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A beat of silence passes before she grumbles, “It’s nothing.” She huffs and glances away. “We have a class together, and we’ve been partnered up for a project.” Another scowl moves across her pretty features. “Do you have any idea what a conceited jackass the guy is?”
Ummm...no? I shake my head.
Her brows jerk up. “Really? I can’t stand him.”
Brayden is many things, but I never thought he was an arrogant jerk. Is he a player? Guilty as charged. But there’s a lot of them at Western. That being said, he’s always struck me as a nice guy. One who likes to sleep around. The last time I checked, that wasn’t a crime. It’s more or less something to be wary of.
I tilt my head, searching her gaze carefully in the darkness. She definitely has a burr up her ass. Although I’m not sure what it is. “Did something happen between you two?”
Guilt flickers across her face before it vanishes, making me wonder if I glimpsed it in the first place. “Of course not.”
“Hmmm.” Strangely enough, I don’t believe her. But then again, Sydney has never lied to me. She’s always been an open book about what’s going on in her life. Sometimes a little too open.
Before I can come at her with anymore questions, she points toward the living room. “I think I see your man.”
Rowan!
A fresh burst of nerves explodes inside me and, just like that, I forget all about the weird interaction with Brayden. This is it. It’s do or die time. I follow behind her as she blazes a trail through clumps of people before grinding to an abrupt halt. Unprepared for the sudden stop, I slam into Sydney’s back. She stumbles forward a couple of steps before swinging around.
There’s a grimness to her expression that catches me off guard. “Let’s detour to the kitchen and grab a couple of drinks first.”
“What?” Confusion spirals through me at the abrupt change in plans. “I thought you spotted Rowan.”
Her gaze darts around before flitting toward me again. “Drinks first, then we’ll find him.”
Sydney has always been something of a wildcard, but this behavior doesn’t quite fit the pattern. The unease I’d felt earlier this evening slams back into me full force.
“What’s going on?” I try to peek around her, but she quickly shifts to block my line of sight.
What the hell?
“Trust me, all right?” Her voice rises. “Let’s grab a drink instead.”
Wait a minute...is Sydney trying to prevent me from seeing something in the living room?
Why would she do that?
Only one reason comes to mind. I need to see if my suspicions are correct. I fake a move to the left. When she attempts to sidestep me, I lunge to the right. The moment Sydney is no longer shielding my view, my gaze lands on him.
Or maybe I should say them.
All of the oxygen gets sucked from the room as paralysis sets in. My feet freeze to the floor, rendering me incapable of movement.
A tentative hand lands on my shoulder. “Demi—”
I blink away the shock and wait for the image to shimmer and disappear as if it’s a figment of my imagination, but it remains solid. My heartbeat thunders in my ears, drowning out the loud music as I try to make sense of the scene unfolding in front of me. There’s no mistaking Annica. Her body is pressed against Rowan. Her head is tipped back, a cascade of auburn-colored hair falling down her back as she grins up at him.
What bothers me most is the way he’s smiling at her. His arm is wrapped loosely around her body. He’s certainly not making any attempt to push her away. In fact, he looks to be enjoying the attention.
I don’t understand.
It feels like my lungs will burst when he glances over, and our gazes collide. I expect the easygoing smile he always flashes at me to cross his expression. Something that will tell me I’ve jumped to the wrong conclusion, and this isn’t what it looks like. But his face never transforms. It remains strangely devoid of emotion.
“You need to talk to him and figure out what the hell he’s doing with that viper.” Anger bleeds through every whipped-out word.
A gurgle of laughter rises in my throat.
Talk to him?
There’s no way in hell I’m going to stomp over there and get into a wicked fight with a captive audience watching. Especially when the girl he’s with is none other than my nemesis. He’s well aware of the problems we’ve had. Clearly, there’s nothing for us to talk about. The fact that he’s staring at me, making no attempt to untangle himself from her, speaks volumes.
Decision made, I straighten my shoulders and spin around before stalking toward the front door. The beginning of this relationship caught me by surprise and turned my world upside down.
