AllFreeNovel
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“Sorry,” I giggle halfheartedly. “I’ve just heard enough of the clichés. You deserve better than him. You don’t need him. He’s no good for you. I’m just tired of hearing it.”
“Is there anything you aren’t tired of hearing?”
Thinking for a second, I get an idea. “You’re friends with him, aren’t you?”
He tilts his head from side to side. “Friends might be a bit of a stretch, but we’re all right. Why?”
“I just can’t seem to figure out why he did it. How he went from tattooing our initials on each other to breaking up with me a few days later. No matter what I do, it doesn’t make sense.”
His eyes widen. “I’m sorry, you did what now?” I turn and point to behind my ear, where the K is permanently inked into my skin. “Wow. That’s…wow.”
“He has a D on the inside of his ring finger.”
“Laney, that’s intense.”
I sigh. “I know. Don’t tell Savannah. She’ll start looking up removal places, and I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”
“Fair enough.” He gets up and holds out his hand. “But can you please come inside? I’ll try to figure out what I can about Knox if you do.”
It’s too tempting of an offer to pass up on, being as Tessa is a vault and won’t tell me a thing. She said that it’s not healthy for me to want to know, and all she’s heard is that Knox won’t let them even say my name. Therefore, I’ll take what I can get.
THE WEEK PASSES AS slow as the last one, and by the time Friday comes, I’m no less of a train wreck than I have been. All of Grayson’s efforts have come up with exactly what Knox said originally—that we’re just not compatible. It’s a cop-out, if you ask me. Total bullshit.
As I walk down the stairs, the sound of Tessa talking to someone catches my attention. I stay where I am and listen in, hearing her talk to Easton, I’m guessing, about a party they’re going to tonight. It only takes a second before I’m running back up the stairs and jumping in the shower.
Within a half hour, I’m dressed and ready to go. I race down the steps just as Tess is about to walk out the door. Her eyes widen when she sees me, until she puts the pieces together.
“No, absolutely not.”
“Either I’m coming with you, or I’m showing up on my own. Regardless, I’m going.”
She groans. “Delaney, it’s not a good idea.”
“None of this has ever been a good idea. You’ve said that from the get-go.”
“Yeah but,” she pauses. “He’s…different. None of us know what’s gotten into him lately.”
I’m not sure exactly what she’s insinuating, but I know it’s meant to deter me from going. Whatever it is, I’ll handle it. He doesn’t get to control my life. Not anymore.
“Let’s go,” I tell her, slipping past her and out the door.
She exhales and mumbles something about making a big mistake, but follows behind anyway.
THE MUSIC BOOMING THROUGH the house sends a buzz through my body. In a way, it helps me let go. All the times I’ve been at these things, my eyes have always been on Knox, but not tonight. Now that I look around, I notice all the other guys here and how some of their eyes stay trained on me. What’s that saying? The best way to get over someone is to get under someone else?
Tessa watches as I smile at someone who winks at me, and her eyes roll. She grabs my wrist and pulls me with her into the kitchen and over to where Easton is.
“I need a fucking shot,” she demands, slamming it back as soon as she gets her hand on one. “Thank you.”
“Laney,” Zayn says, clearly surprised to see me. “How’ve you been?”
“Good,” I lie. “What about you?”
He shrugs. “Same shit, different day.”
Subtly, he takes out his phone and starts sending a text to whom I can only assume is Knox. Perfect. I want him to know I’m here. I want him to watch as I move on—find someone else who’s “no good for me.” If he feels only a fraction of the pain I’ve felt the past couple weeks, I’ll consider tonight a success.
I walk around the counter and grab a beer from the fridge, but the second I pull it out, the door is roughly pushed closed and the bottle is ripped from my hand. Knox slams the beer onto the counter and turns to me with a fiery look in his eyes.
