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“Deal. I have to work too, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”
I took the bus home, took a two-hour nap before showering, and got ready to go out with Sadie. Gracie spent the night with a friend from school so they could study for a test they had the following day, which meant I didn’t feel guilty for leaving her home. It was easy to go out and have an excellent time knowing she wasn’t alone and stranded at home.
Sadie showed up at six, and I locked up before going down the stairs and getting into her car. We drove for a bit until nothing looked familiar to me. The buildings disappeared, leaving tiny country homes, until nothing but towering trees and dirt roads surrounded us.
“Where are we going, and why do I feel like you’re taking me out to the middle of nowhere to murder me?”
Sadie laughed. “Out to the country. My girl lives on a farm, so it’s like a barn party.”
“That’s different.”
Lovely. A night filled with stinky farm animals and drunks. We hadn’t even arrived at our destination yet, and I already wished I would have stayed home.
“Yeah, but it’s fun because we can be as rowdy as we want without the neighbors bitching.”
We made a final turn and drove down a mile-long driveway before the road opened to a large plot of land with an old white house in the center. Around the house, there were barns and fencing. Cars were everywhere, and the music was so loud I was sure it shook the leaves on the trees surrounding the house.
“Wow,” I said, stepping into the night and closing the car door behind me.
She wasn’t kidding when she said we were going to a barn party.
“I know, right?”
Thankfully, we didn’t actually go to the barn. I followed Sadie up the wooden steps to the house. Once we were inside, it was packed from wall to wall. People lounged on the furniture, laughing. There was an open side door where more people spilled in and out.
I followed Sadie, getting shoulder-checked a few times by strangers until we reached a large kitchen. A large island in the center housed a variety of drinks, and I stood to the side and watched as she mixed something for us.
“Here you go. Enjoy!” she chirped.
I sipped the fruity liquid from the red Solo cup, surprised that it didn’t taste like shit.
“This is good.”
“Yeah, I thought you would like that.” She turned and talked to a girl beside her, but I couldn’t hear what they said over the loud music. “Hey, I’ll be right back. Stay here. I won’t be long. Promise.”
I wanted to stop her since I hated being in a large group of strangers, but I didn’t. She said she wouldn’t be gone long, which meant I would be fine until she returned. As I looked around, a few faces were familiar from The Strip, which made me feel better.
Scanning the party, I tried to keep my anxiety levels as low as possible, but the second my eyes caught on to a familiar face, my heart began to drill inside my chest.
Koah Saint stared back at me.
He stood above the rest of the crowd, his tall frame consuming the space as he moved through the room. He wore a white T-shirt and dark jeans; a chain hung from the pocket, shaking with each step he took. The crowd split for him until he stood before me. The smell of his spicy cologne tickled my nose, and I breathed him in without realizing I was doing it.
“I can’t seem to get away from you,” I said before tilting my cup and taking a long drink.
His eyes never left my face the entire time.
“You’re the one who can’t stay away from me.”
Lies.
I wasn’t purposely going to places he would be. I had stayed away from The Strip, and I had no idea he would be in the middle of nowhere on a farm at some dude’s birthday party.
“Don’t flatter yourself. I’m not here for you,” I snapped.
He moved closer, his chest brushing against mine before he leaned down so he could speak directly into my ear. I stiffened. Why did he keep getting so close to me? Didn’t he understand the concept of personal space?
“Then why are you here? Why do I keep seeing you every-fucking-where I go?”
