, creakily getting to his feet. Damn, he’d really gone too hard. He needed to get home and rest before people descended onto his back yard. His mother was throwing Maxi a welcome home BBQ. A bit late after the fact, but any excuse to feed and entertain people. Keiran had been roped into DJing, which would be a simple laptop and playlist affair. He wasn’t inclined to do anything else.

Scott spewed cold water all over Keiran. “Holy shit. When? What’d she do? Why the hell didn’t you tell me this before?”