“Henley has been messing with you.”
“Messing with me how?” I asked, my heart sinking into my stomach.
“She didn’t really say. Just stupid stuff like screwing up that threesome with Laney and Sage.”
I laughed humorlessly as I bit the inside of my cheek. “I wasn’t going to sleep with them. I couldn’t get back to Henley fast enough.” It suddenly occurred to me that we’d been at the lake when Henley had called me. She had seen us. I squeezed my eyes closed as I let out a string of expletives. Was any of this real or was it all a game to her?
“What else?”
He shrugged, but I could see the pity in his eyes and it only enraged me more.
“You sure telling me this won’t cause a problem with your bird?”
“Stop calling chicks birds. It’s fucking weird.” He rolled his eyes.
“Isn’t a chick a baby chicken?” I asked as he shot me the finger.
“What else?” I bit out.
“That’s all I know, man. But I’ll tell you right away if Gigi says anything else. You want me to text her and tell her that this weekend is only a guy’s night?”
“No. We need to convince Henley to come along too.”
“You still want to try to hit that?” He asked, and I cringed at his choice of words, even though I was livid.
“No. I want to teach her a lesson.”
***
By the time Thursday rolled around, I was actually attending all of my classes again. I’d avoided Dive Bar and Filly’s in an attempt to clear my mind of Henley, even though I knew this weekend she would be unavoidable.
“You’re quiet.”
I lifted my needle from Dane’s calf as I looked over the cross with his mother’s name on it.
“I have a lot on my mind.”
“Does she have a name?”
I smirked, shaking my head. “We’re heading in town for the weekend to get away from campus. Any good clubs?”
“I’ve heard good things about Elixer, but I haven’t checked it out yet. Remember the last time we went out together?” He asked with a chuckle.
I shook my head, unable to keep from smiling even though I was still angry with Henley. “How could I forget?”
“That chick was obliterated.”
***
My lips were locked onto some blonde chick I’d picked up after a long night of drinking at Filly’s.
My hand slid up her thigh, shoving her skirt up toward her waist as my fingertips glided over the lacy edge of her panties.
“Shhh,” she whispered against my mouth with a giggle as she opened the door, causing me to stumble backward and nearly falling onto the floor as I tripped over a stack of books before my foot landed on a small black triangle with a round brass center.
“Woah,” I groaned, wrapping my arms around her and keeping us from tumbling to the ground. Once she was steady, I bent down to gather up the mess I’d made.
My eyes settled on on a small black object I’d stepped on.
“What is this thing?” I asked as I picked it up, turning it over in my hand.
“Who cares?” she sighed as she took it from my hand and tossed it onto one of the beds. She smacked me playfully on the chest as she backed a few feet away from me, her hands slipping up under her tight shirt to unhook her bra in the back. The straps sprung loose before she slid them down her arms, pulling the lace fabric from under her tank top and dropping it on the floor.
“So this is your side then?” I asked, nodding to the other bed.
She shook her head as she giggled. “No.”
“Are we going to get arrested for breaking into someone’s room?” I asked as she pressed her body against mine.
“It’s fine,” she drug out the last word in annoyance. “It’s my friend’s room. She went home for a family emergency or something.”
“Everything okay?” I asked.
She waved her hand, the weight of her body sagging against me. “I’m sure it’s nothing.” She rolled her eyes.
“No... I meant are you okay? You look like –” Before I could finish my sentence she lurched to the side to chunder, heaving the contents of her stomach onto one of the beds.
***
“It smelled like tacos and tequila.” I cringed just at the memory of it. “That’s why I never go out with you anymore.”
Dane laughed, shaking his head. “Come on, man. That was a long time ago. You’re just mad because she wanted me but I let you have her.”
“Is that right?”
“She wasn’t my type.” He shrugged.
“I got slapped. You still owe me.” I glanced up at Dane as I chewed the inside of my cheek. “I think I know how you can make it up to me.”
“I’m not letting you puke on me.”
I shook my head as I laughed, the gun in my hand vibrating my fingers as I continued the outline of his tattoo. “What kind of weird shit do you think I’m into?”
“Hey, you got any laundry detergent?” Noah asked from my doorway as he gripped either side of the frame with his fingers.
I nodded to my dresser, and he smiled in appreciation as he walked across the room, shoving his sleeve up to his elbows. “Hey,” He called to Dane who smiled and said hello back.
After Noah had left the room, Dane leaned in closer to me, his voice barely a whisper. “What’s with that guy?”
“What do you mean? Like why can’t he get his own soap?”
“No,” he shrugged as he leaned back, the corners of his mouth tugging down.
“He’s a bit of an arse, but I think he’s just having a hard time with some things.”
“Like what?”
I glanced up at Dane with my eyes narrowed, my hand stilling as the gun hovered over his skin. “Are you?” I didn’t finish the question because Dane had begun to squirm. I pressed the needle down and focused on my work. “He’ll be with us this weekend when we go out,” I replied with a shrug.
“Cool.”
I struggled to suppress my smirk as I finished up on his tattoo.
***
Chapter Twenty-Seven
HENLEY
“Elixir is packed.” I stared out the window like a small child, dazzled by all the lights. The line curved out of the door and onto the street. The night air was cold as fall begins to take hold but the days were still muggy. It’s my favorite time of year, but I’d wished I’d worn something a little warmer, even though we are going out on the town.
Lucas has been short with me all evening, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was because I looked so ridiculous in my short skirt that he was embarrassed.
“No big deal. We can get in.” Lucas replied, his tone clipped. I smiled at him, excited to party in downtown Savannah but he only looked away.
“I haven’t been downtown in years. It’s not as safe as it used to be at night.” I grimaced, and I caught Beef rolling his eyes in the rearview mirror.
“No one is going to fuck with us. You don’t have anything to worry about,” Beef called out, and I relax as we park in the parking garage just a block from the club.
“I should have worn easier shoes to walk in,” I grumbled as Gigi looped her arm in mine.
“Why are you so nervous?” She asked as we make our way down the stairwell and onto the street.
I shrugged but what was really bothering me was how close to home I was. When I’m away at college, I can pretend this world doesn’t exist, but now I am only minutes away from the City Market where we would spend our weekends when I was little, listening to live local bands play while we watched horse carriages pull tourists around town.
I was talking like my mother, paranoid and agitated. It was like the closer I was the more her poison seeped into my subconscious.
We walked straight to the front door. Lucas and the bouncer exchanged a few words, and he stepped to the side, letting us pass by.
We made our way to the bar through the throngs of patrons. Some were dressed up to party an
d others were in costume because of the holiday weekend. We ordering a round of shots for all of us as I tugged nervously on my short dress.
“Did you borrow that one from Gigi?” Lucas asked, his jaw clenched.
“It’s mine, actually. I got it at the mall the other day.”
His eyes narrowed before shaking his head. I looked down at myself feeling even more self-conscious.
“I look stupid, don’t I?”
He shook his head, his mouth pressed into a hard line. “That’s not the word I’d use...”
“Are you mad at me for something?” I asked, my mind drifting back to a few days ago when we were making out on his couch.
He shrugged, rubbing his palm against the back of his neck as his eyes danced over the crowd. “Why would I be mad at you?”
“You’ve just been... weird,” I sighed as I drank back my shot and placed it on the bar.
“You wanted us to be friends. That’s what this is,” he gestured between us.
I reached out and took his hand in mine like he’d done so many times before. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
He pulled his fingers from mine as he picked up his shot glass and slammed back the fiery liquid without flinching.
“I’m not upset, love.” He let out a quiet chuckle as he shook his head. “I don’t mean to hurt your feelings, Henley, but we messed around. I’ve done that with countless women. It wasn’t a big deal. You’re overthinking it.”
My heart sank into the pit of my stomach, and I blinked back my tears that were now forming out of embarrassment. “Good,” I forced a smile as I looked out over the sea of bodies. “Do you want me to find you someone to dance with?” I asked even though the last thing I wanted was to watch him pressed against someone else. Tell me you only want to dance with me.
He smiled as he looked at me for a moment. “No. I don’t really need help in that department. D’ know what I mean? But I appreciate the offer.”
He nodded before slipping between several girls and slowly out of view. I turned back to the bar and held up my glass to get myself another drink.
“What’s up with Lucas?” Gigi asked as she pressed against my side.
I shrugged. “I guess he decided I’m a waste of his time.”
“Aw, hon. I’m sorry.” She wrapped her arm around me and squeezed me gently. “We’ll find you someone else to hang out with tonight. Make him jealous?”
I shrugged again. I had no interest in playing games with him anymore. I just wanted to go back to my room and go to sleep.
“Wanna dance?” A deeper voice whispered in my ear. I turned around to see a cute guy in a dark button up shirt. His brown hair was a few inches long and swooped to the side out of his eyes. He looked like he belonged on a yacht in the middle of the ocean. He definitely fit the criteria for future husband material, back when I actually wanted to get married. Back when I wasn’t holding back tears at a bar because of Lucas.
“No thanks,” I replied as I glanced over his shoulder to Lucas who was grinding in the middle of the floor with some redhead. His mouth against her neck as she giggled.
The guy turned around, his eyes seeking out what I was staring at before he looked back at me with a small smile. “I can help make him jealous,” he whispered, mischief in his eyes.
“I don’t want to use you to get back at someone else.”
“Actually, I was planning on making you fall in love with me because of my sweet moves,” he joked causing me to smile. “Come on. What do you have to lose?”
I shot another glance at Lucas. Not him. He was never mine.
“Why not,” I replied, putting my hand in his and letting him lead me onto the floor. It was tame in comparison to the way Lucas and I danced, but I was not complaining. I let my eyes fall closed as his hands slipped lower, dancing along the hem of my skirt but careful not to raise it.
I tried to push the memory of Lucas’ fingers sliding over my bare thighs to the back of my mind. Turning around in his arms to face him, I looped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer so I could speak without screaming.
“What’s your name?” I asked over the thumping of the bass.
“Dane. Yours?”
“Henley.”
He made a face. “Isn’t that a type of shirt?”
I laughed, relaxing in his arms. “Do you go to Shame U?”
“SCAD,” he replied, catching me off guard. SCAD was the Savannah College of Art and Design that was spread throughout the city. It was one of my picks for college, but it was too expensive and too close to home. “Are you sure there isn’t something I need to know about that guy?”
I glanced over my shoulder at Lucas who was glaring at us openly. I rolled my eyes as I turned my attention back to Dane with the biggest smile I could manage.
“Do you want to get out of here? Go for a walk or something?”
“Sure.”
His eyes lit up, apparently not expecting me to agree to leave with him. “I’m not really into this whole scene anyway. I was dragged here by my friend, Beth. Let me just find her and let her know.”
I nodded, taking a step back from him so he could disappear into the crowd.
“What are you doing?” Lucas asked, as his hand slid over my hip from behind me. I spun around, taking a step back as his arm fell to his side.
“Hanging out. Making new friends, like you.”
He rolled his eyes as he ran his fingers through his hair, clearly frustrated.
“Ready?” Dane asked from behind me.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Lucas asked me, his eyes flicking to Dane before landing back on me.
“For a walk.”
“Around Savannah?” He laughed, but there was no humor in his voice. “We practically had to drag you out of the car, and now you’re going to go walk around with this guy? Is he going to protect you?”
“What do you care?” I shot back a little louder than I’d intended.
“You think I don’t care if you get hurt?”
I didn’t know how to respond so I didn’t.
Lucas took a step backward, shaking his head. “Enjoy your walk.”
I narrowed my eyes before grabbing Dane’s wrist. “Don’t wait up,” I shot back before pulling him through the crowd.
When we stepped outside, I froze, looking up and down the street. There were plenty of tourists, students and locals alike milling about the town that never seemed to sleep.
“We can go back to my room and hang out if you want?” Dane asked as I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. What the hell am I doing? Am I going to go off with some stranger in the middle of the night because Lucas hurt my feelings?
I looked behind me at the doorway to the club, waiting, hoping that Lucas would appear through the opening but he didn’t and now I had no idea if I’d even be able to get back inside. I struggled to blink back my tears, but one fell through my lashes and slid over the apple of my cheek. Dane grimaces before shaking his head and sighing loudly.
“I can’t do this,” he mumbled.
“It’s fine. I’ll wait out here for my friends.”
“No.” He turned around and muttered a few curse words before facing me again. “This was supposed to be a joke. Luc didn’t tell me you’d be all upset.”
I swiped the tear from my cheek, my eyebrows pulled together in confusion. “What?”
“It was a prank or something. He said I should dance with you, keep other guys away,” his voice trailed off as he let out an awkward laugh. “I didn’t realize you guys had something going or I wouldn’t have agreed to leave. Shit. He’s going to kick my ass,” He shook his head letting out an awkward laugh. He took a few steps backward before waving. “It was nice meeting you, Henley.” With that, he turned and made his way down the sidewalk, disappearing between a few buildings.
I was dumbfounded. But that quickly turned to anger and now it was game on. I stood up, brushing my hands over my cheeks before I walked up to the do
orman. I smiled, struggling to bat my eyelashes and not look like a lunatic. To my surprise, he let me in without much of a second glance.
I made my way back to the bar and ordered a shot, needing liquid courage before I turned around, scanning the dance floor but I didn’t see Lucas anywhere.
“Gigi,” I called out, and her head snapped in my direction. She whispered something to Beef before walking over to me.
“Where have you been?”
“Long story. Where’s Lucas?” I asked as she nodded to a few tables along the right wall. He was sitting with a beer bottle between his fingers, ignoring the girl who was sitting next to him. Like sensing he was being talked about, his eyes snapped up and met mine, narrowing in confusion.
“Did something happen?” Gigi asked.
I couldn’t take my eyes off him as I shook my head. “It’s only getting started.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
LUCAS
My eyes locked onto Henley as I tipped my bottle to my lips. The bird next to me was running her hand up my thigh, oblivious that I wasn’t paying attention to her. But I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the flicker of hurt that passed across Henley’s face before her expression turned to anger.
I’d never given a second thought to how I’d made women feel once I walked away. I was brought back to the memory of the night I’d met Henley, and she asked how I made the girls feel that I took home. I joked, giving her a half-assed answer because, at that moment, I only wanted to do the same to her. But I should have been paying attention because behind the naïve girl I felt like needed someone to watch after her, was a conniving female version of me. She probably spent her evenings laughing at me with Gigi while I was at home wondering how I could win her over. I was going to win alright, and she would regret starting this war.
As she walked toward me, I couldn’t help but smirk at the scowl on her face.
“We need to talk,” she called out over the music, her arms folded over her chest.
“Sorry, love.” I draped my arm over the girl next to me as she let out a giggle. “I’m busy. What happened to that blighter you was talking to?”
She shrugged. “We’re going out next week. Maybe I’ll bring him to your Halloween party.”