Please, God, why did you have to show up right now?
Leo leans over and I expect a kiss on my cheek. I feel Niko’s gaze rip over my skin, doing that thing where he stares right into the depths of my goddamn soul. He doesn’t know this is some stupid drinking game.
Doesn’t know why I’m on my knees in front of another guy.
I don’t owe him anything yet I still feel like this is wrong?
Leo dips lower.
And I don’t get a kiss on the cheek.
I feel Leo press a kiss to my neck instead. Lingering there for a moment, exhaling, and I want to jump out of my own body as I look over at Niko.
Too intimate. His lips, right where Niko put his lips on me before?—
I just want him gone. It doesn’t make sense, because heisa good-looking guy and he smells fine, but I just want him out of here.
I reach up and grab Leo by the chest, pushing him back.
I see a worried, guilty look in his eyes the moment he steps away. “Sorry. I thought you said anywhere but the mouth?”
“It’s fine. You’re fine,” I tell him. He looks embarrassed, and I feel awful. “It’s not you, I promise. I’m just…”
He shakes his head. “It’s okay. Not the first time I’ve struck out.”
It’s like a kick to the gut.
Iknow better than anyone how it feels to strike out. I just never thought I’d be the one on the other end of that.
As I stand up, I feel myself getting progressivelydrunker, and I know the newest shot probably hasn’t even hit my blood yet.
Bad.
Very bad.
I look over and see Niko heading out through the archway, down the hall toward the kitchen. It’s like some sort of alarm goes off in my mind.
“I fuckin’ love this game!” Noah exclaims, dedicated to the party and already trying to rope Roman into doing the next Jenga block.
“I’ll be back,” I tell him.
I take off down the hallway toward the back, and I find Niko in the kitchen, making himself a drink.
I nod at him. “Hey.”
He glances up from his cup then looks back down. “Hey.”
There’s nothing readable in his expression.
Just fuckingblank, like he doesn’t give a fuck at all.
“Um. What’s up?”
“Well, I was going to come find you so we could take a couple of pictures together, make sure people saw us together at this party. But you were busy on your knees.”
“Niko,” I protest.
I watch him shake a little bit of tequila over a paper towel. I furrow my brow as he reaches over toward me, swiping at my neck with the wet towel.
