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Carter’s eyes drop to my lips and my heart beats harder. He closes the distance between us and I almost sigh in relief when my body presses flush against his. I bite down on my lip, and his eyes follow my every move.
The front door slams closed and we both jump apart as Kate’s giggles fill the house. Asher and Kate walk in and freeze when they see us standing in the kitchen.
“Hey, what’re you doing here?” Kate asks. I’m suddenly flustered, even though I know I have a perfectly good reason to be here.
Carter straightens and looks at Kate sternly. “What are you doing here?” he asks. “Why are you coming in with Asher?”
Kate freezes. The way she and Asher look at each other is far too obvious for Carter to miss, yet he doesn’t say anything.
“Oh, I was coming to see you,” Kate tells him, blatantly lying. “I ran into Asher at the front door,” she says. I look away and cringe. Kate isn’t a good liar, and Carter is remarkably observant, so I don’t understand why they both keep dancing around the obvious. Is he waiting for her to tell him herself? Or maybe he’s waiting for Asher to tell him… Either way, it’s obvious that he knows about them. Kate seems nervous as she walks into the kitchen.
“You cooked?” she asks, her brows furrowed. I nod and smile tightly. I know I haven’t done anything wrong, but I feel like I’ve wronged her somehow.
“Yeah. It’s your mom’s recipe for stuffed mushrooms and chicken,” I say awkwardly, an immense feeling of guilt sweeping over me. Nothing is happening between Carter and me at all, but I’m on edge around Kate. She grabs my hands and pulls me toward the living room.
“So how come you’re here?” she asks, her tone clipped.
I inhale deeply and try to smile at her. “I was falling behind on both stats and calculus, so Carter offered to tutor me in return for me cooking for him every once in a while,” I explain. I tip my head toward the books on the table and Kate nods, her shoulders relaxing. I guess she still isn’t comfortable with the idea of Carter and me. Part of me kind of hoped that would’ve changed by now, especially considering her relationship with Asher. I’ve never really considered Kate to be hypocritical, but I’m starting to. I’m starting to blame her for losing out on what I could’ve had, even though I made that choice all by myself.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she says, sounding worried.
I shake my head and shrug. Kate and I don’t share any classes. She chose to do the easiest ones first, while I just wanted to get the most difficult ones out of the way. “You’ve been kind of busy. I haven’t actually spoken to you much at all since we got here. Our class schedules mostly clash and when we’re both free, you tend to hang out with Asher or those girls from your art class. I totally get it, but you know… I just haven’t really had a chance to speak to you.”
Kate sighs and wraps her arm around me. She drops her head to mine and I’m instantly placated.
“How about we go to a party tomorrow?” she says. “There’s one I’m dying to go to, and you haven’t done much other than studying. We should both live it up just a little. Besides, we’ll have a chance to catch up.”
I nod and smile, relieved. I’ve missed her. Ever since we started college, we’ve barely spent any time together. We don’t share any classes, and she’s mostly been concerned with enjoying the college experience. I don’t blame her for it, but I have felt pretty lonely. She’s been staying out late recently, so I’m usually asleep by the time she gets in, and in the mornings we’re both in too much of a rush. I’m looking forward to spending some time with her and finally catching up.
Chapter 6
Emilia
“God, this reminds me of Carter’s graduation party. Do you remember that?” I ask Kate. She blushes and looks at me with wide eyes. I chuckle. “Of course you remember. You abandoned me and spent all night locked up in your room with Asher. I was so sure Carter was going to catch on.”
Kate sticks her hand into my bra, just like she did that night, and helps me create more cleavage. Though these days I don’t really need it. I didn’t think my body would change much more, but it has. I’m far more curvy than I was two years ago, and I’m certainly not complaining.
“Perfect,” Kate says. She forced me into a skintight bodycon dress that puts the phrase little black dress to shame. My shoulder-length blonde hair is straightened perfectly, and Kate has worked her magic with my makeup. I look far more seductive than usual. I wish I had her mad makeup skills.
She’s outdone herself with her own hair and makeup too. She’s wearing a dress not too different from mine, and her long brown hair is perfectly straight too. She’s given me a cat eye look, but she’s totally rocking her smokey-eye. It really emphasizes her hazel eyes. I don’t think I could’ve pulled it off.
She runs her hands down my shoulders excitedly and smiles. “I’m so excited about tonight’s party. It’ll be different from the handful of mixers we attended in the first week. This’ll be the first real party we’re attending together.”
Her excitement rubs off on me and I giggle as I take another sip of my vodka soda. Kate and I started pre-drinking a couple of hours ago as we got ready, and I’m pleasantly buzzing now.
“Hey,” Kate murmurs. “Did you really think I abandoned you at Carter’s party? I know back then I was pretty absorbed in Asher, and I know I am now too. I didn’t really think I neglected you, but maybe I did. Have I?”
I purse my lips, unsure what to say. I don’t want her to feel obligated to spend time with me. I don’t want to be needy. “I guess maybe a little?” I end up saying. “I kind of thought that we’d really enjoy college together. We’ve both worked so hard to get here, and it’s all just been a bit… disappointing. My classes are insanely hard and I’m already falling behind, and you’re always with Asher or your new friends. It just feels like so much has changed. I thought college would be a lot more fun than it actually is.”
Kate looks down in guilt and nods. “I’m sorry, Milly. This was meant to be our time, and I’m just totally neglecting you.”
I feel bad because she feels bad. It wasn’t my intention to make her feel that way at all. I wrap my arm around Kate’s shoulder and shake my head. “Well, whatever. Let’s just have a good time tonight.”
Kate grabs her glass and clinks it to mine. “Yep,” she says, her eyes twinkling. We both finish our drinks and make our way to the house party Kate has gotten us an invite too. I’m nervous as we walk into the house while Kate smiles at everyone relaxedly.
She empties her glass, and I bite down on my lip. She already drank far more than I did while we were getting ready. The party has only just started and she’s already swaying in her heels. I know she feels more confident when she’s had a few drinks, but I can’t help but worry about her.
She offers me a shot and I take it reluctantly, my eyes flitting through the room. I freeze when I find Carter standing in the corner, his hand on Lisa’s waist. His head is bowed toward her and he seems to be listening to her raptly. The two of them seem close and I just can’t help but be filled with intense regret and jealousy. Might Carter and I have been like that if I had agreed to be his? Would he and I have lasted? Would we still be together or would life have torn us away from each other?
