Usually, I walk this trail with Lyrical, but since she’s been married to Snow, we don’t walk it often, which I totally understand. It feels lonely and empty now. I shake my head as a shiver slithers down my spine.
By the time I arrive at the mansion, the sun has gone down, and the sky is cosmic black. The clouds hover over the blistering white moon. I love nighttime. It’s peaceful, calming, and soothing.
I peer at the angry gargoyles that sit atop the roof, glowing down at me as if they know my deep, dark secrets.
Megan Thee Stallion pounds from the lit mansion, overshadowing the sound of the harsh waves rolling onto the shore.
The frosty wind blows, and I stuff my fingers into my coat pockets as I drift to the French doors.
Keanu stands next to a statue, delivering shots to people. He’s cute, and sometimes crazy shit comes out of his mouth. Hiscrimson hair is pulled up into a man bun, and he wears a T-shirt and shorts despite it being barely forty degrees out here. He towers over me, and my gaze lingers on his azure eyes while I avoid staring at his tan muscles. I see why Winter likes him, he’s kind.
His bright eyes beam, and a smile ghosts his face as he offers me a shot.
“Irvin’s girlfriend. Fancy seeing you here.”
I slant against the archway and down the shot. The golden liquid burns my throat.
“My name is Lilac. I’m not his girlfriend.”
He eyes me curiously as he hands me another.
“That’s not what he’s telling everyone, pretty girl.”
The nutmeg aroma lingers in my nose before I down it. The earthy flavor explodes on my tongue.
Why the hell is Irvin telling everyone we’re in a relationship? After my relationship with Emerson, I don’t want to date. After graduation, I plan to move to Los Angeles and work on my psychology career. My father left me thirty million dollars, so I’m surviving on it and using it to pay for school.
“We’re about to play beer pong. Want to play?” he asks.
I cock my eyebrow. “Who is we?”
“Me, Winter, and my little brother Flynn.”
I shake my head and hand him back the empty glasses.
I spoke to Winter about Keanu, and she’s in love with him, but I don’t know if the feeling is mutual. Lyrical told me he hooked up with someone else last winter break.
Out of all of Irvin’s friends, Keanu appears to be the nicest—I suppose. I don’t like Snow; he’s an asshole. And Jameson just wants to fuck. Anyone.
Irvin doesn’t hang with them often. He’s the loner of the group, and he doesn’t fit in with them. The only reason he hangs out with them is because he’ll be the COO of the AmericanBillionaire Club. They aren’t allowed to talk about what goes on at the club.
I survey the living room anxiously—Jameson is receiving head in the corner by the television, and a few other people are banging each other.
The music blares through the speakers. Sweat burns my eyes. Memories flood—my parents’ bloody bodies. The smell of burnt flesh. Gunpowder in the air.
The midnight blue walls close in. Chills bite my spine. My heart pounds.
The crowded living room suffocates me. Too close to that night.
I need air.
I bolt through the sea of people.
My stomach twists.
I amble upstairs to Irvin’s room. I open the door, sighing as I slide to the floor, reciting,I’m safe.As I catch my breath, I inhale a heavy dose of cologne mixed with cedarwood, which warms me. Piles of clothes scatter across the carpet. It doesn’t surprise me one bit. He’s always untidy.
My face falls. Where could he be? He told me to be here, and he isn’t. I remove my phone from my pocket and note that I’m an hour early.
