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I tilt my head to the side. “I mean, yeah, he's good looking.”He's no Easton though, I think to myself.“Why? Are you thinking of going for him?”
Her nose scrunches. “Not really, but he keeps coming onto me, and I do like the attention.”
Surprise fills my expression as her cheeks pink. “What about Zayn?”
“Zayn has made it very clear that we're just friends.”
I snort. “Right. Sure. Because friends go to second base all the time.”
She rolls her eyes. “He took that back, remember?”
“That's not a thing,” I inform her stoically.
“It is to him.”
I feel bad for Amelia. She's had a crush on Zayn since she was a kid, and when they hooked up in his room the night of the first party, she thought she was finally getting what she wanted. However, that dream was crushed the second he told her that they couldn't be together. That hooking up was a drunken mistake.
Fucking asshole. I'll show him a drunken mistake.
“Then screw it,” I announce. “Let Mason make his move. You're so much better than waiting around for a guy who doesn't deserve you anyway.”
“And Mason does?” she quips.
Mason Lockhart is NHU's prized quarterback and grade-A douchebag. He's got a bit of a reputation for being a tool and doing some shady shit, but as long as you're careful around him, he's pretty harmless.
“Definitely not,” I answer. “But I'm not telling you to marry the guy. Just use him as a distraction. An ego boost, if you want to call it that. No feelings. No strings attached.”
She seems unsure, but before she can answer, the devil himself comes over and drapes an arm over her shoulder. Amelia blushes and turns away, while I give him a look that tells him if he hurts my best friend, I'll make his life a living hell.
“You good here?” I ask my best friend. “’Cause I need another drink.”
Glancing up at Mason and then back at me, she nods. “Yeah, I'm good.”
I push through the crowded party and make my way over to the keg. Sometimes, there's nothing better than a cold beer to make your worries melt away. However, as I head back toward Amelia and Mason, I spot Easton coming through the front door.
Fuck. He will cock block Amelia any chance he gets, and if he sees it's Mason, that'll only make it worse. I quickly pass my drink to a girl walking by and hurry toward Easton, stepping in front of him to make sure he sees me and no one else.
“Never expected to find you here,” I say.
He looks me up and down and chuckles. “Oh yeah? Why's that?”
Shrugging, I give him my best smile. “I just figured you were too cool for jock parties.”
“You're here. Are you saying you're not cool?”
His response is smooth, and paired with his flirty smirk, I'm fucked. I wrack my brain for something sassy to snap back with, but I come up empty. The only thing I can focus on is the way he's checking me out with such patience—like he has all the time in the world and isn't trying to hide his intentions at all.
With all the confidence I can muster, I straighten my shoulders and put two fingers under his chin, lifting his gaze back to my face. “My eyes are up here.”
He licks his lips. “I'll get there, babe. I like to save the best for last.”
My cheeks pink as I chuckle. “Come on, Casanova. Let's get me a drink.”
EASTON COMES BACK INTOthe room to find me still curled in a ball on the floor. I lift my head just enough to look at him through my bloodshot eyes. He sighs and runs his fingers through his hair as he comes to sit next to me.
“I thought you would have left by now,” he confesses.
I hum sadly. “Me too, but every time I try to convince myself to go, I can't.”
“Then don't.” It comes out like a whisper but sounds more like a plea. “Stay and let me fix this.”
Fix this.Like it's just a broken toy or something he can put back together with glue or tape. As if he didn't betray me like it was the easiest thing in the world to do. The idea of giving him the ability to ruin me further makes my stomach churn, but the thought of being without him isn't any better.
My shoulders sag, and I rest my head on his shoulder, every broken piece of me clinging to him like a lifeline, because I love him, even if he’s in love with her.
