Looking back over my shoulder, I lock eyes once more with Shane. Does he care that Declan and I are talking? And walking out together? In high school, he would’ve seen it as a mark of disloyalty. None of his friends were allowed to socialize with me.
Shane’s expression now is dark, but that’s typical when he looks at me. I want to feel nothing, but the raw intensity of his gaze affects me. As he looks me over slowly, a rush of heat pours through me, making my nipples pucker. Thank God for my thick sweater, but what the hell is up with my physical reaction to him?
I lick my lips, studying his face across the room’s expanse. The distance is meaningless. With his eyes on me, I’m flushed and completely aware of him, remembering the way his hard six-pack was revealed beneath a t-shirt when he stretched to get something on a high kitchen shelf. During the year we lived under the same roof, I had plenty of time to memorize all the things that make women fall at his feet.
I turn away as the DJ returns from his break. Music blares from the sound system, and people dance wildly. Suddenly dodging flailing limbs becomes part of our trek toward the door. We hustle through the horde.
Getting outside is a relief, and the path to my residential hall is quiet and familiar. With Declan accompanying me, I don’t examine every shadow. But I hate that I need a guy around to feel safe. When I first arrived on campus, I walked alone all the time and never worried.
“If you wanted to finish the semester from home, I’m sure Ethan’s pull could arrange it. I know a couple of girls who are finishing online.”
Is my safety the reason Declan suggests this? Or does he just want me gone?
“I can’t do that. It would mean forfeiting my chance at a summer internship I plan to apply for.”
“An internship the summer after freshman year? Why?”
Do I want to confess my academic hopes and dreams the first time I’m talking to him in two years? No, I definitely don’t. “Someone I admire works for the company. It would be really great to get a chance to learn from them.”
For a moment I think he might ask who, and I tense. It feels dangerous to say too much. Declan’s ties to power are endless. If he or Shane bad-mouthed me, it might sabotage my chances.
I’m the only female and the only freshman in an upper-level business course. I really need to shine, and I don’t want anything to come up that would make my professor have concerns about my character or professionalism.
We walk on in silence for a moment. I feel the pressure to fill it. “When you and Shane were in high school you were the dynamic duo on the football field. How come he’s not playing here?”
“He’s busy with other things.”
Excessively vague. “Like what?”
Declan frowns, as if he regrets having said anything. “If you want to know something about Shane, ask him.”
We both know Shane wouldn’t tell me anything. By now, that should be fine with me. But somehow it still isn’t. Shane is like a wooden splinter buried deep in my heel. I tell myself to forget it, but with every step it’s there, creating an uncomfortable sensation.
“Someone said Erik Sorensen is Shane’s cousin. I’ve never met him. Is he from Shane’s mom’s side of the family?”
Declan stares straight ahead, his expression shuttered.
“Sorensen doesn’t sound like an Irish name,” I add.
“It’s Danish.”
“Is he from Denmark?”
“No.”
Small talk has never been so small. Thankfully, we’ve reached my building.
“This is me. Good night.”
I don’t wait for a response. Instead, I trot up the steps and let myself in.
When the main door closes behind me, I exhale in relief. Tonight was the first time I’ve come face to face with Shane and Declan, and it went better than expected. As Declan said, this is a good time to make a fresh start. The trouble from two years ago is ancient history.
There’s a faint smell of rum punch near my room door as I unlock it. A lot of drinks sloshed on the floor during the party.
Inside, I turn the light on and check the closet to be sure it’s empty. It’s become a ritual. Two of the women who were taken were outside at the time, but it’s less clear how Casanova got the third. The rose and her phone were found in her dorm room.
As an extra precaution, I check under my bed, which is of course empty.
