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He nodded before walking off toward the vending machines against the student union building.
I glanced over to Cole. “So, how long have you known Damien?”
“A long time. He’s like a big brother to me.” Cole slid a bit closer to talk. “He’s a good guy. Took me under his wing when my parents passed away.”
He must’ve been younger for Damien to have taken on a role like that, and I wondered just how much younger he was. I’d figured Damien was likely in his early twenties. Perhaps Cole was still in his late teens? He couldn’t be much younger if he was in college.
“I’m so sorry you went through that.”
He shrugged. “It wasn’t easy, but he was there for me when I needed him most.”
I sat there a moment, fidgeting with my fingers, then lifted my eyes to him. “I wanted to thank you again, for yesterday.”
He waved it off. “Anytime. I know Barrett can be a bit much for someone who doesn’t know him.”
“talkin’ about me, princess?” Barrett threw his arm over Cole’s shoulder as he leaned in. “I knew you still loved me, Cole.”
I stifled a laugh as Barrett made kissy faces at Cole over his shoulder. Cole growled and elbowed him off, the interaction turning into a tussle.
Damien returned, offering me a water bottle. “Here you go, Cas.”
“Thank you. Cole was telling me how you guys met.”
Damien glanced at him.
“I was just tellin’ her how you helped me out when my parents died,” Cole explained.
Damien eased into the grass beside me. “Someone had to toughen you up, show you how to stand up for yourself.”
“Yeah, we watch out for baby Cole,” Vincent said, and the group laughed as Cole dropped his head in defeat. I couldn’t help but join in on their laughter.
They talked amongst themselves, the jokes and laughter dragging on as they teased and poked fun of each other. I sat quietly, observing and laughing along with them.
Watching them, how they treated each other, it felt like a family.
Their laughter and conversations faded suddenly, as if they were aware someone was listening in. A guy I’d never met or seen before walked past us on the sidewalk, and I couldn’t shake the uneasiness that overcame me when I saw him. The others didn’t acknowledge him, but I could tell they were very much aware of his passing by the sudden change in atmosphere.
Damien, however, made it very clear that he was aware of his presence. The guy’s cold, pewter eyes lowered on Damien as he passed. The air was so thick with hostility you could’ve cut it with a knife. I glanced briefly at Damien from the corner of my eye before looking back to the stranger. Those cold eyes found me, and for a moment, it seemed as if he was confused to see me. But there was something in those eyes, something that left me entirely too uneasy. I wanted to look elsewhere, wanted to avoid his gaze, but I couldn’t pull myself away.
Before he looked away, a grin slid across his face and he worked his jaw, as if he’d received some sort of pleasurable news. Something crawled over my skin, and I finally averted my eyes. There was something about him; I didn’t know what it was, but it was enough to make my stomach flip.
The tension in the air broke when the alarm on my phone went off, alerting me of my upcoming class. “Ugh, I’m not ready to go back to class,” I groaned, starting to gather my things.
Damien’s face turned to me, any trace of hostility gone. “We’ll catch up after you get out.”
“Ok. I’ll see you then,” I said, and the others waved as I grabbed my bag, picked up my books, and headed down the pathway around the corner. Thankfully, it was in a different direction from where the creep had disappeared to.
The walkway toward my class was clear of other students or faculty. Backing up to the woods in the back of campus, my class was in one of the more secluded buildings. I’d lingered a bit longer than I should have; my classmates were likely all in class already. Clutching my books to my chest I rounded the corner, thoughts wandering to what could have happened between Damien and that guy with the pale blond hair. I wondered if that was the person Kat had mentioned before, who they had gotten into a fight with on campus.
I crashed into something solid. My books scattered on the ground as I fell back onto the sidewalk, my backpack slipping off my shoulder. I sucked air in through my teeth, and I groaned as my hands stung against the concrete.
“I’m so sorry–”
“Shit. I would’ve never believed it.” My spine stiffened at the sound of his voice, his tone neither warm nor apologetic. “Damien’s found himself alovelylittle songbird.”
My gaze drifted upward to find the last person I wanted to run into. It was the guy who’d crossed paths with Damien’s group. The same one who’d exchanged heated looks with Damien just moments before.
He’d seen me with them.
