The Jacket Snatcher

Chapter 17- Dinner and a Scuffle

 "So, Steph, tell us about your date the other night," Calum says before stuffing a bite of spaghetti into his mouth. All four pairs of eyes immediately snap to me.

"It wasn't a date," I say.

"Of course it wasn't," Luke scoffs, so I glare at him.

Ashton steps in before I can comment. "Well who was the guy?"

"I was with a group of people actually." I pick up my fork and start twirling it in the pasta to get a good bite.

"How'd you meet them?"

I pause with the fork halfway to my mouth and put it back down. "Well, I met this guy when I went grocery shopping and then he turned out to be one of the surfers at the tournament I'm covering. We recognized each other and he invited me and my boss out with a bunch of his friends."

"Sounds like fate," Calum says with a mouthful of bread.

Luke makes a snorting noise but doesn't make a comment this time.

"So you went out with these guys you just met?" Ashton asks.

I raise my eyebrows and look pointedly around the room. Is he serious?

"Apparently she has a habit of doing that," Luke grumbles, popping a piece of broccoli into his mouth, and giving me a sickly sweet smile.

"Let the poor girl eat in peace. She hasn't gotten a single bite." Michael chimes in for the first time.

I give him a grateful smile and shovel some spaghetti into my mouth in response. A few moments pass with only the sounds of utensils on plates.

"So did you kiss him?" Calum breaks the silence again.

I groan and throw a piece of broccoli at him. "I don't just go around kissing guys I barely know!"

The room goes silent. Once I realize what I said and in what company I just said it, I feel my cheeks start to flush. I can't even look at Luke, but I can feel his eyes on me. The other three boys seem to be observing both of us. Thankfully, my phone starts to go off in my pocket.

Thankful for the timing, I grab it and abruptly flee from the table and into the living room to answer.

"Hello?"

"Stephie! How are things?" Rachel's cheery voice rings in my ear. I sigh in relief that it's not Brett.

"Hey, Rach. Everything's good."

"You don't sound so good..." she says, immediately picking up on the odd note in my voice.

I clear my throat. "I'm fine. Promise!"

"Fine?" she scoffs. "You're in the land of hot weather and even hotter men. You should be doing better than fine!"

I laugh and plop down on the couch. "Whatever. So how are things back home?"

Ashton walks into the room then and sits down beside me. He presses his ear to the other side of the phone so that he can hear. After a few seconds, he pulls back and puts his face in front of mine.

"Is that Rachel?" he mouths.

I nod. With a grin, he immediately leaps from the couch and dashes back into the dining room. I realize that I've spaced out on Rachel and try to hop back in on whatever she's saying. I think she's just said something about having dinner with my brother and his friend the other night, but I cant be sure. Then Ashton returns with the other boys in tow.

He sits down right in front of me and motions for the others to do the same. I raise an eyebrow at them to which he smiles and leans up to whisper in my other ear.