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  After finishing their lunch, Lucas and Tate made their way up stairs. It had been a long day after a sleepless night. But there was no way Tate was able to sleep last night when he still could feel Audrey’s lips on his. He spent most the night playing his piano. When he had to wake up early for practice he was hoping to take a nap. But Lucas needed his help, so here he was, banging a piece of wood with a hammer.

  For a monstrosity of a closet.

  “Does she really have this many shoes?” Tate asked, glancing over at his friend.

  Lucas looked up and shrugged his shoulders, “She’s your friend apparently, shouldn’t you know that?”

  Tate chuckled, “Let me have it man, don’t hold back.”

  Lucas shook his head, “I have nothing to say, should I?”

  Tate shook his head, picking up another board, “What can I say Luc? I’m attracted to her.”

  “Of course you are; she’s gorgeous. But didn’t you think you should have told me?” Lucas said one hand on his chest, “I’m your best friend, that’s the sister I never had.”

  “I’ve been waiting for the moment to tell you. How did you even know?” Tate said since they had only interacted for 5 minutes down stairs.

  Lucas scoffed, “The sparks were flying, dude! She would smile and you would go all starry eyed while she would bat her eyes at you. It was honestly disgusting.”

  Tate laughed, “Whatever, it wasn’t like that at all.”

  “Yes it was. It makes me wonder why you never even mention her… hold the fuck up!” Lucas yelled, causing Tate to drop his board, thankfully not on his foot. “Is she the runaway lay?”

  Tate froze.

  He told Lucas everything, but if he told him yes, then that would be putting Audrey’s business out there, but if he said no, then Lucas would think that Tate is trying to two time Audrey.

  Shit.

  “No comment.”

  “Odder, fess up dude, before I knock you in the back of the head with a board,” Lucas warned.

  Tate laughed, turning to see Lucas holding a bottle of water, not a board, “What board?” he teased.

  “Whichever one I decide to pick up, now answer me.”

  Tate shrugged his shoulder, looking up at the ceiling, hoping this didn’t back fire on him, “Yeah, she is, but don’t tell Fallon.”

  Lucas’ mouth dropped as he shook his head, “I won’t, but shit dude.”

  “Good, I don’t want anything to come between us, she has already friend-zoned me,” Tate complained.

  “Dude, that sucks.” Lucas said simply before picking up a board.

  Tate stood there stunned, Lucas always had the answer, “No help huh?”

  Lucas laughed, “Hell no, if you think I’m going to give you tips on picking up my little sister, you’ve obviously been hit too many times in the head with the puck.”

  Tate couldn’t help but laugh, “So much for loyalty.”

  “Oh I have loyalty, but it stops when it comes to Aiden, Fallon, and Audrey. Sorry bud, you’re on your own,” he said. He then started to bang a nail into the board before turning back to Tate, a wicked grin on his face, “But you hurt her, you die. You know that, right?”

  “Very much so.”

  ~*~

  Tate should have known that Swamp People was going to be bad ass just by the ‘Viewer Discretion Warning.’

  Audrey had the best taste in TV shows, and he was grateful for the chance to watch them with her. Her commentary was so funny; it made the show 10 times better. When she started impersonating the people on the show in their thick Louisiana accents, Tate almost fell off the couch laughing. She was crazy funny. She even made Alligator cupcakes to go with the show. Tate inhaled half of them before he enjoyed the amazing chicken dumplings she prepared.

  She was one hell of a cook.

  “Best show ever,” Tate said, licking frosting off his fingers.

  “Uh, duh! Told ya!” she giggled, leaning against the back of her couch, a cupcake in her hand. She had changed from earlier that day. Now she was wearing a yellow jump suit. She had a lazy cute look going, and it did it for Tate. His hands itched to pull that zipper down and find out what she had underneath. Her hair was down in a mess of curls and he wanted to tangle his fingers in it while kissing her senseless. He just wanted to touch her, and not in the friendship way either. He wanted to grab hold of her and have his wicked way with her.

  “You did,” he agreed as she tucked her legs behind her.

  “Tomorrow is Survivor, we should watch that. You’ll love it.”

  “Sounds good, this time, my house though, I’ll get food for us.”

  Audrey laughed, “Can’t cook?”

  Tate laughed along, “Nope, but I am good at picking up something.”

  “It works,” she said with a grin, leaning her head against the back of the couch, yawning.

  He smiled over at her and asked, “Are you tired, want me to leave?”

  “No, not at all. Well I’m tired, but I don’t want you to leave.”

  Good.

  “I’m surprised you’re up, I heard you playing at 2 in the morning,” she said, bringing his attention to her.

  Tate nodded, “Yeah, remember, I have problems sleeping at night.”

  “You really should get that checked out,” she suggested, taking a sip of her sweet tea.

  “I know, I should,” he agreed.

  It had gotten out of hand lately. But no remedy seemed to work. Every time he was deep in sleep, he would see his parents’ and Matilda’s bodies on the slabs in the morgue back home. It had been a year and a half since the car crash but the image was still burned in his mind. He hadn’t had a full night’s sleep in months. In a way, he was sort of used to it. He usually slept during the day and it didn’t make sense to him why sleeping during the day was easier, but it was. The only reason he could come up with was that he had identified the bodies at 11:26 pm, on a Wednesday night. It was a hot, musty night when Tate had escaped the walls of the morgue to promptly puke his brains out on the sidewalk outside.

  It was the worst night of his life.

  Not wanting to think of that, he glanced over at Audrey, “I thought of something, no one knows.”

  Audrey sat up quickly, joy on her face as she bounced, “Oh do tell, good sir!”

  Tate laughed leaning back against the couch, “I have to sing ‘We are the Champions’ every time I get in goal before the puck drops.”

  “The whole song?!”

  Tate laughed, “Yup, I time it perfectly to make sure I get it all in. No one knows that I do it, and probably think I’m an ass when they tell me good luck and I don’t say anything back because I’m singing in my head.”

  Audrey was in a fit of laughter as she shook her head, “That is epic!”

  Tate nodded, “It helps. I get in this mindset that no one can beat me.”

  “And they can’t, not the amazing, highest ranked, rookie goalie in the history of ever! You are amazing from what I have heard and seen,” she gushed, smacking his arm.

  Even though he knew it was wrong, he couldn’t help himself. Tate put on his killer smile, showing all his teeth, even his gap, and asked, “Been doing research on me?”

  He was flirting. This friend shit was stupid. They had chemistry, damn it!

  “Oh hush, and stop flirting with me!” Audrey said, red as a tomato, as she looked away and drank her tea.

  “Can’t help it. You are gorgeous, baby.”

  Still red as ever, Audrey shook her head, looking away, “You really know how to make a girl blush, huh?”

  Tate smiled, moving slightly to hide his hard on. When she had that color on her, looking so bashful and playful, Tate was sure the temperature in the room was 1000 degrees.

  “So anyways!” she yelled, laughing while still not making eye contact, “change the subject, please.”

  Tate laughed, “I don’t know if I should, I like this red color on you.”

  “Tate! Quit!” Audrey giggled