Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 120176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
I wanted more to drink, and the sooner the better.
“OH!” His eyes got big, and his shoulders went low. “I didn’t even think about that. Good to know. Just thought it was weird, that’s all.”
I fixed him with a look. “Look. You don’t have to do this.”
My stomach was swirling, and I wasn’t getting a good feeling here. Miles and I partied. Sometimes we shared a table at the library, but that’d been the extent of our friendship. I had rules with friends, no personal questions. There was a reason for it, and it was significant. I was usually able to handle that rule with friends because so far, I picked the party crowd. Deep meaningful conversations weren’t the norm. It was mostly drinking, flirting, all that jazz. Sometimes there was a catty comment from another girl, and I had a few run-ins. It happened with me, not because I sought them out but because a guy was hitting on me, and the girl got jealous. Guys liked my face. It was round, but my chin somewhat gave me a heart-shaped face. They also liked how my hazel eyes looked combined with my long cinnamon dark hair. Plus, the fact that I was tiny, petite, but I had a rack and some ass. I also had sex appeal, and the reason for that is because I enjoyed sex. God. With my life, it’d become my coping mechanism, but guys could sense that from me and that’s what they were only interested in from me. Beyond that, I wasn’t the girl that got the guy.
I knew the deal. The guys knew the deal. It was the other girls who didn’t.
I was fine with the deal, not that I partook. That’s just what the guys wanted from me, but it gave me space sometimes with people. But what Miles was bordering on was something that felt like what a friend would do for someone.
I didn’t want those types of friends. Or, to be more accurate, I couldn’t have those types of friends.
“What?”
“You. Me. This.” I gestured to the roommates, and the game. “I’ve got walls. I know this. You know this. They’re there for a reason. You don’t owe me anything. You don’t have to be protective because a guy is looking my way.”
He took a step back, his tone coming out cold. “Fine. I just know we watch out for each other at parties. Didn’t think it was different here, but cool. Good to know. I won’t watch out anymore.”
Crap.
He had me because he was right. We did do that.
“Miles,” I started.
“I’m out of here.” He pushed his hands in his pockets and shouldered through the crowd.
Another roommate came over. Wade Kressup, Miles’ cousin. His gaze slid to where Miles had just disappeared before he bent down to me. I was almost a whole foot below him. “Do I ask?”
The buzzer went off, signaling the end of the game, and I shook my head. “Nope.”
I sighed, needing to refocus my thoughts. I was off today.
I turned my phone back on long enough to send a text to Miles.
Hey. Some stuff happened earlier today, and it was serious. I don’t want to get into it, but it’s no excuse. I’m sorry for being a bitch. Thank you for being you.
Everyone was heading out, but I stayed for a beat. I needed to get grounded. Too many emotions I was trying to ignore and thoughts I was trying not to think were creeping in. Add to all that, I’d been a bitch to a friend and yeah… I wasn’t doing so well on being a decent human being here.
The whole day had gotten away from me.
My chest felt like it was being sucked out of me.
It took me a little bit before I realized Cruz was down on the ice. He was staring up at me and he half raised one of his gloves up. I gave him a small nod right back. Which, okay, I was down for what he was asking to do. Because that whole gesture was an invitation, but also crap, because that meant I’d have to turn my phone on.
“We’re heading out.” Wade was still there. The crowd was starting to disperse. I couldn’t see where the other roommates were.
“I’m going to find my own way back. Thanks for inviting me out tonight.”
He frowned a little but nodded. “Okay. Well. I’ll catch up with the rest. See you later.”
He headed off, and I went to the bathroom. When I was done, the crowd had lessened significantly. Still. I knew it would be a wait, but I couldn’t bring myself to turn my phone back on. Because of that, I went over to the door that the players used and slid down to the floor.
I got comfortable.
I didn’t have to wait long.