My hands balled up tightly while my lip curled in aggravation. Those damn guys were stealing the human I’d temporarily claimed. But when Serenity stood between the three of them, a radiant smile appeared where a deep frown had been just hours ago. With a huff, I decided to let it go. I could monopolize her time after she got her photos since she seemed to really want them.
She beamed at her phone after snapping photos with each member, and I joined her, looking over her shoulder at each shot.
“Cute,” I mused as she showed me each one. I narrowed my eyes. “But I’m your favorite member of Sinners Do It Better, right?”
She glanced nervously at my other bandmates, who had moved back to the table to down some of their drinks. When her gray eyes met mine again, a shy smile pulled at her lips. “Yes, you’re my favorite.”
Hell yeah, I was. My chest puffed with pride. I liked being her favorite, and soon, she’d appreciate even more than my position in our band.
Before I could say anything else, she tapped on her phone, which had gone dark due to the inactivity. Her screensaver appeared, and I stiffened, all satisfaction draining from my body in an instant. The image set as her background was of her and Bradley.
I immediately shook my head and pointed at the phone. “No. Change that shit right now.”
“Oh yeah. I forgot,” she mumbled, some of the glee leaving her eyes as her shoulders deflated slightly.
The glimmer of warmth cooled under the weight of whatever thoughts plagued her, and I immediately felt the need to do something. I chalked the urge up to me still feeling guilty about how things had escalated between her and Bradley, but thereason didn’t really matter right now. I wanted to bring that twinkle back to her eyes and keep it there all night.
“Here,” I offered, taking her phone with a smirk. “I’ll fix it for you.”
I didn’t have to search long before I found what I was hunting—the photo she and I had taken together at the bar. I set the image as her new screensaver before turning her phone back around to show her.
“What do you think?” I asked. “Much better,Ithink.”
That sweet smile was back in place, exactly where it belonged. She took her phone and studied her new wallpaper with brimming happiness before meeting my eyes and holding out her hand. I quirked a brow, my gaze bouncing between her palm and her face.
She mirrored my own smirk. “My turn. You set my screensaver. It’s only fair I get to do the same.”
I let out a low chuckle but relented and dug in my pocket. I handed her the device and watched her closely as she tapped away on it. She bit the corner of her lip, barely fighting her mirth. Finally, she tilted her chin higher and turned my phone around to show me my new screensaver.
I frowned, which earned me a laugh. She covered her mouth with her hand while shaking the phone at me. “It’s a capybara.”
“Why is Tom my new screensaver?” I asked blandly while taking back my phone.
Her face lit up. “You remembered his name! He’s a handsome fella. Why wouldn’t you want someone as dashing as him as your screensaver?”
The photo was the one she’d sent me the day she was at the zoo. Tom the capybara stared at that stupid rubber duck with all of his friends in the water or grass around him. I snickered and quickly went back to the same text thread this image had come from.
“If you want Tom to be my wallpaper,” I started, changing the image out for a different one, “I’d much rather it bethisone of Tom.”
I finished saving the change and flashed her my phone, which now displayed the photo of Serenity posing with Tom, her bright smile filling the screen. Serenity’s cheeks instantly turned pink, and her smile softened as she met my gaze.
Before either of us could say anything else, a high pitched gasp sounded behind me. “Serenity!”
Before I could even react, a blur of pink darted past me. Addie nearly barreled over Serenity, grabbing her hands and beaming at her. “Oh my gosh! Hi! What are you doing here?”
Serenity gave her a sheepish smile before locking eyes with me over Addie’s shoulder. “Dante invited me out.”
“Really? This is great! Come dance with me and the other girls.”
There was no time to argue. Addie tugged her toward the stairs leading to the main, public dance floor. Mouth open in shock, I went to the balcony and watched the crowd below as Addie rejoined Iyla, Nahla, and Iseul with Serenity at her side. Zagan appeared by me and rested an arm on my shoulder.
“Did I just lose my date to Addie?” I asked in disbelief, watching Serenity smile shyly as the girls talked.
Zagan sighed, his blue eyes locked on his human bond. “Welcome to the club, man.”
Nine Months Ago
Diary Entry 74
