Chapter 17 #2
"Rosalie. I'm your roommate. You sneak out almost every night.
You come back with that dopey smile on your face.
And you've been humming a lot more lately.
" She touched up her lipstick. "I think it's cute.
Derek's hot, he obviously worships you, and you're happy.
I'm sad you didn't tell me, but otherwise, what's the problem? "
"Aaron," I said quietly. "Aaron's the problem."
Daisy's expression softened. "Yeah, I figured. But Rosie... you can't live your life for your brother. Eventually, he's going to have to deal with the fact that you're an adult who makes her own choices."
"I know. We're going to tell him. After the Westpoint game."
"Good," she said, grabbing her purse. "Now come on. We have a party to dominate."
The soccer house was already packed when we arrived, music thumping loud enough to rattle the windows. Someone, most likely Ivy, had gone all out with decorations: fake cobwebs everywhere, jack-o'-lanterns lining the walkway, string lights creating an eerie glow.
"This is amazing," Daisy breathed, her eyes scanning the crowd for Jeremy.
I spotted my brother immediately, dressed as a boxer with fake blood on his lip. He was laughing with Liam, who'd come as a pirate. My eyes automatically searched for Derek, finding him across the room talking to Max.
He'd gone with the lazy athlete costume route, just his jersey and some eye black, but somehow he still looked incredible. When our eyes met, electricity sparked between us, even across the crowded room.
Then he deliberately looked away.
Right. We were being careful.
"Rosie!" Ivy appeared, dressed as a Greek goddess in a flowing white dress. "You look incredible! Come on, Nova's setting up beer pong."
She dragged me toward the back patio, where Nova, dressed as a vampire, was organizing teams. I let myself be pulled into the game, trying to focus on having fun rather than constantly tracking Derek’s whereabouts.
But I was hyperaware of him. Every time he laughed, every time he moved, I felt it like a physical pull.
"Earth to Rosalie," Nova waved a hand in front of my face. "Your turn."
I grabbed the ping pong ball, trying to concentrate. My shot went wide, missing the cup completely.
"Wow, you're really off your game tonight," Nova observed. "Everything okay?"
"Fine. Just tired."
"Right." She didn't push, but I caught the knowing look she exchanged with Ivy.
An hour into the party, I was starting to relax. Maybe this would be okay. Maybe we could get through one night without incident.
Then Sebastian showed up.
He was dressed as a football player, which was ironic since he was on the soccer team, and he made a beeline straight for Derek. I watched them talk, saw Derek's expression close off, saw his jaw clench.
Something was wrong.
"I need a drink," I announced, excusing myself from the beer pong game.
I wove through the crowd, trying to get close enough to Derek and Sebastian to hear what they were saying without being obvious about it, but Max cut me off.
"Hey, we have a problem, Aaron's been with Dex's phone, trying to look for a playlist, and I know you guys have been sharing some music," he said, his forehead creasing with concern. "I was on the way to grab him to switch the phones..."
"I'll grab him, you just maybe plug in yours?" I offered to give me the perfect excuse to get closer to my boyfriend.
"... just saying, man, people are talking," Sebastian's voice carried over the music. "About you and Rosalie. Some of us think there might be something going on."
My blood ran cold.
"There's nothing going on," Derek's voice was steady, but I heard the tension underneath. "She's my friend. She's helping me with recovery."
"Is that what we're calling it now?" Sebastian's tone was mocking. "Look, I don't care who you fuck. But Aaron might. And if the team chemistry gets disrupted right before Westpoint because of some girl drama..."
"Watch it," Derek's voice dropped dangerously low. "Don't talk about her like that."
"See, that's exactly what I mean." Sebastian moved closer, his voice lowering but still audible. "You're defensive about her. Protective. That's not how you act about someone who's just a friend."
I should have walked away. Should have let Derek handle it. But my feet carried me forward before my brain could stop them.
"Hey," I said brightly, inserting myself between them. "Sorry to interrupt. Derek, Aaron's looking for you. Something about the music playlist."
Derek's eyes met mine, grateful and worried at the same time. "Thanks, Rosie."
He started to move past Sebastian, but Seb grabbed his arm.
"This conversation isn't over," Sebastian said, his eyes moving between us. "And Rosalie? You might want to be more careful. People are watching."
It wasn't a threat exactly, but it felt like one.
Derek's hand twitched like he wanted to reach for me, but he caught himself. "Come on, let's find Aaron."
We walked away together, neither of us speaking until we were in a quieter corner of the house.
"That was close," I breathed.
"Too close." Derek's hands clenched into fists. "I wanted to punch him."
"For what? Being observant?" I touched his arm briefly, then pulled back. "He's right, Derek. People are noticing. We're not as careful as we think we are."
"So what do we do?"
Before I could answer, Aaron appeared with Max close behind.
"There you are," Aaron said to Derek, then noticed me. "Rosie, nice costume. Very shiny."
"Thanks." I forced a smile. "I was just heading back to the patio."
"Actually, stay for a second." Aaron's expression was serious, his hand clutching Derek's phone. "I need to talk to both of you."
My heart stopped. This was it. Someone had told him. Sebastian had told him, or he had seen the playlists full of love songs. I haven't recognized any of our songs playing during the party, but he might have seen it or...
"What's up?" Derek's voice was carefully neutral.
Aaron looked between us, his jaw working. "I've been hearing things. Rumors. About you two."
The world tilted. I felt Derek's entire body tense beside me.
"What kind of rumors?" I asked, proud that my voice didn't shake.
"That you're spending a lot of time together. That you're acting... differently." Aaron's eyes narrowed. "Max says I'm being paranoid. That you're just friends helping each other through recovery. Tell me he's right."
The question hung in the air. One word from either of us and everything would explode.
Derek opened his mouth, and I saw the war playing out on his face. The desire to finally tell the truth. The loyalty to his best friend. The love for me.
"Max is right," Derek said, and I felt something inside me crack. "We're friends. That's all."
Aaron studied us for another long moment, then nodded slowly. "Okay. Good. Because Sebastian was just telling me some pretty specific things. About seeing you two in the studio late at night. About the way Derek looks at you."
"Sebastian needs to mind his own business," Derek said, his voice hard.
"Maybe. Or maybe he's actually looking out for the team.
" Aaron crossed his arms. "Look, I don't want to be that guy.
The overprotective brother who thinks no one's good enough for his sister.
But if something was going on between you two, it would be complicated in ways I don't think either of you has thought through. "
"Nothing's going on," I said, hating every word. "Can we please just drop this and enjoy the party?"
"Fine." But Aaron didn't look convinced. "Just... be smart. Both of you. Oh, and your phone... your music sucks."
Derek took his phone back with a tense smile, as Aaron walked away, leaving us standing there in loaded silence.
"I should go," I whispered.
"Rosie..."
"I can't do this right now." I turned away before he could see the tears forming. "I'll see you later."
I made it to the bathroom before the tears fell, locking myself in and trying to breathe through the panic. We couldn't keep doing this. Living in constant fear of being discovered. Lying to everyone we cared about.
Something had to give.
And I was terrified of what would break when it finally did.