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Pressing the button, I rush to Stanley’s side, and he puts his left hand on my lower back. Tonight, that simple gesture feels different. Unlike that night at his apartment, he’s confident, and there’s something on his touch that I can’t quite decipher, and I don’t want to find out either.
A couple of photos later, Ryder is shoving us down the hallway, claiming that we’re already late enough and that there won’t be any good beer left. I roll my eyes when we get to the parking lot, and I spot two cars that are not familiar here. Who the fuck drives an Audi and a BMW to a sorority party? These dumbasses.
“You guys are unbelievable,” I mutter, glaring at them.
Ryder smiles as he opens the driver’s door of the black Audi, putting his elbows on the edge of the door.
“Thanks, Bree.”
“It wasn’t a compliment,” I argue through clenched teeth.
“It was for me,” he retorts, winking.
I realize now that we haven’t spoken about how we will split to go to the party.
“You’re coming with me, little devil,” Stanley announces, taking out the key from his pocket.
I glance at my friends, expecting them to follow me, but the traitors walk to the other car. Ash has a malicious smile on her face.
“I think I like the Audi better,” she comments and looks at Ryder. “Is that okay?”
He smirks.
“You kidding? I get to enter a party surrounded by three beautiful ladies. I’m a lucky son of a bitch.”
“Then it’s settled. See you there,devil.”
Fighting a groan, I do my best to suppress my annoyance. Instead of telling her to go to hell, I pass a hand through my hair, covertly showing her my middle finger. Actually, to all of them because they’re all traitors.
They should’ve dressed as Judas.
Doing everything in my power to drown the irritation, I convince myself that there’s nothing wrong with going alone with Stanley. Nothing weird at all. We’re friends, so sharing a small space shouldn’t be a problem. Hell, now I sound like I’m trying to convince myself that we’re not like that.
But I’m not.
I shouldn’t think about us like that.
It’s just the girls’ pressure that has been getting under my skin. There’s nothing wrong with Stan and I being close or having a different friendship. Only we know what goes on between us.
We’rejustfriends, I repeat myself for the hundredth time. Even if there’s a ghost of a chance that there is something else sparking between our feisty banters.
“C’mon, bloodsucker. We have a party to go to.”
The party isn’t allthat different from the last one that I attended. The only huge difference is that everyone is wearing a costume and in a party mood. I don’t feel too uncomfortable and anxious like I was that night. I still hate the smell that invades the house and the unnecessary loud music, but I do my best to ignore it. I didn’t come here to whine. I’m here to drink cheap beer and regret this tomorrow.
Stanley’s hand is resting on my lower back as we zigzag through the crowd of people that arrive excessively early. His palm feels warm against my skirt, making me shiver slightly when his thumb barely caresses the bare skin above the fabric. I bite my tongue, trying to suppress the tingling sensation that’s sending goosebumps all over my body.
“Is there a reason why your hand is still on my back?” I ask, standing on the tip of my toes, so I don’t have to shout, and he can hear me.
Stan backs away, staring directly into my eyes.
“Does it bother you?”
His answer isn’t what I was expecting. Stanley’s filter has taken the night off for the second time, and I’m not sure that it will clock in soon. His gaze intensifies as he waits for me to reply. Even when people surround us, it’s like we’re the only ones in here. Everything slows down, his eyes piercing through me like he’s trying to take a look at my soul.
Or maybe I’m complicating this, and he’s always like this.
Does it bother me that he has his hands over me? No, it doesn’t. His touch is balmy, and my skin welcomes it, craving for more. However, I do feel scared. I’m afraid that we’re falling into a path that we’re not ready to explore yet, that we’ll end up hurting each other in the process.
