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Right now, work is the safest thing for me.

No one can blame me for burying myself in it just to forget everything else.

FORTY-EIGHT

Selene

“I liked this night out,” Thalia says as we make our way toward the cinema exit. “It’s relaxing to feel normal for at least a few hours.”

“Normal?” I ask with a laugh. “What exactly is normal about renting an entire VIP movie theatre?”

The others chuckle around me, and Thalia shakes her head, just as amused.

“Trust me,” she says playfully, “it took a lot to convince Ethan to agree to even this much.”

“And I’m sure you hated every second of it,” I tease. “Must’ve been so difficult convincing him.”

“I’d actually love to know the details so I can apply them myself…”

“Sierra…” Liam and Zayn say in unison, both sounding deadly serious, like a warning.

The others burst into laughter, including Ethan, who looks ridiculously relaxed with his arm draped around Thalia’s shoulders.

Nick seems just as unfazed, laughing openly with his arm wrapped around Sierra’s waist. She walks with her head resting against him, completely absorbed in his presence.

The men are utterly captivated by them. There isn’t a single thing they wouldn’t do for them. A refusal never lasts long either. One stubborn look, a little persistence, and the answers eventually change.

And the girls are just as in love with them. Every gesture, every word from those men affects them in such an obvious, intoxicating way that it’s impossible not to feel jealous.

In a good way.

Once outside, everyone splits off to their cars. I came by taxi and ended up arriving five minutes late because I finished Serena’s room first, then stopped by one of Theo’s hotels to inspect the place a little more.

Less than a minute later, everyone is already grouped up and climbing into the cars.

“So who am I leaving with?” I ask Sierra.

She’s already inside Nick’s car, the window lowered halfway.

“Baby, do we still have room?” she asks him.

“It’s full in the back,” Theo answers instead, lowering the rear window.

Next to him, I spot Colt and Liam already squeezed in.

“Great,” I mutter.

I look at the other cars, but two of them pull away right then.

“Oh, look,” Sierra says loudly. “Zayn came alone. I’m sure you can come with him.”

“Sierra…”

But she winks at me, rolling the window back up as Nick drives off.

I know Zayn heard her because he was walking past me the moment she said it, but he doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t even stop.

His door opens, and a second later, he gets inside the car. The engine starts immediately, but he stays parked.