16. Aurora
E verest has found his way into my bed every night this week.
Nothing else has happened between us, his conscience clearly at war with itself as usual, but all I know is that when I fall asleep he isn’t there, and when I wake up he is.
We don’t speak, not a word, not for my lack of trying of course, but it may as well still be that I don’t exist. He just arrives, getting inside only the devil knows how, and slides into bed behind me.
Maybe he tells himself that each night will be different, that we can go back to how things were before, but then I wake to his completely settled, yet brooding stare, before he leaves without a word.
Outside of that we haven’t seen each other, again not for my lack of trying, but still I feel his eyes on me throughout the day, like an invisible brand on my body.
Whether I’m walking to class or grabbing lunch, his presence is there like a phantom touch.
My throat still burns with the taste of him, with the need for him, one that is only intensified when I wake up with him wrapped around me.
I’m sure he can see the silent pleas in my stare, the unspoken begging for more, but his restraint resembles that of a saint apparently.
So he’s still acting like his moody, dickish self, but I know things have changed between us, whether he wants to admit it or not.
There has been an irreversible shift and even though he leaves every morning without so much as a kiss, I know it won’t take much more to break him completely.
It’s Friday afternoon and I’m sitting in my final class of the day, willing for the last quarter of an hour to hurry up and pass by.
The guy who sits next to me, Simon I think his name is, stretches out lazily, meeting my stare and rolling his eyes playfully, as our professor continues to drone on.
I offer him a polite smile in return, which he takes as an opening to talk.
“I don’t think I’m going to make it to the hour,” he whispers, picking up his pencil from his desk. “Can I ask the pretty lady to jam this into my neck,” he adds, and I bite back my laugh at his dramatics.
“But then the pretty lady would get blood on her pretty dress,” I toss back, gesturing to my cream ensemble, and he lets his eyes drag down my body in that obvious way guys do, and I suddenly realize this isn’t him starting a funny joke, he’s flirting with me.
Any normal person would probably be flattered, but unfortunately for me, all it does is make me nervous.
“Don’t worry, Aurora, I always clean up when I make a mess,” he replies slowly, and my eyes narrow a little bit, offering him a small smile, before turning my focus back to the front.
I feel him staring at me for the rest of the class, and when it’s finally time to leave, he follows me down the steps. Thankfully, to my delight, I find Aubree waiting for me outside, and though I’m not sure why she’s here, I rush straight for her. Unfortunately, Simon follows.
“Aurora wait,” he starts, jogging to meet us, and before he can open his mouth, Aubree is at my side, no doubt seeing the panicked look in my eyes.
“Do you want Archer Gray to maim you with his hockey stick?” she asks sweetly, and my eyes widen at her question, but it has Simon pausing slightly, looking between us.
“No?” he replies in question, and Aubree continues to glare at him.
“Then fuck off, she doesn’t want to date you,” she snaps back, tucking her arm in mine and dragging me away before he can say another word.
I’m too stunned to even apologize to him, letting her pull me along until we are completely away from the building. “You’ve been spending too much time with your wanker boyfriend,” I muse, but all she does is giggle.
“It worked, didn’t it?” she replies with a shrug. “Now come on, we have a party to get ready for.”
I don’t bother arguing with her. One, because I know it would be pointless, and two, because I know the party she is referring to. It’s at the guys’ house, and well, how exactly am I supposed to break my brother, if I’m not in close quarters with him?
So to her surprise, I smile and say, “Yes! And I need to look hot!”
Three hours later we are dressed, and sufficiently tipsy on cheap wine that Aubree smuggled into the dorms, and I’m feeling lighter than I have in months. We went to her apartment to grab her stuff, and then headed to my dorm to get ready and have fun, and so far it’s been a blast and I look good.
“Well, mission accomplished, you look stunning, the guys won’t know what hit them,” she praises, clinking her glass into the air, and I can’t help but survey my outfit in the mirror.
It’s a deep red, corset style dress that pops out at the waist. I’ve paired it with sheer tights and heels, styling my hair in loose curls. Red is their favorite color, and they always love it when I wear my hair down like this, so I know I will have their attention, yet still I deny my intentions.
“What guys?” I ask, sipping more of my wine, and Aubree rolls her eyes.
“I’m sure you forget that I denied Alexander for as long as I did, I know what it looks like to secretly want someone,” she snorts, and I sigh.
“Yeah, well don’t tell that British asshole anything, I can’t have this getting back to Archer,” I tell her, and she laughs knowingly, topping up my wine glass.
“Do you think he would care?” she asks, more seriously now. “Archer, I mean.”
It’s something I have contemplated more than anyone could ever imagine, the fall out of being in love with not just my brother, but his two best friends too, and the answer is always the same. Yes, they would care, how could they not? Yet instead of saying that, I just shrug.
Aubree only sighs. “Don’t worry, little Gray, your secret is safe with me.”
We finish the bottle of wine and then stumble from my dorm room, making our way across campus to Hockey Row.
By the time we arrive the party is in full swing, and thankfully I don’t spot the guys anywhere right away.
Which is good, as I need some more liquid courage first. I spy Bishop mixing up drinks in the kitchen, so when Aubree excuses herself to go and find her friends, I make a beeline straight for him.
He’s with a few members of his team that I recognize, as they wait for him to be done mixing up margaritas, and a couple of them eye me, as I slide into one of the stools opposite them.
“I’ll take one of those,” I say by way of greeting, and he looks up, his face lighting up in recognition.
“Oh is that right? Do you want Monroe to kill me?” he asks, but still grabs an extra glass for me anyway, and I note the guys, who were eying me earlier, avert their eyes at the mention of my brother’s name.
“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” I smile sweetly, and Bishop laughs, shaking his head, more than used to my sass over the years.
“You’re trouble,” he scolds, pouring me a drink and handing it over. “And you know how much I like trouble.”
I take the glass gratefully and take a sip.
“Tastes good,” I reply, as he pours some for the others, before rounding the counter with the jug.
I turn in my stool to survey the rest of the party.
“So, Bishop, who’s your target for tonight?
” I ask, eying up the girls who are not so subtly staring at him, and the other guys on the team behind us.
“You mean, after the most stunning girl in the room, of course?” he teases, tossing his arm around my shoulder, and I roll my eyes, feeling the other guys watching us.
“Please, we both know you’re too scared of my brother to make me your target,” I toss back, and a deep chuckle rumbles in his chest, as he releases me and gives me his full focus.
“Oh yeah? Which brother?” he muses quietly, bringing his head close to mine and cocking a brow at me, and my only response is to down my drink and shake my empty glass at him.
I know better than to get into that conversation with him, and when I remain silent he grins wickedly.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought, Ro,” he laughs, pouring me another, and I smile gratefully.
We stay like that, laughing, joking, and drinking for a while, and I can’t help but think how easy my life would have been if I fell for someone like him instead.
He’s handsome with his dark hair and eyes, smart, funny, and everyone in my family loves him.
I doubt anyone aside from Everest would have objected, yet I was doomed to fall for his three idiot friends instead.
We end up moving to the dining room to play beer pong, and as a team we absolutely dominate. After our third round of winning, I know I’m drunk and don’t hesitate to throw my arms around him, as he lifts me in the air and cheers over our glory by lifting me onto his shoulder.
“BishRo, BishRo, BishRo,” he chants over and over, making me giggle, as everyone watching us cheers, and it’s then I lock eyes with a fuming Griffin from across the room.
“Griff!” I sing drunkenly, instantly admiring how good he looks as he storms toward us, and Bishop drops me down and tosses his arm around my shoulder, pulling me in close.
“Do you have a fucking death wish?” Griffin seethes, glaring at his friend, and I roll my eyes at his fiery dramatics.
“Relax you big fucking baby, Ever is downstairs,” Bishop replies with a casual laugh, joining me with my drunken eye roll, which only makes me giggle even more. He’s probably the only guy who has never shied away from me because of them.
Griffin’s stare only gets deadlier, as he shoves Bishop's arm off my shoulder roughly, dragging me toward him in a move that has me swooning slightly. “I was talking about me, you prick,” he curses at him, possessively wrapping his arm around my waist, and I can’t help but snuggle into him.
Fuck he smells good. Does he always smell this good?
Bishop says something else to him, but I don’t hear what it is, I’m too lost in my hot best friend to care, and it isn’t until Bishop drops down a little to meet my stare that I focus back on him.
“Good luck trouble, you’re gonna need it,” he says with a wink, ruffling my hair, before nodding at Griffin, who then pulls us away.
“What the fuck am I going to do with you?” Griff curses beneath his breath, glaring at anyone who dares to get in our way, but my eyes are only on him.
“Kiss me again,” I reply, which apparently isn’t the answer he was looking for, because he only curses again, refusing my offer.
“Come on, we need to find your brother,” he tells me, dragging me through the crowds of people, not letting anyone touch me, and I smile again.
“Oh good, maybe he will kiss me again,” I shout over the music, pulling another curse from him, but I don’t know why.
This party is fun as hell!