‘What?’ Both Nora and I exclaim.
‘He was looking at you like you’re a little mouse’ – she grins – ‘and he’s the lion trying to catch you.’
Nora’s face erupts in flames. ‘I don’t even know what you mean by that.’
‘Mmhmm.’ Cami rolls her eyes. ‘Let’s go back to campus. We needed to start getting ready, like, yesterday.’
I exhale. I feel like another drink, since my brother so kindly finished mine off for me. Despite living with him now, I was hoping to keep to myself as much as possible, to try my best to avoid crossing paths too much.
Looks like my plan to avoid Mason is off to a great start.
8
MASON
WHEN WE WERE KIDS,Zayden and I would make pinky promises as a sacred form of trust. We never broke our promises to each other. Until the night of Anya’s eighteenth, that is. I promised to protect her, to be there for her and to treat her like I would Zayden – like she was family. Sheismy family. Of course, I’ve never seen her as my sister – despite that being my excuse to everyone who questioned me about her – but as someone I love and care for. Someone I would do anything for and never let down.
But I did let her down.
And I’ll never forgive myself for it.
This thought weighs on my mind as I move around the bodies gathered in the lounge room. ‘Do I Wanna Know’ by the Arctic Monkeys plays through the speakers. As the sun sinks into the horizon, it casts an orange glow through the space, complimented by the neon lights bouncing from the corners of the room.
I’ve spent the last hour on the move, searching for her, but she still isn’t here. Is she avoiding me? She certainly didn’t seem happy to see me earlier today. It’s always been effortless between us. That’s something I always loved about her. But now it’s strained and awkward. I want to fix it; I just don’t know if she’ll let me.
The only people I really know here are the football guys. Though clusters of people fill the house, they’re all two years ahead of me at university. While I was travelling, everyone formed their groups. Other than Zayden and the few guys I’ve met at football practice, I haven’t really found my friend group yet. The one dude that I really like, Parker, only turns up to half the practices, and when he does, he leaves immediately after. There’s only one other guy from the team who seems decent and who Zayden is close with. I spot him hovering near the pool table, a red plastic cup in his hand.
‘Hey,’ I nod at him.
‘Hey, man.’ Christian smiles, clapping his hand into mine and pulling me in for a one-armed hug. ‘This is a great house for a party.’
‘Yeah, it’s a good set-up,’ I agree. My eyes roam the room and I crane my neck to get a view of the front door.
‘Looking for someone?’ Christian asks, his lips curving into a knowing smirk.
Am I that obvious?
‘Hmm?’ I ask distractedly. ‘Oh, um, Anya. Zay’s sister. She lives here, but I haven’t seen her. We didn’t give her much notice about the party, and I didn’t realise Zay had invited so many people.’
‘Zayden has a sister?’ Christian arches an eyebrow. ‘He’s kept that under wraps, hasn’t he?’
‘For good reason,’ I say.
As if I manifested her arrival, the door swings open and she walks inside, followed closely by Nora and Cami. I can’t stop my gaze travelling down her body.
Goddamn.
Our eyes connect, and I send her a wave. She flips me off in response.
Christian lets out a low whistle. ‘Okay, yeah, I get why now. The team will be all over her.’
Clenching my jaw, I attempt to appear nonchalant. My death-grip on the cup in my hand causes it to crumple. He eyes the cup and then my face for a moment, his teasing smirk morphing into a full-blown grin.
‘Oh, gotcha. She’s with you.’
‘What?’ I snap, narrowing my eyes at him.
Christian smiles even wider, enjoying my reaction a little too much. ‘She’s yours. Got it.’
