“Wait, Cherry—” Too late. She was already halfway across the room. Her hand landed on Lucas’s chest as she batted her eyelashes.
“She’s… well, she’s something,” Austin muttered, pulling my focus back to him.
“That she is,” I replied, sipping from my cup. “Ifsomethingwas unmedicated ADHD that learned to talk back.”
Austin chuckled, the sound low in his chest. Then, suddenly, his face tightened. His laugh cut short. His gaze turned sharp as he looked over to Brandon, who was still standing beside.
“Is there a reason you’re still standing here?” Austin’s tone had changed. His voice was edged now. He was staring Brandon down like he was measuring how fast he could take him out. Brandon looked at me. Hesitated. I could see the moment he debated whether or not I was worth the trouble. Apparently, I wasn’t. He shrugged, shook his head, and walked away.
Brandon disappeared into the crowd, swallowed by noise and movement. Austin didn’t look away immediately. He stood there a moment longer, jaw set, like he was making sure it was finished. I stayed where I was. Austin did too. For a moment, I wasn’t sure what to say. Or if I should say anything at all. I waited for him to break the silence, for some explanation or dismissal, but he didn’t offer one. A minute passed, then two. Maybe five. Long enough for it to start feeling intentional. The silence stretched. Not hostile, just… present. Heavy in a way that made me too aware of how close Austin was standing, of the solid line of his body beside mine, of the fact that he hadn’t walked away.
Finally, because the quiet had started to feel awkward and I didn’t know what else to do with it, I asked him about Brandon. “What was that about?” I said. “You don’t like him?”
Austin’s mouth curved, just slightly. Not a grin. Not smug. More like quiet satisfaction, like he’d waited me out on purpose. “I don’t know him,” he said evenly.
I tilted my head. “What? If you don’t know him, why were you so rude?” I asked.
“Who says I have to know someone to dislike them?” Austin shrugged. “It’s all about the vibes. I’m good at reading people, you know. Like I can see right through everyone’s act. Right down to their core.”
“Oh really?” I muttered. “Somehow I doubt that.”
“No, seriously,” Austin insisted. “Like your friend, what was her name? Grape?”
“Cherry,” I arched my brow. That name’s not exactly forgettable. Judging by the grin on his face, he hadn’t forgotten at all.
“Right. Cherry. Let me guess… loud, bubbly, forward, blunt… but inside? Wildly insecure. Let me guess again, no one sees that but her closest friends. And judging from the way you two finish each other’s sentences, that’s you. And only you.”
My smile dropped. He was right. That was Cherry. Wrapped up in a tiny red bow.
“How’d I do? Pretty good, right?” he said, grinning like he already knew the answer.
“You did alright,” I said, trying to hide my surprise.
“Hm,” he hummed, leaning closer. His voice dropped. “And I bet you want to know what I see about you, Yellow.”
“Yellow?” I asked, repeating the name he seemed to have given me.
“Yeah,” he whispered. “Yellow. Your hair.” He tugged gently on a strand of it. “Your dress. Your personality,” he added, backing away. “Yellow.”
“You don’t even know me,” I said.
“Yeah, maybe,” he said, unbothered. “But I see you. And you’re Yellow.” No words left my mouth. I just stared. There was something about the way he said it. Like he really could see me. And that thought scared me. “How’s your brother?” he asked, his smile fading.
“My brother?” I echoed, the trance finally breaking.
“Yeah,” he said, frowning. “Last weekend? Last time I saw you, you were climbing into an ambulance with him.”
“Oh.” The memories came rushing back, and with them, a wave of clarity. I didn’t know this guy. And based on where I’d met him, I didn’t want to.
“Is he okay?” Austin asked. He looked like he meant it.
“Yeah…” I said slowly. “No. I mean… yeah, he’s fine. But no, we’re not doing this. Like I said, I don’t know you.” He opened his mouth to answer, but someone else beat him to it.
“Blair?” I turned. Lucas stood in front of me. Alone. It took a second for my brain to register that he wasn’t just passing by. His face was tight, like he’d been looking for me for a while.
“Where’s Cherry?” I asked, skipping pleasantries.
“Yeah,” he said, voice tight. “That’s why I came to find you. She’s upstairs. We went up to, uh, you know… talk.” Yeah,right.“But she’s like… really drunk,” he added. “I didn’t know what to do.”
