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“I may have looked at his driver’s license.” I wave him off dismissively. “That’s not the point. I know what I want to get him, but I need your help with it.” Grabbing his wrist, I pull him toward the door. “Oh, and we’re throwing him a party.”
I GET DONE WITH Zayn and head back to Knox’s house, hoping he isn’t back yet. Unfortunately, luck isn’t on my side. The second that I walk in the door, he comes out of his room and sighs in relief when he sees me.
“Thank fuck,” he murmurs, so low I almost don’t hear it. “Where were you?”
“I had something to do. Why are you so worried? Is everything okay?”
He wraps his arms around me and pulls me close. “Yeah, sorry. I don’t know where my head’s at.”
Everything in me says that I should question it further. I can feel the way his heart is pounding inside his chest. But with his fingers lacing into my hair and his breathing calming down, I get lost in the feel of him. Whatever he was worried about, it’s fine now.
WHEN I TOLD ZAYN that we were throwing a party for Knox, I did not mean a massive blowout where I can’t even hear myself think. The only thing birthday about it is the custom banner that Tessa helped me hang. If it wasn’t for that, this would just look like Z went a little overboard with his usual parties.
The minute Knox walks in the door, people shout “Happy Birthday!” so loud I’m pretty sure the walls rattle. He chuckles, but his eyes instantly look around for me. Once our gazes lock, he genuinely smiles.
“I take it I have you to thank for this?”
I shrug. “I may have had something to do with it.” Kissing him softly, my fingers intertwine with his. “Happy Birthday.”
It’s obvious celebrating the day he was born isn’t something he’s used to. The few hours I spent with Zayn, he told me about how Knox never liked his birthday. That he always said it did nothing but leave him disappointed, so he pretended like the day wasn’t a thing. However, I couldn’t let that happen.
“Happy Birthday, shit brick,” Stone tells him, shaking a small baggie of white powder in his face.
Knox grabs it from him with a grin stretched across his face. “You always know how to make me happy.”
I look to Tessa, wondering if him doing coke is a normal thing, but she doesn’t seem surprised. Still, the thought of anything harder than pot puts an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. From what I’ve heard of the stuff, coke is dangerous and can cause any multitude of issues.
“Tess, come help me with something.” Thankfully, no one bats an eye as the two of us walk away and into the bathroom. Once we’re behind closed doors, I turn to her. “Since when does Knox do coke?”
“Uh, for as long as I’ve known him.” She shrugs. “It’s not a constant thing. I think he just does it every once in a while.”
“Isn’t that stuff like highly addictive?”
“Anything can become addictive if you do it enough.”
“Tess,” I deadpan.
She sighs and runs her fingers through her hair. “Look, if it makes you feel any better, I haven’t seen him do it in weeks.”
“It doesn’t.”
Hearing a commotion, Tessa and I bolt out of the room. Knox is pacing around the house while his friends watch with concerned looks on their faces.
“Where the fuck did she go?” he mutters, fear lacing his tone.
“Knox?” At the sound of my voice, his head whips toward me. He exhales in relief and comes closer, grabbing my face and kissing me like it’s the first time in months. “What’s going on?”
Everyone goes back to enjoying the party while he wraps his arms around me tightly. “I didn’t know where you went.”
“I was in the bathroom with Tessa.”
The guys and my sister all watch us carefully. I don’t know if they’re so confused because they’ve never seen Knox like this with a girl, or because, like me, they don’t understand why he freaked out.
“Just—don’t leave my side, okay?”
I nod. “Okay. Okay, I won’t.”
The same way it did the other day, my gut tells me to ask more questions. However, it’s his birthday, and the last thing I want to do is ruin it with heavy talk. Getting down to the bottom of it can wait until tomorrow.
