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“What was that?” Alex asks, louder this time.
I blink several times, my face heating with embarrassment. Alex didn’t mean to kiss me. Shit. This was all a mistake. He doesn’t like me at all.
“I tripped,” Alex says when I don’t answer him. He nods to the crack in the cement sidewalk before turning back to me.
I can’t help myself. It’s the only thing I’m really good at. Without saying a word, I bolt toward the apartment.
“Seth!” Alex calls after me, but I don’t stop.
I can’t deal with this right now. How could I be so stupid? I should have known. He tripped. That’s all it was. A stupid, silly little trip and now I am outed. Well, I outed myself, right after I told myself I wouldn’t. Why am I this stupid?
I buzz Hunter’s bell over and over again, throwing open the door once it’s unlocked. My feet take me down the hall and into the elevator. I’ll be safe once I’m back in Hunter’s apartment and then… and then…
And then what?
I can’t be alone with Alex ever again? That’s not going to work.
Before the doors to the elevator can close, a hand shoots out and I watch in horror as they are pushed open. Alex’s scowl comes into view and I shrivel away from him to the far corner of the elevator, knowing that I am not going to like what he has to say.
“You,” he gasps, “fucking… bastard. How… could you leave me… like that?”
The doors close and he smacks the number to Hunter’s floor, his scowl still leveled on me as he heaves, clutching the bag of booze to his chest.
“Man, you run fast,” I say with the widest forced smile I can muster, obviously trying to steer the conversation away from our kinda kiss. “And you ran without breaking the bottles of wine. Amazing!”
Alex’s scowl darkens and he steps toward me, towering above me while my smile practically slides into a puddle off my face.
“What is going on, Seth?”
“Nothing.” I shake my head, like that’s really going to get the point across.
“What do you mean nothing? I trip and then you… you—” Alex’s eyes widen again and his face flushes so bright red it nearly matches his hair.
“I-I—” I grimace. During all that running, I hadn’t come up with an excuse to tell him. I was hoping we could avoid all this nonsense. I didn’t think he could catch up to me. That completely slipped my little head.
“What, Seth? What?” Alex’s gaze softens and he sighs, his shoulders slumping forward in that defeated look I rarely see. “Do you possibly—”
“Do not finish that sentence,” I snap at him.
The elevator dings and I brush past him, nearly running down the hall to get to Hunter’s room. I can’t have this conversation. Not now after that stupid little kiss. Not now when I already know the answer.
“Seth! Stop!”
My feet pick up their pace.
“Seth! We really need to talk about this!”
I ignore him.
“Seth, stop.” Alex’s hand seizes my wrist and suddenly I’m being pulled toward him. I clench my jaw, biting back a gasp as my body nearly topples into him. Glancing over my shoulder, I notice he’s staring down at me, looking concerned. My face flushes at our proximity.Shit. Not again. He doesn’t like me, so why is my stomach fluttering? Why can’t I pull away from him?
“Can we please talk about this?” Alex asks, his voice so soft, so tender.
My mouth opens, but before I can say anything, the door next to us opens and Lucas appears in the doorway. Alex’s hand drops mine and for a moment, I’m worried Lucas will notice something is off. Instead, he sighs and leans his shoulder against the door, his brows pinched together in worry. I suspect it has nothing to do with Alex and me and it has everything to do with the NFL star grumbling in the apartment.
“What’s up?” Alex asks while straightening.
Lucas wrinkles his nose and I watch him glance over his shoulder for a brief moment. He closes the door slightly behind him, to the smallest crack and leans forward, whispering, “We have a situation on our hands.”
