Fall from Love

watch, all right.”
    Carter and I exchange a smile and then follow Jenna back inside.
    It’s clear when we get back to the living room that Jenna and Josh want to finish what they started. Jenna pulls me aside and gives me the keys to her car, saying she wants to stay with Josh tonight.
    “She can take my bed, I’ll sleep on the couch,” Carter offers and we both turn our heads towards him.
    “I can’t take your bed. I’ll just drive home,” I say.
    “I hadn’t even thought of that,” Jenna says, smiling and glancing over at Carter. “It’s late, Holly. I’ll just worry about you all night. Stay here, please.”
    “I’ll change the sheets for you and everything,” Carter continues.
    “It’s not necessary.” I look over at him. “I’ll sleep on the couch. Just give me a pillow and a blanket, and I’ll be fine.”
    Josh chuckles. “You say that now, but you’ll be cussing in the morning when you wake up all stiff and sore. That couch sucks.”
    “Just take my bed,” Carter says again.
    “I can’t do that, I would feel bad.”
    “Don’t feel bad. I’m offering it to you,” Carter says.

 
     
    Chapter Eight
     
    A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.
    ~ George Bernard Shaw
     
    CARTER
    I wake up to something hitting me in the face.
    “What the hell?” I squint out of my right eye.
    “Wake up, dude, it’s almost ten,” Josh says, chunking another orange at my head. I grab my pillow and dodge it just before it makes contact.
    “I’m gonna kick your ass, shithead.” I stretch my legs out and feel a sharp pain shoot up my back reminding me that I slept on the couch last night. That one thought sets off a domino effect, reminding me that I gave my bed to—Holly! My body jerks up into a sitting position and a searing pain runs up my back and into my neck.
    “Sleep well?” Josh laughs and I chuck my pillow at him. “The girls already left. Apparently, Holly said she couldn’t sleep because your bed smelled really bad.”
    “Whatever, dude.” I shake my head and stretch my neck to the right and then back to the left. “Did they really leave?” I ask, rubbing the back of my neck.
    “Yeah, they went home to shower and change. That was nice of you to offer up your bed, by the way. I’m sure you won some brownie points for that one.”
    “I’m not trying to win any brownie points from Holly.” I roll my eyes, not sure why I woke up in such a grumpy mood. Oh yeah, I remember, this couch sucks.
    “I was talking about Jenna. For some reason it’s taking her a while to warm up to you. You do need to get your lazy butt up and get ready, though. We’re leaving here in an hour.” He disappears into the kitchen.
    Damn. Football at the Sigma house today. I totally forgot. “You may have to play without me, man. My back is killing me,” I groan and fall back to the couch.
    His head comes fast around the corner. “You’re not backing out on me, man. Not at the eleventh hour. I need you. The team needs you. If you don’t play, then we’ll have to settle for Brady as quarterback and he can’t throw a ball to hit the side of a barn. You’re not bailing on us.” After he finishes his whining, he disappears into the kitchen again. “Actually, make that forty-five minutes. We’re picking the girls up on the way. I guess, if you want to be a pussy and back out, I’ll just show up with two hotties; one on each arm.”
    “Jenna and Holly are going?” I ask and my chest clenches.
    “Yeah, we discussed it over breakfast this morning.”
    I jerk back up and swing my legs off the couch. How the hell did I miss all of this?
    “Knew that would get you up,” Josh calls and I can hear the smile in his voice.
     
    ❧
     
    “Good luck, babe.” Jenna kisses Josh on the cheek. Guys from both teams start heckling him, bringing unwanted attention to both Jenna and Holly… or maybe just Holly. Jenna seems to love it, but Holly looks like she’s trying her best to blend into the ground beneath her. I glance over at Josh and it’s clear that he loves the attention, too. He actually takes it a step further when he grabs Jenna, catching her off guard. She gasps as he bends her over and kisses her like no one’s watching. The entire crowd goes wild and I can’t help throwing a whistle or two out myself. Holly’s laughing while shaking her head, and seeing her smile, makes my smile grow even bigger.
    “Come on, lover