AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Lucy’s words filter through the chaos in my brain, and I glance down with a blink. “What?”
She flinches, taking her hands away. “I asked if you needed some air. You look pale.”
“I’m…”
Wrecked. Ruined. A liar and a hopeless excuse for a friend.
Shaking my head, I force my brain back into gear. “I’m fine. There you go, Luce. There’s lesson three.”
Her lips press together. Green eyes watch me closely, her pupils still blown from our kiss. “A lesson? Is that still what this is, Darius? Practice?”
Leo’s gaze bores into me from afar, making my neck itch. He looks so pissed off at me. So disappointed.
And he’s right. Heshouldbe. Because didn’t I say I’d keep my distance? Didn’t I promise to stay away from this girl? And here I am twirling her around a dance floor, flirting and stealing kisses, hiding behind the excuse of ‘practice’ while Lucy deserves a man who can be what she needs.
Whole. Functional. A man who knows what a healthy relationship looks like; a man who can do this thing right.
“Darius,” Lucy presses, and she sounds so strained. Damn. I aim a smile at her, but it feels wrong on my face.
“Of course this is still practice,” I say. “But it’s fun practice, right?”
“Fun,” Lucy repeats. Her shoulders slump. “I see.”
And I’m mentally patting myself on the back, congratulating myself for dodging the awkward questions and smoothing this over, when Lucy turns on her heel and marches away without another word. The crowd parts for her and swallows her whole, her red velvet dress blocked by dark suits and flowing skirts, and I’m left gaping after her on the dance floor.
My heart gives a sickly lurch.
“Lucy!” I call.
Heads turn, but none of them have her auburn waves.
“Luce!”
The band finishes one song, and in the lull before they start another, I hear the whispers all around me. The gossipy murmurs, swarming like bees, until my face is hot and my stomach is tight and I hate every single person on this rooftop except one.
Why can’t they leave me the hell alone? Why can’t they all mind their own business? It’s the rumors they spread, the gossip about me, which makes Lucy think I’m sleeping with half the interns. No one here really knows me except Leo—and he thinks the worst of me. Thinks I’m doomed to screw this up, becausehecan’t let himself love. Can’t admit to wanting more.
Cursing under my breath, I shoulder my way through the dancing couples. Fuck that. Fuck this.
I need my sweet accountant.
Six
Lucy
It’s louder down on the street, cars rumbling past the sidewalk as drivers lean on their horns. It rained for an hour or so earlier, and the ground is black and shiny, reflecting their headlights. Tires swish through shallow puddles.
Huddled in the doorway out of the way of the pedestrians, I fumble with my phone, trying to keep it together long enough to order a ride home.
It’s ridiculous that Darius’s words should make me lose control like this—that every time I replay them, it feels like being stabbed.
Practice. That’s all he ever promised me from tonight.
And practice is what he gave me.
So why do I feel sick with betrayal? Why do I want to headbutt his stupid, handsome face? Why is my chest a smoking crater underneath my dress?
Finally, I find the app I need. Browsing for nearby drivers, I clench my jaw against the threat of tears.
