He looks at her. She looks at him. Madoclooks at them both.
And it’s like I’m the camera panning out at max speed, their cozy little circle far away from me.
“She’ll be spending the day in Fallon’s workshop tomorrow,” Madoc tells Lucas. “Maybe you can make her go green.”
Then, Madoc winks at him. Why is he winking at him? I want to feel my place at Lucas’s side, even if no one else knows I belong there, I do.
But Lucas isn’t even looking at me.
“It’s hard to get city dwellers to be happy anywhere else,” Lucas says, laughing.
“Just takes the right motivation,” she flirts. “Will you be there tomorrow?”
I dart my eyes to him. Images of them in the workshop alone, talking about architecture and their interests, making my head constrict.
My heart lodges in my throat, black starts to spill into my vision like I’m in a tunnel, but then…a hand takes mine and pulls me away.
I draw in air, stumbling after Noah as he leads me to the speakers where a group of people dance. “Don’t talk.” He pulls me into his arms, and I wrap mine around his neck, closing my eyes and trying to get my pulse under control. “Just hang on to something whenever possible,” he tells me.
I’m not sure if I’m shaken because I’m upset or angry. Madoc is trying to set him up. He’s doing anything to get Lucas to stay.
But Lucas should’ve looked at me. Or even better, taken my hand and made it obvious how he felt about me.
It’s okay, I tell myself.
One night. That was the deal.
Noah and I slow dance even though it’s a high-paced Yungblud song, people enjoying themselves all around us. Hunter hugs Dylan from behind as they rock back and forth,I don’t see Kade, Aro, or Hawke anywhere, and Farrow glares over at us as some girl I don’t know hangs off him.
“Farrow looks like he’s about to kill something,” I mutter, trying to distract myself.
Noah looks at me. “If one of us touches you, he wants it to be him.” Hugging me again, he taunts, “So I won’t be letting you go anytime soon.”
We laugh a little, relaxed. I don’t think Farrow’s aggravation has anything to do with me. He didn’t want Noah having anything to do with Codi, either.
Noah tenses under my arms, and I close my eyes, knowing what’s about to happen.
“Quinn?” Madoc says, interrupting my dance.
I open my eyes and twist my head, Madoc and Jared approaching, followed by Lucas.
“We’re having a little get-together at the house,” Madoc tells me. “Would love some pizza. Why don’t you take your new car and head over? We’ll meet you.”
“Not tonight.” I turn away. “I’m dancing.”
I’ve never denied them food if they asked me to cook, but he doesn’t really want pizza. He wants me to leave and not have any fun with a good-looking guy whom he thinks has lots of fun with lots of girls. Noah relaxes me. So does Farrow, for that matter.
Lucas chimes in next. “Quinn, let me take you home.”
“I’m staying.” I start moving with Noah again. “And I’m not a child anymore.”
“Quinn—”
“Later.” We spin around, slowly moving away and into the crowd. “I’m dancing now.”
Noah holds me tightly, and I know Lucas probably thinks I’m trying to make him jealous. Honestly, though, there’s nowhere I’d rather be than with someone my own age right now.
Lucas
