Chapter 20 – Kat
TWENTY
KAT
With each step down the creaky wooden staircase, the faint sounds of music and chatter grow in volume until they nearly drown out my own thoughts. I have been looking forward to a calm night of drinking by the pool with my friends, but as soon as I reach the bottom step, I am hit with a wave of energy from the crowded beach house. The guys have never been known for keeping things low-key, so it’s not really a surprise that it isn’t just our group of friends. Laughter echoes off the walls as people weave in and out of rooms, thankfully still sober enough that nothing has gone awry.
I navigate through a cluster of partygoers, desperate for a moment of reprieve by the pool. But even outside is bustling with people, their laughter and chatter carried on the ocean breeze, so I stay inside.
Despite the lively atmosphere, I can’t seem to shake the uneasiness in my gut. Just as I begin to feel overwhelmed, Tanner materializes at my side, offering me a plastic red cup filled with a deep red drink. Gratefully, I take a sip, feeling the coolness of the liquid soothing my nerves.
“You are a godsend,” I say before taking another healthy sip of red wine.
He grabs his chest in mock shock as if I’ve shot him, then grins. “You looked like you could use a drink.”
“Well, you were right,” I reply, gulping down the rest of the drink in three large swallows. Tanner stares at me. “What?”
His gaze is intense as he studies me, and I feel a little self-conscious under his scrutiny. “Is everything all right?” he asks with concern in his voice.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know, you’ve just seemed off since we left Ohio.”
“I’m fine.” Which I guess is true. Or it should be. I can’t name a reason for the weight in my chest—I should be elated to be on spring break—so when his eyes meet mine, I just shrug. “No, I’m not. But it’s just a funk. I’ll be okay.”
He seems to take this at face value, or at least he doesn’t pry. “Well, if there is anything I can do to help…let me know.”
“I will.” I force a smile as he looks down at me.
Tanner grabs my cup from my hand and backs into the crowd. “I shall return.”
Just as Tanner disappears, Elijah appears with two Coors Lights in his grasp. He holds one out to me and I can’t find the words to remind him that I don’t really like beer. I’ll drink it if it’s the only option at a party, but when met with options, I’d pretty much never choose it.
“Thanks,” I say, grabbing it and pulling the tab on the cold aluminum can. It hisses and I take a swig, wincing at the sharp, bitter taste. Despite not enjoying it, I gulp it down as I know it will eventually have the same effect as wine.
“Are you having fun?” he asks over the music.
I force a tight-lipped smile, a facade I’ve become far too good at erecting. My heart races with anxiety as I watch a girl accidentally knock over a cup on the side table, causing its contents to spill onto the carpet. The liquid spreads, seeping into the fibers and leaving a dark patch behind. My body tenses at the knowledge that it will most certainly leave a stain.
“Shit,” Elijah says. He hands me his beer before disappearing, presumably to find cleaning supplies.
Scanning the crowd, I struggle to find anyone I know, let alone Elijah. I’m not really sure where he ran off to. The feeling from earlier starts to creep back in, the wash of dread that fills my stomach and leaves me with nothing else to do except raise my beer to my lips.
I take a big gulp of the amber liquid, trying to hide my grimace as the bitter taste coats my tongue. My throat clenches in protest, but I force myself to swallow it down. How people actually enjoy beer is beyond me.
It isn’t until I am swallowing the last bit of foam at the bottom of the can that Tanner appears in front of me with a perplexed expression on his face, holding the cup filled with wine he’d gone to fetch.
“What?” I ask as a rogue burp creeps past my lips—an effect of the hoppy nastiness—leaving my cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
“Why are you drinking beer?”
“Because it’s a party and I want to be drunk.”
He continues to stare at me .
“What?!” I huff, irritation creeping into my voice.
“You hate beer.” He says it so matter-of-factly, like I somehow forgot that fact.
“I know.”
“So, why are you drinking it?” he asks. There’s no judgment in his voice; only pure, honest confusion.
“Elijah got it for me and I was thirsty,” I say as I stand straighter. I know he isn’t judging me, but I can’t fight the urge to defend myself anyway. As if there is something to defend—which there isn’t. Elijah is human; it’s not his responsibility to know everything about me.
Noticing the shift in my tone, Tanner steps toward me. As he invades my space, the scent of beer and cologne overwhelms my senses. It should smell gross, but the way it mingles with what I assume to be just him smells…nice.
“Here,” he says quietly, so quietly I barely hear him. He extends his hand between us, barely flexing his wrist as he offers the red cup to me, filled nearly to the top with red wine. He grabs the empty can from my hand, replacing it with the much-preferred beverage.
I murmur a soft “Thank you,” but the words are swallowed by the pounding music and the chatter of drunk partygoers. In this brief moment, it’s just the two of us—his piercing green eyes meeting mine, everything else fading into the background. The chaos of the party becomes muffled, as if we’re in our own little bubble of silence.
Reaching up, I grab the cup from his hand, but jerk away quickly as the touch of his skin causes an electric current to shoot through me.
What in the actual fuck was that ?
Elijah’s voice breaks through the fog, shattering the moment of quiet. “I got you another bee?—”
I snap to look at him and his easygoing posture stiffens, his once-soft gaze sharp and accusatory. His jaw clenches, and I can practically feel the heat radiating from his body as he glares at me with narrowed eyes.
He’s jealous.
I should find it appealing how territorial he is, yet I’m starting to realize it only really happens when Tanner and I are alone together—I don’t understand why. Tanner and I are friends. Hell, Tanner is his friend, so I can’t figure out why he’s so wound up about it.
Elijah’s focus shifts from me to Tanner, his expression somehow even more scathing than when he was looking at me. Tanner, however, doesn’t entertain it and simply grins back at him. They’re nearly the same height, Tanner having maybe an inch on Elijah, so their gazes are level. Though where Elijah glares, Tanner grins.
“You got me another beer?” Tanner smiles wide before grabbing the can from him. “You’re so thoughtful.”
Elijah’s attention shifts to the cup in my hand, realizing I already have a beverage. As if caught off guard by the interaction with Tanner, or maybe realizing he has no reason to be jealous, his lips curve upward, like he’s been in on the joke the entire time.
“Of course, man. Only the best for a brother of mine.”
The air feels almost metallic as I take in the false sense of pleasantry. Tension radiates off Elijah at a rate I’m not sure I’ve ever witnessed, yet Tanner is the picture of composure. It’s almost like he genuinely doesn’t care.
Then Tanner backs into the crowd with a cocky grin on his lips, but it’s not until he’s nearly out of earshot that I hear him say, “I put your wine in the back of the fridge. Figured you’d want to know, since I know how much you hate beer.”
If I didn’t think he was taunting Elijah before, I sure as hell know he is now. And by the look on Elijah’s face, so does he. His clenched jaw doesn’t waver before he stalks off into the crowd in the opposite direction.
And once again I am standing by myself.
As I wander through the crowd, the pulsing bass of the music reverberates in my chest. People dance and chat in small groups, but I can’t find anyone I know. Jenna is nowhere to be found. I see Regina, Aaron’s girlfriend, but I barely know her.
I check my phone for any new messages, but there are none. Feeling a pang of loneliness, I grab the box of red wine from the fridge and head out by the pool.
Thankfully, the group of partygoers who were out here before have since gone inside and I find a semblance of peace. Unfortunately, without the distraction of chaos and boys pretending to be alpha-males, I am left once again with the anxious feeling flooding my stomach.
And I still don’t know why.
I dip my toes into the cool, crystal blue water of the pool and feel a shiver run down my spine as a gust of wind blows in from the nearby coast. The ripples in the water dance around my feet, inviting me to take a swim. However, given everything else, I’m not sure that is the best idea.
Once I’m back inside the house, I notice that the chaos has died down, most people long gone.
“Hey, babe.”
I nearly jump out of my skin as two strong arms wrap around my waist, the smell of cheap beer consuming my senses. Elijah presses his lips to the side of my neck before whispering, “We should go up to bed.”
He’s drunk, but he’s no longer angry, at least. I should be thankful, yet my anxiety only increases.
“Okay,” I whisper.
He grabs my hand and pulls me toward the stairs.