He’s observing me. His eyes are soft, but intense. Not sure how that’s possible. It’s like he wants to protect me, offer me a safe place like he always has, but also…consume me.
A shiver runs up my spine.
Zander is the Golden Boy. He’s safe. He’s my best friend. So why is he looking at me like that? I can’t worry about that.
And I don’t care what anyone else thinks right now. I love that my friends are up here with me and we’re all making fools of ourselves together. What I care about most is that Zander is down there looking at me like he only has eyes for me. As his friend, of course, and that’s okay.
As I cross the stage, I throw my head back, flick my hair out, and wink at him.
Chapter 4
Zander
“They said there’s a haunted shed right around here somewhere.” Evie’s using her phone flashlight as we walk through snow frosted grass, oblivious to the utter havoc she wreaked on my body when she winked at me on stage.
For that one split second I thought she might feel the same way. Everyone else had picked out their partner and performed for them. I saw it with Sierra and Emmerson, and all the other women. They each had eyes for one man. So when Evie picked me, I was shocked. She mentioned earlier this evening that she was going to shoot her shot with Logan, which by the way, shook me. I don’t give two fucks what changed on that front, or if it did. My body doesn’t know the difference, and it’s both floatingabove the night clouds and simultaneously shaking like the last leaves in the trees, unsure of what this all means.
“They have a haunted house and a haunted shed? Seems overkill.” Her voice breaks into my reverie.
“Some people are afraid of small spaces. Makes for an even scarier experience to be locked in a shed.”
“I suppose so.” I’m not all that happy that she dragged me out here for this. It was brutal enough watching her cross that stage and wink at me. Now she wants to be alone? She seriously has no idea what she’s doing to me. Then again, how could she know? We’ve always been friends and said we always would be.
Now I want to switch the script?
“Stop messing up your hair, cowboy. That’s what you have a hat for.” She grabs the hat out of my hand and plops it back on my head, getting altogether too close to me.
“You’re shivering.” I notice.
“I didn’t think we’d be outside long, so I didn’t bother with my jacket.”
“Where is this damn—”
“Oh, look.” She pops up on her tiptoes and looks over my shoulder. “It’s right there. C’mon.” Dragging me by the hand, she tears me across the field and then rips open a creaky wooden door, and hauls me into a tiny room.
It’s almost pitch black save the red and purple neon lights. A tomb with a mummy and some eerie music plays. An ugly AF clown rears his head out of a box and I jump.
“Don’t laugh at me, Evie. Clowns are terrifying.” I gently squeeze her ribs, knowing she’s ticklish there.
Her hands fly to my chest as her elbows wrench to her sides in an effort to stop me.
“This is it?” With her body pressed to mine, she looks over her shoulder to survey her surroundings. “Not much, is it?”
“Probably just a place for people to make out.”
Her body straightens against mine, and her leisurely perusal of the tiny shed slows to a sloth’s pace.
“Guess we should free it up for someone else to use then, huh?” Her neck twists back and she gazes up at me through her long lashes. I sweep her blonde locks back from her neck and off her shoulder, itching to feel the softness of her skin underneath.
“Still cold?”
“I’m okay.” She doesn’t move, just shivers for a second time against my chest. I rub her arms before leading her out of the shed.
We’re not one step out when she unleashes a shriek and hightails it back into the shed.
“Evie!” I yank open the door and reenter the space. “What happened? Are you okay?”
She’s flailing her hands at her hair and she’s whimpering.
