I raised a brow at him. “Paranoid?”
“Cautious.” He winked at me, then made himself the same. We clinked our red cups together. Here was to a long night of staying away from the only person I wanted to be around, to Maddie’s madness, and faking it.
Bria pushed her way through the small crowd and stopped before us. “Did you bring it?”
Ollie reached in his pocket, pulled out his phone, and flashed it in front of her. “Though, I’m keeping it in my possession … I’ll start some music.” Ollie stared at the screen while scrolling through the playlist. Bria whined, but the music quickly started, which changed her mood instantly.
Bria grabbed my hand and dragged me away, forcing me to dance. “No, Bria …” I moaned as she pulled me beside Alicia. I glanced back to see Ollie with a lopsided grin and his red cup in the air.
“You know, Mia, I think we got off on the wrong foot,” Bria said as she held my arm in the air. “Can we start over?”
Bria seductively twisted her hips as I stood there awkwardly. “Where is this coming from?”
Bria stopped and leaned over in my ear. “Alicia told me about Maddie. I think we’re better off in numbers.”
“You have a point there.” I took a sip of my drink when the song suddenly changed. It was The Fugees’ “Killing me Softly with His Song.”
“Yes!” Bria cheered, and I cocked my head in Ollie’s direction, who shrugged his shoulders with a smile, showing all his perfectly white teeth.“Have fun,”he mouthed to me.
An unstoppable smile spread across my lips as I remembered the time in his dorm room. When the beat dropped, so did my guard. Sandwiched between Bria and Alicia, we all danced—rolling our hips, feeling the flow, and allowing myself to enjoy this night.
“Sing, Mia!” Alicia requested out loud over the music. And I did. Turning to face Ollie, I belted the lyrics as my body’s rhythm continued. Ollie dipped his head back and squinted before a bigger smile played on his face. Jake joined in, singing and dancing with us until the song ended.
“Okay, I get it. I see why you dance,” I panted to Bria as the song changed.
Bria nodded. “Now, come on. Let’s get you a refill.”
Bria, nice? Have I crossed over into an alternate universe?Maybe I’d never noticed it before because of the way I was, or perhaps it was because there was another girl who’d shown up in the mix. Either way, I couldn’t complain.
Following her back to Jake’s dresser, she pointed at the bottles. “What’s your poison tonight?”
“Vodka, straight.” I leaned into the dresser. This was my chance to make things right between us. “Bria, I’m sorry for whatever I may have caused before. It’s not who I am anymore, and I have nothing against you.”
Bria kept her eyes on pouring, making sure not to spill as she swayed. “As I said before, we got off on the wrong foot. We’re good.” The little bit of Bria-weight lifted from my chest. One bad taste bud in my mouth was gone, a million more to go. Bria handed me my cup. “Now, how am I supposed to get Maddie away from Isaac?”
Shaking my head, I let out a laugh. Same old Bria. “I think Isaac is smart enough to know not to get involved with her.” Looking back at Bria, I caught a pain in her eyes as she watched the two of them together in the corner. Maddie danced up against Isaac as he stayed pinned to the wall. “Bria …” The look on her face was so familiar. “You like Isaac. As inlike, like.”
Bria snapped her head in my direction. “No, I don’t.”
Smiling, I said, “Yes, you do. It’s written all over your face. You have a thing for him.”
Bria groaned. “Help me, then. What do I do?”
I glanced back over at Maddie and Isaac. Girl-talk was all new to me. “March over there, pull him away, and kiss him.”
Bria shook her head. “No, I can’t kiss him.”
“You always kiss him,” I said, narrowing my eyes at her.
“But I didn’t like him like this before. It’s easier when you don’t have feelings for the bloke.”
She had a point. “You guys can play a game?”
“Ah, yes!” Bria grabbed my face and laid a peck over my lips before pulling my head away. “Mia, you’re brilliant.” I stood stunned as she marched away and announced a game of strip or dare to everyone.
Between the sudden hand on my back and the breath in my hair, I instantly knew who approached me from behind. “Did Bria just kiss you?” he asked amusedly into my ear. I nodded as Ollie’s breath sent goosebumps across the surface of my skin.
“I hate staying away from you, love,” he whispered again, and his fingertips dipped beneath the back of my shirt and grazed my bare skin. His warm touch pulled me like a magnetic force field. He pressed against me from behind. To hide my blushing, I brought my cup to my lips and took a sip.
