Then Sebastian showed up.
He was dressed as a football player, which was ironic since he was on the soccer team, and he made a beeline straight for Derek. I watched them talk, saw Derek's expression close off, saw his jaw clench.
Something was wrong.
"I need a drink," I announced, excusing myself from the beer pong game.
I wove through the crowd, trying to get close enough to Derek and Sebastian to hear what they were saying without being obvious about it, but Max cut me off.
"Hey, we have a problem, Aaron's been with Dex's phone, trying to look for a playlist, and I know you guys have been sharing some music," he said, his forehead creasing with concern. "I was on the way to grab him to switch the phones..."
"I'll grab him, you just maybe plug in yours?" I offered to give me the perfect excuse to get closer to my boyfriend.
"... just saying, man, people are talking," Sebastian's voice carried over the music. "About you and Rosalie. Some of us think there might be something going on."
My blood ran cold.
"There's nothing going on," Derek's voice was steady, but I heard the tension underneath. "She's my friend. She's helping me with recovery."
"Is that what we're calling it now?" Sebastian's tone was mocking. "Look, I don't care who you fuck. But Aaron might. And if the team chemistry gets disrupted right before Westpoint because of some girl drama..."
"Watch it," Derek's voice dropped dangerously low. "Don't talk about her like that."
"See, that's exactly what I mean." Sebastian moved closer, his voice lowering but still audible. "You're defensive about her. Protective. That's not how you act about someone who's just a friend."
I should have walked away. Should have let Derek handle it. But my feet carried me forward before my brain could stop them.
"Hey," I said brightly, inserting myself between them. "Sorry to interrupt. Derek, Aaron's looking for you. Something about the music playlist."
Derek's eyes met mine, grateful and worried at the same time. "Thanks, Rosie."
He started to move past Sebastian, but Seb grabbed his arm.
"This conversation isn't over," Sebastian said, his eyes moving between us. "And Rosalie? You might want to be more careful. People are watching."
It wasn't a threat exactly, but it felt like one.
Derek's hand twitched like he wanted to reach for me, but he caught himself. "Come on, let's find Aaron."
We walked away together, neither of us speaking until we were in a quieter corner of the house.
"That was close," I breathed.
"Too close." Derek's hands clenched into fists. "I wanted to punch him."
"For what? Being observant?" I touched his arm briefly, then pulled back. "He's right, Derek. People are noticing. We're not as careful as we think we are."
"So what do we do?"
Before I could answer, Aaron appeared with Max close behind.
"There you are," Aaron said to Derek, then noticed me. "Rosie, nice costume. Very shiny."
"Thanks." I forced a smile. "I was just heading back to the patio."
"Actually, stay for a second." Aaron's expression was serious, his hand clutching Derek's phone. "I need to talk to both of you."
My heart stopped. This was it. Someone had told him. Sebastian had told him, or he had seen the playlists full of love songs. I haven't recognized any of our songs playing during the party, but he might have seen it or...
