As much as I wanted to be a part of it, I wasn’t. As soon as my brother and his friends had disappeared, I’d faded into the background—like the wallflower I’d been in high school, after the popular kids realized I wasn’t going to score them tickets to all my brother’s shows or bring them along to visit him.
Once they realized knowing me got them no closer to the stars, they’d ditch me. I’d go back to being the wallflower.
I pulled on the sweater, trying to cover up more of myself. Feeling small.
Dare’s gaze dropped, following as my hands tugged on the hemline of his sweater. It covered far more than my dress had, but my knees were still exposed. He swallowed hard, forcing his eyes away. The weight of that glance had my blood heating in my veins, and I drew in a controlled breath.
That glance hadn’t made me feel small at all.
I was long used to my body’s reaction while in Dare’s proximity and had learned how to control my outward reaction. I no longer tripped over my words or fawned over him the way I had when I was seventeen, but I still found us on uneven ground. A result of the tremulous energy building between us.
“Your boyfriend is an idiot,” he said, breaking the silence with his deep voice, making my skin explode into goosebumps.
I rested my arms on the railing and sighed. “Ex-boyfriend. He doesn’t know it yet because he was too busy fucking someone else to talk, but it’s over. I told security not to let him upstairs anymore.”
Dare chuckled and nodded with approval. “You don’t seem too sad about it.”
I chanced a look at him, finding his eyes still on me. “I wasn’t in love with the guy, if that’s what you’re asking. I’ve only been dating him for a few months, it takes me a little longer than that for me to grow attached.”
I suppose, in a roundabout way, that wasn’t true. It didn’t take me long to form attachments at all—which is why I was usually selective about it. I’dthoughtI liked Jason well enough, but maybe I just liked the idea of having a steady somebody. I’d been more pissed off at the audacity and less so at the fact I’d been cheated on.
It was more about trust. It took me forever totrustsomeone, and once that trust was shattered…it was impossible to rebuild, and generally not worth the effort. Jason? He wasn’t worth the effort—not in the slightest.
At least I hadn’t brought him home to meet my parents. My father had no inclination that I’d been seeing anybody at all, let alone I’d brought a boy along with me on my visit. He wouldn’t have liked that at all.
Dad barely toleratedmytrips to see Calum, if he’d known Calum had allowed me to bring my boyfriend—and share a room with him—he’d flip shit. It might actually be the thing to get him to talk to Cal again, which would have made it worth it.
Maybe.
“I can have him removed from the premises right now, if you’d like,” Dare offered. It sounded like this was something he wanted to do.
“Tempting,” I sighed, mulling it over. “But no, I’d rather not cause a scene.” The drama that would result would surely follow the guys around like a bad stench, and they didn’t need that when they were close to leaving for their next tour.
As in—days away.
“Guess I can respect that.” Dare nodded stiffly. I could tell he didn’t exactly agree with me.
Silence settled between us, and I couldn’t help but run through the whole infuriating situation again, stewing about it. I meant what I said: I didn’t want to cause a scene, but I was more pissed off than I’d ever been.
“I can’t believe he did this at mybirthday party. I shouldn’t have brought the asshole. Now I’m going to have to sit beside him on a plane tomorrow.”
“You know you don’t have to fly with him. We’ll get you on a later flight.”
“I have classes Monday.” I shrugged, aware of his eyes on me. I wondered if he wanted me to stay longer.
“A late flight on Sunday, then,” he countered, those eyes urging me to say yes.Didhe want me to stay longer?
“It’s fine, Dare. I can’t avoid him forever. I have a class with him, and I’ll see him on campus a lot. Besides, he didn’t break my heart…he didn’t even crack it. I’m just mad he used me—and mad I let myself get used by him.”
His eyes softened. “You didn’t let yourself get used by him. It’s not like you knew he was going to pull that shit.”
“Maybe I should have,” I found myself saying in little more than a whisper. Was I always going to be that naïve, believing everything everybody said to me? Or trying to appease people, just because I couldn’t handle their disappointment or their upset? “Seems like every time I bring someone, they end up screwing one of my brother’s friends—or trying to.”
“That’s only happened twice that I know of,” Dare teased. I sent him a look, and the humour faded from his face, replaced by a serious intent that made my breath halt. “In all seriousness, guy was a total dick. Cal didn’t like him—neither did I.”
“I know.” I smirked, satisfied at that. No matter how hard Jason had tried, Calum hadn’t been very amused or charmed by him, and Dare had seemed outright peeved by his existence. They probably had his card before I did, which only aggravated me more.
Even if I hadn’t been certain about Jason before, I hadn’t expected this weekend to reveal so much about his character. I felt blindsided by his betrayal, like I’d had the rug pulled from under me and had lost my footing. I hadn’t fallen, but I’d lost my balance…and now I was looking for something to anchor me.
