8. Selene
8
SELENE
I 'm laughing so hard I nearly snort as Hailey, Isla, and I push our way through the people that are hanging around outside even though it’s chilly. It’s much more crowded than it usually is, but that doesn’t matter because I have only one thing on my mind.
“Free pizza, here we come!” I say as I glance over at Isla. “I'm starving.”
Healthy diet be damned, for tonight at least. Good thing I worked out today.
Hailey rolls her eyes, but I can see her smirk. “You know this means we have to stay for the whole presentation, right? They aren't just giving it away.”
I shrug. “How bad could it be? Sustainable living or something, right? We'll learn some important things like how to compost our quinoa and save the whales.” She glares at me because this is totally her thing and Isla and I are just along for the ride. “I’m kidding. I’m excited to see what this is all about.”
“Same, I just tend to express my feelings better than Selene over here,” Isla chimes in.
“Girl, whatever,” I say waving her off.
We reach the doors to the building, and I make an exaggerated show of holding one open for Hailey and Isla. As soon as I cross the threshold, the smell of melted cheese and garlic hits me and my stomach growls so loudly that even Isla and Hailey hear it.
“Jeez, you weren’t kidding.” Isla shakes her head as she tries not to laugh.
All I can do is shrug and say, “Told ya so.”
We walk toward the auditorium and find some seats that are in the middle but near an aisle. Hopefully, that will make it easier for us to escape if the presentation isn’t what we have in mind.
Someone at the front of the room fiddles with a microphone, causing a burst of feedback that makes the whole crowd wince and grab their ears. I take this moment to scan the audience and notice a few familiar faces from classes and around campus. Looks like a decent turnout for a freebie event on a Saturday night. My eyes land on a tall figure at the back of the room, standing against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. My heart skips a beat when I recognize him—Knox. His dark hair is tousled in that effortless way guys like him always seem to pull off, and he's wearing a faded green jacket over a plain white tee. He looks almost bored, but there's an intensity in his gaze that makes it impossible to look away.
Isla follows my line of sight and raises an eyebrow. “Holy shit…”
That causes Hailey to look in the same direction we are. Her mouth drops open briefly before she catches herself.
I tear my gaze away from Knox and look at her with wide eyes. “Did you guys know he was going to be here?” My whisper-shout almost sounds comical and borderline hysterical.
Isla shakes her head slowly, clearly as surprised as I am. “We didn’t have a game today, but I can’t figure out why he would be here. I did tell Asher I would be going to this with you, but I’m not sure why he would mention it to Knox….”
Hailey reaches up to adjust her messy bun. “Levi is having dinner with his parents tonight so unless he texted Knox and told him, this might be just random.”
“Maybe he's into the whole sustainable living thing?” Isla adds.
I haven’t the slightest idea because it wasn’t something we talked about via text message or while we fucked so… “Could just be here for the free pizza, like us.”
But inside, my mind is racing. Knox and I aren’t anything and I’ve been doing my best not to think about him. I’m convinced this is a test the universe is throwing my way because why in the hell would he be here? Yep, fate is playing some kind of trick on me.
The lights in the auditorium dim and someone steps up to the podium. I steal one more glance at Knox. He shifts his weight from one leg to the other and scans the room. For a moment, I think his eyes meet mine, but it’s too dark to tell and I look away too quickly to be sure.
“Thank you all for coming out tonight,” says the woman at the podium. She has short, cropped hair, and wears an oversized knit sweater and jeans. “I'm Maggie, and I'm excited to talk to you all about sustainable living in the modern world.”
I shift in my seat, trying to get comfortable, but my mind is anywhere but on the presentation. What if Knox sees me here? What will he think? Would he come over and say hi? Do I even want him to?
Maggie talks about reducing waste and making eco-friendly choices. I try to pay attention, really I do, because I am interested. Plus, the promise of pizza at the end is a strong motivator. But every few minutes, I can't help but sneak a look back at Knox. He hasn't moved, still standing with that casual arrogance that only someone like him can pull off.
Isla nudges me and I snap back to reality.
“What?” I whisper, annoyed at being caught daydreaming.
“You're going to get whiplash from all that turning around,” she says smugly. “Just go talk to him if you're so desperate.”
“I'm not desperate,” I protest, maybe a little too loudly. Some heads turn in our direction, and I sink lower in my seat. “I’m just curious why he’s here.”
“You'll never know unless you ask.”
I glare at her, then steal one last look at Knox. Part of me knows she's right. If I want answers, I have to be brave enough to seek them out. But another part of me—probably the smarter part—remembers that getting involved with Knox in any way is playing with fire.
And I already learned my lesson in that regard.
I hope.
The presentation continues, and I find myself fidgeting more and more. Hailey is actually taking notes on her phone, which makes sense given she’s an environmental studies major. Isla looks as if she’s paying attention to Maggie even though I know she came for the pizza just as much as I did. My mind keeps wandering back to Knox and I hate myself for it.
When Maggie mentions something about renewable energy sources, I force myself to focus on the slideshow she is presenting. Bright images of solar panels and wind turbines flash on the screen. My stomach growls again, and I start counting down the minutes until we can make a dash for the pizza.
Finally, Maggie wraps up her talk with a heartfelt plea to make small changes in our daily lives. The room fills with polite applause, and I can almost taste the pizza now. People start to shuffle out of their seats and move toward the back of the room where a table laden with stacks of pizza boxes awaits.
“See, that wasn't so bad,” Hailey says, putting her phone away. “And now we're all a little more informed.”
“Definitely, and once my belly is full, I can think about everything that was said,” I say. “Can we eat now?”
We stand and merge into the crowd moving toward the food. I can't help but scan for Knox again, wondering if he's going to make a move for the pizza or if he's just going to bolt. Part of me hopes he'll leave so I don't have to deal with sharing the same air as him.
The line crawls forward, and Hailey grabs an extra plate before I even ask. She hands it over without a word, her attention locked on the pizza like it’s the prize at the end of a marathon.
“You good?” Isla asks, already reaching for a slice dripping with cheese and pepperoni.
“Yeah, I’ll catch up. Still deciding,” I mumble, though I’m not really thinking about pizza. My thoughts are revolving around the one person they shouldn’t be.
They don’t wait. Isla and Hailey head toward an open spot near the windows, already biting into their slices like they haven’t eaten in days.
I jump slightly when Lucas slides in next to me, a grin plastered on his face. We’ve seen each other on campus after he tutored me once. He tried to correct my math homework even though I was already right. Not exactly a highlight of that day.
“Selene, right?” Lucas says. “What did you think of the presentation? That Q&A went longer than expected, but it meant people were interested in the topic, I guess.”
I force a polite nod. “Yeah, it was informative,” I say, trying not to let my eyes wander around the room. But then I spot Knox heading over, and my stomach does a little flip.
He’s wearing a half-smirk, that signature cocky set to his jaw. The second he sees me talking to Lucas, the smirk slips into something way more serious. What the hell is that all about?
Knox doesn’t hesitate. He walks right up to us, like he owns the damn place, and puts himself between me and Lucas.
“Didn’t know you were into environmental stuff,” he says, his voice low as his eyes flicker from me to Lucas and back again. “Thought this kind of thing would bore you.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “I’m full of surprises,” I shoot back, trying to keep my tone light even though my pulse is suddenly racing.
Lucas chuckles awkwardly beside me. “It’s cool to see people from different circles showing up to these things,” he says, completely missing the tension that is now at level one thousand. “You here for extra credit or just the free pizza?”
Knox’s gaze locks onto Lucas, and I swear I see his jaw tighten. “What do you think?” he fires back, the edge in his voice impossible to miss. “I don’t need extra credit.”
Lucas blinks, thrown off by the sudden fire in Knox’s voice. “Right. Well, the pizza’s good, at least.”
Knox doesn’t even acknowledge that. “You’re a math tutor, right?” he asks. “I heard you love correcting people even when they’re not wrong.”
Damn it. I knew I shouldn’t have mentioned that to him.
Lucas’s eyebrows shoot up. “Uh, I just try to help people understand the material,” he says, his smile faltering a bit.
“Yeah, I’m sure you do,” Knox mutters, grabbing a plate with a little more force than necessary. He flips open the pizza box and snatches a slice.
“Knox,” I hiss under my breath. He has some freaking nerve. “Seriously?”
He shrugs, biting into his pizza. “Just making conversation.”
Lucas clears his throat, obviously picking up on the vibe now. “Anyway, Selene, if you need any more help with math, please let me know.”
Before I can even open my mouth, Knox cuts in. “Yeah, well, Selene’s got a lot on her plate right now,” he says, leaning just slightly toward Lucas, like he’s daring him to push back. “Pretty sure she doesn’t have time for that.”
Lucas blinks, glancing between us. “Oh, I didn’t realize?—”
“That’s because there’s nothing to realize,” I snap, turning on Knox, my cheeks burning. “I can speak for myself, thanks.”
Knox just takes another bite, looking way too satisfied with himself. “Sure you can.”
Lucas gives me an awkward smile, clearly deciding this isn’t his scene anymore. “Well… guess I’ll see you later, Selene.” He backs off quickly, disappearing into the crowd.
The second he’s out of sight, I spin around to face Knox. “What the hell was that?”
Knox lifts a shoulder, like he didn’t just chase someone off with his attitude. “What? I’m saving you from a lecture about calculus. You don’t really wanna hang out with that guy, do you?”
“That’s not the point!” I hiss, frustration bubbling over. “You can’t treat me the way you’ve treated me and then act like some jealous asshole. Hell, you can’t do that anyway.”
His smirk falters, and for a second, I think I’ve actually stunned him into silence. But then he steps in closer, lowering his voice so only I can hear.
“Jealous?” he repeats, his eyes darkening like I’ve just flashed him or something. “You think that’s what this is?”
I glare up at him, refusing to back down. “Yeah, Knox. That’s exactly what this is. You don’t get to be hot and cold with me and then scare off anyone who talks to me. You can promptly fuck off.”
I hate that we’re having this showdown in public, but there’s no time like the present. I can see the war going on behind his eyes. The cocky exterior slips, just for a moment, before his smug expression is back in place.
“I’m not trying to have it both ways,” he mutters, voice low and tense. “I just don’t like seeing guys like him think they’ve got a shot.”
My chest tightens, and I hate the way his words sends fire through my body. I’m not supposed to be feeling anything but hatred toward him given what we’ve been through at this point. “That’s not your decision to make.”
He leans in even closer, his breath warm against my ear. “Maybe not. But that doesn’t mean I have to pretend I’m cool with it.”
For a second, I can’t breathe. The space between us is suffocating me, like one false move and I’ll be taking my last breath. My heart’s pounding so hard it’s a wonder he can’t hear it.
But then I pull back, shaking my head. “You’re unbelievable,” I toss over my shoulder, pushing past him before I do something even more ridiculous—like stay.
I don’t look back as I make my way through the crowd, but I can feel his eyes on me, burning into my skin with every step. As much as I want to be furious, some stupid part of me knows this isn’t over. Not even close.
I’m almost to the other side of the room when I hear it.
“Knox!”
The voice cuts through the chatter, sharp enough to make me freeze mid-step. I don’t turn around. I keep moving, pretending like I’m unaffected, but every part of me is humming with leftover adrenaline.
Thankfully, there’s another table where pizza is being given out and once I reach it. I let my curiosity win for a second. I glance sideways, catching a glimpse of a tall guy with a scruffy beard waving at Knox from across the room, a half-eaten slice of pizza in his other hand.
I don’t wait to see what Knox does. I don’t need to. Instead, I grab a slice of pizza, and make my way toward Isla and Hailey, who look way too pleased with themselves.
“Close call,” Isla says, taking a huge bite of her pizza as I walk over to them. “I thought for sure you were going to melt into a puddle.”
I scowl at her. “Thanks for the rescue. Both of you.”
“What are friends for?” Hailey responds with her mouth full. Isla just shakes her head and takes a more dainty bite of her own slice.
We move to the side of the room, away from the rush of people still trying to get a slice or two. I keep my back to Knox, hoping that out of sight will mean out of mind, but it's not working. Every nerve in my body is still on high alert from that short interaction.
And I hate myself for it.