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“Are you okay?” Finally, Aster raised her gaze high enough past her drink to look at me.
“I’m fine. Why?”
“You’re laughing like I told a joke, but all I’ve done is stand next to you and allow you to have your hand around my waist.”
Standing a little straighter, I was almost tempted to move my hand, but I didn’t want to give the game away. “Sorry. I was just laughing at my own joke,” I said, and when I looked over at Aster, I wished I hadn’t. She was pouting out those perfect lips of hers in a way that made me think about what it would feel like to kiss them again. Completely inappropriate, but I couldn’t help myself. All I wanted to do was whisk her out of this place and tell her how much better she was than everyone else here, because I hated how phony and superficial this whole thing was.
“Are you sure you weren’t laughing at me?” She turned on her heel and crossed her arms as she started to tap her toe in aggravation. She was staring at me like an angry teacher, and I stopped my lips from quirking into a smile because I didn’t think she’d take that well. She was so feisty. All. The. Damn. Time. It was like she was just expecting people to personally offend her with every single sentence that came out of their mouth.
Damn. I liked it too much for it not to be toxic.
However, if she really wanted people to believe that we were dating, then she needed to stop looking at me with that curled, snarling lip.
I raised my hands and took a small step back as a peace offering. “Believe me. I would never laugh at you, Aster.” With her arms still crossed, she nodded in recognition, her lips still pursed as though she only semi-believed me.
“Then what did you want to know?” With her toe still tapping, and her bored expression, I wondered if there was any way she could make that question any less inviting. The girl was like a closed book in Latin.
“Why Alpha Delta Theta?” She blinked a few times, like she had no idea what I meant, So I elaborated. “Why did you want to join this sorority?” I glanced around the room, noting that Rachel and Connor were talking to each other in the corner, whispering quietly with strained faces as they’d glanced around the room. It didn’t look like a pleasant conversation, but I wasn’t bothered. Those two could push crap up a mountain, for all I cared.
My question made her stand a little straighter, and it kind of looked like I shoved a rod up her ass because, clearly, she was offended by the question. Everything offended this girl.
I glanced around, raising my hand slightly as I gestured toward the stuffiest people I’d ever met on campus. “It’s just I don’t get the vibes that you’re friends with any of these people.” I was treading carefully, knowing I was one word away from a slap across the face. “It also doesn’t feel like youwantto be friends with any of them. Yet, here you are, dressed to kill and attending their events just to get them to agree to take you on as an informal recruit.”
She huffed out an annoyed breath, looking back down at her feet. “You already own this school, so I don’t get why you’re trying so hard.”
Snorting, she inadvertently leaned in, knocking me with her shoulder. “I don’t own the school.”
“You own the parts that matter.”
“What parts that?”
“You’re the smartest one in the room. You could take any one of these girls down with the flash of that perfect smile of yours, and I can guarantee that every guy in here is just wishing you’d pay attention to them.”
Her gaze dropped, and her fingers clutched the glass just a little tighter. I said something she didn’t like, but what was new?
“Either way. It’s not your concern why I want to be here.” Her demeanor suddenly changed. The prickly girl from the first time I met her was back, and again, it was my fault. I purposely poked the bear, but this time, I knew her. She was hiding something, and I knew it had to do with her mom. I could see it when she mentioned her earlier. “Whatisyour concern is making this whole thing between us believable.”
“And you’re blaming me for that?” I laughed, looking at the distance she’d created between us.
“Yeah, I am. There’s a group of girls over there.” She tilted her head to the right. “They haven’t stopped looking at you since you walked in, and I think it’s because they’re deciding who’s going to ask you to dance first.”
I raised my hand in defense. “It’s not my fault you’re flinching every time I touch you, Little Miss Standoffish.” I didn’t want to mention that she seemed absolutely fine to let me touch her in the library, but now she was jumping at my every move.
“You know, I was supposed to come to this alone. You were the one that made the deal to come here and apparently add value. Well, add some value.” Her hands were flailing. It was the most haphazard I’d ever seen her.
I wanted to add some value, alright. “Fine,” I gritted out before dropping my mouth to her ear without warning. She took a sharp breath when I said, “Care to dance, Aster?” She didn’t answer, so I held out my hand, and she looked down at it with disdain. I twiddled my fingers, earning an annoyed groan. I couldn’t help myself because I loved it. She could walk on me in her heels, and I’d still find it hot. “Careful, A. We’re being watched by those girls over there. They might not believe we’re together if you keep looking at me like you’d rather roast my balls than taste them.”
She glared, but I could see the tiniest quirk of her lips. She was either holding back her laugh, or an insult. Either way, she slipped her dainty hand in mine and wrapped her fingers around my palm. Her hand fit perfectly, but that wasn’t news to me. Lots of things about Aster seemed to fit perfectly, because apparently simping over my teacher was my new favorite hobby.
I led her to the dance floor, feeling all eyes on us. It wasn’t surprising, though. It was the first time we’d moved from the table since we got here. Stopping, I drew her around into a hold and placed my hand on the small of her back. She followed suit, letting one hand rest on my shoulder while the other one was firmly held in mine. Gently, I brought her body a little closer and smiled when I saw the faces around us. “Rachel’s watching us,” I say through my smile, looking at her like she’s the best thing that ever happened to me. Although, if she got my grades up, then she probably was.
An amused grin sprawled across her face, and it was the first time I realized she had dimples. “Don’t look. That will make it too obvious.”
Her fingers squeezed a little tighter against my shoulder. “Are you sure she’s looking? She and Connor were in a conversation earlier.”
So she was still keeping tabs on Connor? That was interesting, considering he seemed to be a Grade-A asshole.
“I’m certain. She’s got a smile on her face, but her eyes are dead. She’s pissed off.” I decided to add to the annoyance by dropping my hand just an inch. Not enough to make Aster uncomfortable, but enough for Rachel to see just how close I was to grabbing Aster’s ass.
