“You don’t like that?” Austin smiled as he said it, a subtle smirk playing across his face.
“I don’t particularly like any mind-altering substances,” I shrugged, “but I won’t hold it against you, I guess.”
“You’ve never been high?” Austin spoke like it was unimaginable that someone could go their whole life without smoking weed.
I sighed, debating how much to tell him. “A couple of times.”
“Let me guess,” he let the words out like a breath, “once your brother got into drugs, you went straight?”
I perked up my brows, a small giggle leaving my lips. “I think I’ve always been straight, but I guess there’s still time to switch teams. You never know.”
Austin’s stunned face turned into one of laughter within seconds. He did the same thing he’d seemed to be doing all night, watching me in bewilderment. I just wasn’t sure what he was bewildered with.
“I don’t picture that happening anytime soon,” he told me.
“I guess you’re right though,” I said, circling back to his original question. Maybe Austin was as good at reading people as he claimed to be. “About going straight.”
“I usually am right,” he said quietly. He lowered his head, looking up at me from beneath his brows. I dropped my gaze almost immediately. Why did I have to fight the heat rising to my cheeks? “It’s almost one,” Austin continued after glancing at his phone. “Are you going to sleep here, or do you want another room?”
I sighed, glancing back at Cherry. She was sprawled out over the bed now, and even though I knew sleeping beside her would be uncomfortable, I also knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep away from her. I’d be checking on her constantly anyway.
“I’ll be fine here,” I tilted my head down toward the bed. “But Austin?”
“Hm?” He looked at me curiously.
“You never really answered my question,” I said, watching as his face changed ever so slightly. “About the house.”
Austin was silent for a second, before blowing air from his mouth. “Listen, Yellow…”
But he couldn’t finish, because the sound of the front door opening and slamming shut interrupted him. I watched Austin as a look of mild alarm passed across his face. He began to stand, looking toward the door of the room we were in.
“Austin!” a girl’s loud voice filled the air as whoever it was called his name. I looked at Cherry first, before realizing nothing was going to wake her up at this point. Then I looked back at Austin. The alarm lifted from his face almost immediately. A small smilegrew on his lips instead. He shook his head and ran his hands through his hair as he fell back against the chair.
“Sorry,” he directed at me, leaving me even further confused.
“Austin!” the girl’s voice sounded again. “I know you’re here because your car is in the driveway. You shouldn’t have given me a key if you weren’t going to greet me at the door.”
Key? Maybe this was his girlfriend, and it sounded serious. Pressure rose in my stomach at the thought, because I certainly didn’t want anyone’s long-term girlfriend finding me in their boyfriend’s guest room.
“Austin?” she called again, her voice moving up the stairs. “Oh, there you are.” She must have been able to see us before we could see her. “You didn’t answer any of my texts, you asshole.”
And it was then that she walked into the room. She stunned me immediately with her beauty. She had long, dark hair, and I could see her eyes were green even though she was feet away from me. With facial features that could be seen on any model in the world, she was instantly intimidating. She walked into the room as though she was floating on clouds. She was absolutely gorgeous by anyone’s standards.
“What the hell are you doing up here?” she asked, looking at Austin before she cast her eyes on me, and then on Cherry asleep on the bed. Her eyes widened, and she looked back to Austin. “Oh. Oh. Oooh.”
I glanced between the two of them, trying to determine whether this beautiful girl was about to beat my ass.
“Sorry, man,” I heard a male voice, breaking us all from the awkward spell we were caught in.
A guy came into the room next, shaking his head like he was in on a secret I didn’t know about. But this guy… I knew him. I tilted my head as he walked in, his eyes casting over the three of us individually just like the girl’s had. A hint of familiarity passed over his features as he looked at Cherry and me. We went to Hawking together. Or at least we did, until he was expelled. We weren’t friends, but I knew of him, just like everyone at our school did. He was popular before he got expelled, and he was popular after, too. I watched as his hands wrapped around the girl’s waist, and she sunk back into him in the most natural way. She smiled instantly at his touch, leaning back so she could kiss his cheek, and it suddenly clicked. It was Zane, of course, and the beautiful girl he’d met at his new private school. Even though he didn’t go to our school anymore, the halls had still burst with gossip about him.
“Seren,” he said softly. “Looks like Austin has company.”
“I can see that,” she mused, offering me a small smile. “I have about three hundred questions, Austin. Which would you like first?”
“Uh, Seren, love,” Austin let out.Love? What kind of freaky love triangle did I walk into?
“Don’tloveme,” Seren started, and she was about to say something else when Austin rose from his chair. He walked over to her, looping his arm around her neck and pulling her back through the door. Zane chuckled, wordlessly following them. “No,” she protested, looking back toward me. “I want to talk to the pretty blonde girl that’s in your bed.”
