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He shakes his head. “Nah, not like that.” He glances at me briefly. “You?”
I shake my head. “No. All I know is that he played football with Adam and hung around Zack. He was an asshole. I thought you would know more since you hung out at their frat parties.”
“Is that what you think? That they are my friends.”
“Aren’t they?”
“No. Just because you saw me there when you weren’t supposed to be there doesn’t mean I’m friends with them. We don’t go fishing together.”
“It’s no secret why I was there. I think everyone there made the fact that I wasn’t supposed to be there a bigger deal than what it was.”
“I’m glad you were there.”
I furrow my brow. “But I thought you said...”
“If you weren’t there, I wouldn’t have known you existed. It wasn’t like Adam would have introduced me to his much younger, underage little sister.” He laughs. “I was glad Zack cheated on you, though. I know it sounds fucked up, but it’s the truth.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because I’m fucked up, Melody.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think you know.”
“I don’t.”
I do, but I don’t want to admit that part to him. I don’t want to admit that part to myself.
“Do you like burgers?” he asks, changing the subject.
“Burgers?” He turns right into a fast food drive-through. “Yeah, who doesn’t?”
He buys us both burgers. Then he drives down a secluded road, turns left, and stops in front of a lake.
“Why are we here?”
He pushes a button, and the car's rooftop retreats, revealing a sky so densely sprinkled with stars that it nearly swallows the dark. "You said you liked the stars in the summer sky. It’s not summer, but it’s the best I could do."
I want to melt. I want to cry. He heard every word.
Maybe that's why he wanted to read it before I turned it in to the professor. He wanted to read my thoughts.
I look up and smile. “Thank you.”
"For?" He pauses between bites, his casual demeanor belying the depth of the moment.
The stars gleam with a brilliance that seems to intensify with each passing second. I pivot in my seat, facing him fully. "For listening."
"Is that what you like... for me to listen?"
"It's part of it, but I'm curious... why me?"
His response is to sip from his drink. "You'll find out soon enough."
“Is this your way of trying to get me to sleep with you?”
He’s smooth; I’ll give him that. He has this way of making me forget everything else. I want him, but I know it’s dangerous to want someone like Valen. He’s dark and unpredictable.
