I drop my fork onto my plate and lower my head into my hands and groan. “Stop laughing,” I say quietly.
She’s obviously laughing too loud to hear me, so I turn toward her and say it again. “Six. Stop laughing. Please.”
Her jaw clamps shut and she turns to look at me. “Excuse me?”
About that same time, Holder kicks the shit out of my knee. I scoot back and immediately pull my leg up and rub the spot he kicked. “What the hell, man?”
Holder looks at me like I’m clueless. “What the hell is wrong with you? I told you not to be mean to her.”
Ha. He thinks I’m being mean? If he only knew how nice I want to be to her right now.
“You don’t like my laugh?” Six says. I can tell in her voice she knows how much I like her laugh, but she’s enjoying the fact that Holder is clueless to what her laugh does to me.
“No,” I grumble, scooting back toward the table.
She laughs again and the sound of it causes me to wince.
“Are you always this grumpy?” she asks. “Do you want me to go get your girlfriend and bring her back to the table so she can put you in a better mood?”
“No!” Sky and Breckin yell in unison.
I look at Six. “You think my girlfriend could put me in a better mood?”
She grins. “I think your girlfriend is a pathetic idiot for agreeing to date you.”
I shake my head. “My girlfriend makes incredibly wise decisions. I can’t wait until tonight when I get to show her just how smart she was when she decided to lay claim to me.”
“I thought you said she wasn’t coming to dinner,” Sky says, disappointed.
Six’s hand slips under the table and she begins to gently rub at the spot on my knee that Holder just finished kicking.
“Jesus Christ,” I mutter, leaning forward. I put my elbows on the table and run my hands up and down my face, attempting to appear unaffected by the fact that it feels like Six just crawled her way inside my chest and is wrapping herself around my heart.
“Is lunch over yet?” I say to no one in particular. “I need to get out of here.”
Holder looks at his phone. “Five more minutes.” He looks back up at me. “Are you sick, Daniel? You’re not being yourself today. It’s starting to freak me out a little bit.”
Six’s hand is still on my knee. I casually lower my hand and slide it under the table, then place it over hers. She flips her hand over and I lace our fingers together and squeeze her hand.
“I know,” I say to Holder. “I’m just having a weird day. Girlfriends. They have that effect on you.”
He’s still looking at me suspiciously. “You seriously need to make up your mind when it comes to her. It’s past the point that any of us feel sorry for you, because now it’s just irritating.”
“Doesn’t help that she used to be a slut,” Six says.
“Six!” Sky says with a laugh. “That was so mean.”
Six shrugs. “It’s true. Daniel’s girlfriend used to be a big, fat slut. I heard she had sex with six different guys in just over a year.”
“Don’t talk about my girlfriend that way,” I say. “Who gives a shit what she did in the past? I sure as hell don’t.”
Six squeezes my hand, then pulls hers away and brings her hand back up to the table. “Sorry,” she says. “That wasn’t nice. If it helps, I heard she’s a good kisser.”
I grin. “Phenomenal kisser.”
The bell rings and everyone picks up their trays. I notice Six isn’t in any hurry, so I take my time as well. Sky kisses Holder on the cheek, then walks off with Breckin toward the exit. Holder picks up both their trays and lifts his eyes to mine. “I’ll see you tonight,” he says. “And I hope to hell the real Daniel shows up, because you aren’t making a whole lot of sense today.”
“I know,” I say, pointing briefly at my head. “She’s got me all screwed up in here, man. All screwed up. I’m losing my mind.”
Holder shakes his head. “That right there is exactly what I’m talking about. You seem more affected by Val today than you ever have. It’s just weird.” He walks off, still looking confused. I feel sort of bad for lying to him, but it’s his own fault. He shouldn’t try to tell me who I can date, then I wouldn’t have to hide it from him.
“That was fun,” Six says quietly. She begins to pick up her tray, but I intercept it. I take a step toward her and look her hard in the eyes.
“Don’t you ever insult my girlfriend again. You hear me?”
She tightens her lips to hide her smile. “Noted.”