Vanessa tightens her grip as we stand in front of the very crowded fraternity house.
“Bianca, come on.” My heart beats rapidly against my ribs as I look at the two-story house in fear. I thought this would be a small party, but from the outside, it looks like the whole school is here. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay. You’re nervous. I was too.” I nod somewhat absentmindedly. Some of Vanessa’s friends come over, and I shake their hands, but I’m in a daze.
What am I doing here?
“Harrison, you made it!” An arm wraps around my shoulders and I flinch slightly. Chase’s hand drops to his side instantly, andI look up at him as he flashes a reassuring smile. “Just me, sorry to scare you.” I sigh in relief and wave him off as Vanessa chats with a bunch of other people. “You look nice.” I roll my eyes at his compliment and he chuckles.
Vanessa then loops her arms around mine and drags me into the house as I look at him pleadingly. He shrugs, smirking a little, and I’m visibly shocked at his refusal to help me. She brings me to the middle of the dance floor, and I’m bombarded with the smell of sweat and the aroma of different alcohols. The song changes to one where everyone starts to line dance, and I freeze once again.
One second, I’m fine, and the next—my dress is too short and my shoes are starting to make my feet ache. The closeness of these other random people causes my anxiety to spike. The world’s spinning faster than usual, and people start to resemble glowing blobs. My breaths go in and out, and thewhooshechoes in my head. I stumble toward the counter where a rainbow of different liquors stare up at me.
I turn them all until I finally find one that says sparkling water. The bubbles in it cause me to gag, but at least it’s something. I walk away, swaying slightly, trying to gain my balance, letting the fizz tickle my taste buds. Following the chorus of thank-yous, and excuse-mes, I push through a double set of doors, hoping it leads somewhere quiet.
Success! Thank goodness.
Closing the doors behind me, I practically run to the small bench on the balcony, sipping the rest of the sparkling water, taking deep breaths. The muffled sounds of voices and music hum around me, but I manage to block it out.
“You alright?”
I flinch from the deep voice and stand a little too fast. I almost fall—my ankle rolling to the side—but not before someone grabs my hand, pulling me back up to a solid chest. I pant a bit, recognizing the tattoos I saw earlier, causing me to look up, goose bumps littering my skin.
“You,” I mutter, and he looks at me in confusion. He glances down at how close we are before backing away to a respectable distance, but the warmth from his body leaving causes a shiver to run through me. “Are you following me?” A side of his mouth tics up for a millisecond at the insinuation before it goes right back down into a thin smile.
He waves his finger in the air. “My roommate is in this frat.”
A blush of embarrassment zings through me, and I pop my foot, my ankle still positively throbbing.
“Oh.” The one word rings out, and while there are people talking and laughing inside, out here, it’s dead silent. I glance up at him once more, trying to figure out what’s wrong with me. I mean, I would remember if I ever knew someone that looked like him. Yet, this doesn’t feel like basic recognition, it feels deeper ... Almost like when your heart knows and your mind is trying to catch up. “Have we ever met?” I ask, and he pushes off the wall he was leaning against. The light hits him, making his tattoos more prominent. He glances at me without a word, and surprisingly, given his aloofness, tilts his head slightly.
“Earlier, when you bumped into me.”
I roll my eyes. “I meant besides that.” A small smile ends before it can fully form, and I look at him, familiarity coursing through me. His eyes are the greenest I’ve ever seen; they’re like a painter’s canvas when drawing grassy landscapes. Sage green swirls around his irises, forest green poking through as well. I start to connect the dots between his familiar features before I gasp, shocked.
Of course, even with all the people here, I bump intohim.
CHAPTER EIGHT
LIAM
As much as I hate to admit it, this girl has made me almost smile twice, and I want to know what spell she’s got me under. She’s looking at me, and even though I don’t want to ...
I shamelessly stare back.
“Liam! Been looking all over—” Chase’s voice rings out into what was previously a quiet space, and her expression deepens. I grimace as he shoots me a smirk, but my attention gets sucked back to her as she runs her eyes up and down the length of me.
Under her scrutiny, my skin warms, and for the first time in a long time, my heart speeds up slightly.
“Harrison?” Chase asks, confused.
My head snaps to him as he looks at her and heat pools in my stomach. This can’t be—it’s been years since I’ve even heard her name uttered. Yet, the way I want to get closer to her, since I can see how badly her ankle is hurting, to see those freckles she has ... I remember when I was little, Bianca loved to watch romance movies with Ms. Kate. Said that since she was never going to find her PrinceCharming, she’d settle for seeing love in movies. The one time she dragged me into their little movie marathons, almost every single one had some semblance of the same scene. When the guy and girl reunite, time stops. It looks almost like it freezes slightly; the only indication that it’s still running are the sounds that continue around them.
Personally, I thought all of that was a load of crap.
But today, the day I sawheragain, was when I realized that those movies got at least one thing right. Time freezes, everything blurs, and it’s just us. I stand there for probably seconds, yet it feels like it’s been centuries. My mind plays out all our memories, making me find the connection between that little girl and this beautiful woman in front of me.
Her hair is no longer the pure brown that it was before, but now a long ash blonde. The dark roots make me believe her natural hair is making a comeback, but it still suits her so well. She only reaches my chin, and a flicker of a smile blooms. Traveling upward, there’s a tattoo on her collarbone that she tries so hard to mask with her hair, but I notice it. Then, I meet those bottomless blue eyes and there’s no mistake, itisher.
“Liam!”
