Chapter 18
SADIE
Upon Danny’s insistence, after I ate a bit, I took a nap and didn’t wake up until midafternoon.
Danny left my phone on the nightstand in case I needed to ask for something.
The boy is too sweet for his own good, and if I’m not careful, I might fall head over heels for him.
I can already feel the butterflies waking up in my belly.
Hell, I’m giddy just thinking about him.
When I glance at my phone, I see a bunch of notifications stacked on top of one another on the screen. I open WhatsApp and find out that my teammates blew up our group chat. Vanessa is the one sending most of them.
Before they decide to march into Danny’s apartment to check if I’m alive, I reply to all.
ME: I’m fine, still a little groggy from whatever I was given.
VANESSA: Thank heavens. Can you talk? I wanna call you.
ME: Sure.
A second later, the phone rings.
“Hey,” I say.
“Sadie, I’m so sorry. Are you really okay?”
“I am. Don’t worry. Danny is taking good care of me.”
“Is he now?”
Bollocks. I shouldn’t have let that slip out.
“Yeah. He’s an angel.”
She laughs. “What kind of angel? I hope Lucifer.”
I rub my legs together as my mind takes a nosedive into the gutter once again. Maybe the drug made me horny too.
“Stop it. I don’t want to picture Danny doing wicked things to me. We’re just friends, and that’s all we’ll ever be.”
“Why? If you like him and you’re attracted to him, I don’t see the problem. He’s clearly into you.”
I don’t want to rejoice at her statement, not when he made it clear that he only wants to concentrate on football.
“We’re both trying to focus on our careers. No time for relationships.”
“Are you saying you’re going to turn into a nun and not hook up with anyone?”
“I have toys. They’ll do. Besides, apart from Danny, the quality of blokes I’ve been subjected to so far at this school is appalling.”
“Slim pickings, I know. I’m livid that Nick Fowler tried to take advantage of you when you weren’t yourself. He’s an asshole through and through. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the one who spiked your drinks.”
I share the same thought, but without proof, I can’t accuse the tosser of anything.
“You didn’t hear anything about who did it, then?”
“No. I know the guys on the football team were looking and asking questions, but that party was a fucking zoo. No one saw or remembers anything. At least we don’t think anyone else drank what you did. Small blessings, I guess.”
“Yeah.”
“Anyway, I’m glad you’re okay, and that you have a sinfully good-looking guardian angel looking out for you.” I can hear the grin in her voice.
“Thanks for checking on me.”
“Of course. We’re Ravens. That means family in my book.”
“I don’t think Melody considers me family.” I snort.
“Nah, she does, but she’s jealous as fuck that you’re as talented as she is.”
“ As talented? What the hell? I’m better than she is.”
She snorts. “God, I forgot humbleness is not your forte.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“When are you going home? Tomorrow?” she asks.
“Why tomorrow? I was planning to head back to the dorms today.”
“Paris told me the drug is likely to stay in your body for thirty-six hours. I’d stay at Danny’s if I were you, just in case you require his assistance .”
I sigh. “For fuck’s sake, Vanessa. Nothing is going on here.”
“Yeah, yeah. Remember, I called it first. I demand to be in the wedding party.”
“I’m hanging up now. Bye.”
I end the call and lean back against the pillow. It’s hard enough to lie to myself when I’m around Danny. It doesn’t help when my friends keep reminding me that I’m the biggest pretender there ever was.
I scroll through my other messages. There are a few from Katrina.
The first she sent soon after I left her with her sorority friends, asking where I was.
The second one was drunken nonsense, and the last one was from this morning, again asking where I was.
She didn’t sound worried that I didn’t go back to our shared room last night.
I’m sure she assumed I hooked up with someone.
I send her a quick text so she knows I’m not missing, but there’s not a chance in hell I’m telling her where I am.
There’s a missed call from Dad, and I fear he somehow heard about what happened to me. My stomach coils tightly. I should call him back, but what if he knows? Is he going to get mad? Probably.
Ugh . What if he doesn’t care? I don’t know which is the worst scenario.
I’m freaking out while I stare at my phone.
A knock on the door jolts me out of the stupid panic mode.
“Sadie?” Danny calls.
“You can come in. I’m up.”
I run my fingers through my hair, remembering belatedly that I just woke from a nap and must look like shite.
He sticks his head in first and catches me in the act of preening. I drop my hands quickly, making it even more obvious that I was trying to hide that I want to be pretty for him.
Kill me now. I want to go back to when I barely noticed boys. None of the blokes I knew in London looked like Danny though.
“How are you feeling?” He walks in and shuts the door.
My pulse accelerates. Why am I all of a sudden so aware that I’m alone with Danny in his room? It didn’t affect me when I woke up in the morning as much as it is now. Maybe because I was too busy puking my guts out.
“Much better. Hey, quick question. Did you tell my father about what happened to me?”
His eyes widen. “No. Of course not.”
I exhale loudly in relief. “Thank God. I can’t handle any more drama about this. I just want to forget the whole deal.”
My statement doesn’t seem to sit well with Danny. He’s scowling a little.
“What? You don’t think I should move on?”
“That’s not it. I understand your reasoning. I’m just pissed that someone did that to you and they’re going to walk away unpunished.”
I shrug. “That’s life, Danny. Most of the time, the bad guys don’t get what they deserve. Hoping otherwise just leads to disappointment.”
“Was that what happened to the person who gave you that scar?”
All my barriers fly up in the blink of an eye. “What makes you think that scar was from an attack?” I snap.
Remorse seems to shine in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to assume or pry. You don’t need to tell me.”
“I know I don’t.”
Irritated, I throw my legs to the side of the bed and stand up too fast. The room begins to spin, and I find myself tumbling forward. In two long strides, Danny reaches me and prevents the fall.
“Careful there. You’re not completely recovered yet.”
“I feel fine. As a matter of fact, I want to go home.”
“Sadie, is this because of my stupid question about your past? I’m sorry, okay? But I want you to stay.”
I should insist about going home, but I can’t think straight when I’m this close to Danny, when I can feel his accelerated heartbeat under my flattened hand over his chest. Actually, those are the very reasons I should go. But I’m weak, and I can’t say no to him.
I step back, even though Danny keeps holding my arms. “Fine. But I need a change of clothes. I feel funny wearing borrowed pants.”
“Okay, if you give me your keys, I can bring your stuff.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“Sadie, you should rest. If your roommate is home, I’ll ask her to pack your things.”
I scrunch my nose. “Honestly, it wouldn’t make a difference who packs my stuff. It’s still two strangers going through my knickers.”
His eyebrows furrow. “I thought we had moved past the strangers phase after you puked all over my room and I saw your tits.”
My jaw drops. “I can’t believe you’re throwing that in my face. You’re such a bellend.”
“Sorry if the truth hurts, sugar.” He smirks.
I watch him through slits. “Are you trying to get on my bad side, Danny Hudson? I’m only weak for another ten hours or so, but after that, you don’t really want to mess with me.”
He flicks my nose. “You’re cute when you’re angry.”
I’d kick his shin if I thought I could do it and not lose my balance. “Stop saying stuff guys say when they’re trying to get laid.”
Danny twists his face into an exaggerated scowl. “That may have been true before I saw the insides of your stomach. You ruined it for me, Sadie.”
It’s hard not to wince, but I think I manage not to give away how his joke upset me. I’m such a basket case. I want us to remain in the friend zone, yet I want him to secretly want me.
“Listen, it doesn’t matter. If I’m to stay another night, I have to pack my own overnight bag. Besides, I don’t want any more rumors spreading about me. If you show up at my dorm alone and leave with a duffel bag, people will think we’re shacking up.”
“Would that be so terrible?” My heart skips a beat, thinking he means the question, but then he continues. “Do you find me that abhorrent?”
“Absolutely. Now let’s go. If we’re lucky, Katrina won’t be around.”