Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
N o fucking way.
I braced a hand o n the sink, going still while my heart raced. Oh my god. What’s he doing here? As quietly as I could, I cracked the door to eavesdrop better. Different shades of panic spiraled through me.
My brain wanted to believe I’d misheard Frankie, but before the internal argument could go further, Crew’s unmistakable voice demanded, “I need to see her.”
It had been over two months, closer to three since I’d last laid eyes on Crew Riley. My gaze lifted to the mirror, seeing my wide-eyed, slightly wild, dismayed expression staring back at me. I wasn’t ready. Not yet. Not while I looked like this. When I saw Crew, I wanted it to be on my time, my turf, when I fucking looked smoking hot. I wanted him to feel the suffering of what he lost and could have had.
I held my breath waiting for Frankie to respond. “She’s not here,” my best friend retorted with added firmness.
My exhale came out in a whoosh of relief. Of course, she had my back. Frankie was protective, and she knew how worried I’d been about seeing Crew on campus.
“I just need five minutes,” Crew insisted .
“Are you drunk?” Frankie asked, her tone sharpening.
“It’s a Friday. Who isn’t drunk on campus?”
Frankie and I had a couple of drinks during our movie, but we weren’t drunk…yet.
“Like I said, she’s not home, and even if she was, I wouldn’t let you talk to her,” she said boldly.
“She can’t avoid me forever,” Crew rumbled. Why did the sound of his voice make my body flush? Make me wish things were different?
“You’ve don’t enough damage, don’t you think?” Frankie used the words like a weapon, whipping them out at Crew. “I won’t let you hurt her again.”
He didn’t immediately have a response, and I wondered if he left. I leaned closer to the door.
“Tell her I’ll be waiting. And give her this.”
“You’ll be a decrepit old man by the time Arie gives you the time of day again,” Frankie said, but there was also something sad or regretful in her delivery, almost like she was rooting for him.
It had to be my imagination. Why would Frankie want me to give him a second chance when she’d been the one to warn me away from him?
“She’ll be worth the wait,” Crew said.
The door clicked closed, and I leaned against the wall, releasing a much needed breath. I didn’t immediately leave the bathroom, but stayed, willing my damn heart to level. Putting the top down on the toilet, I sat, dropping my head into my hands. He’d ignored me this long. What changed? Why did he show up tonight of all nights? Had something happened?
I considered texting Cole and stood, walking into the bedroom to grab my phone from the charger. Frankie sat on the bed, her feet dangling off the end, arms propped behind her. “You had a visitor.”
Unplugging my phone, I frowned as I met her eyes. “I heard. Thanks for covering for me.”
“Do you think you’ll ever be able to forgive them?” she asked.
I blinked, taking a moment to consider before responding because my automatic answer was no, but I wasn’t sure if that was true. “I don’t know. Did Cole say something to you? ”
“No.” It was a very unconvincing no. I knew my best friend and spotted the lie.
“Frankie,” I growled, sitting on the edge of my bed with my phone clutched between my fingers.
She swung around on her bed so she faced me on the side versus the end. “It wasn’t Cole,” she revealed.
If Frankie hadn’t been talking to Cole since we’d arrived on campus, then why did I get the feeling there was something she wasn’t telling me? “Then who?”
Silence.
I stared at her, and the answer came to me. Shit. She wouldn’t have. But the thing was, Frankie would. “You’ve talked to Crew.” I couldn’t keep the accusation or the hurt from my voice. My best friend talking to the enemy felt like a betrayal. “You went behind my back. You kept it from me."
“It wasn’t like that,” she insisted, the denial coming fast off her lips. “You know I’ve never been able to keep a damn thing from you. We ran into each other. One thing led to another.”
“As long as your tongue didn’t end up in his mouth,” I snapped, annoyed with my best friend but more irritated with Crew.
“And if it did, would you be jealous?”
My eyes flashed.
Her lips curled as if the idea pleased her. “I can see you would. Don’t worry. I’d never step on your territory. We’ve always stuck to the girl code, and we’ll continue to do so. You’re way more important than any dick could ever be.”
My shoulders relaxed. “He’s not mine.”
“Keep telling yourself that, Arie.” She handed me a piece of paper, and recognition bulldozed into me as I glanced down.
It was a drawing. One of Crew’s. More specifically, the one of me he’d drawn when we’d been shut inside his house during the hurricane. Something in my chest opened.
S aturday rolled around, and the storm hadn’t let up. Rain pelted against the window, and I pressed my cheek to the cool glass, doing my damnedest and failing to not let memories of Crew creep in. Would every storm make me think of him?
Frankie emerged from the bathroom, a billow of steam following her as she stepped into our bedroom in a shorts set and a towel wrapped around her wet hair. “There’s a party tonight.” She moved to the closet we shared.
Shifting away from the window, I sat in the middle of my bed, folding my legs into a pretzel. An open textbook sat on my right, my laptop on my left. “Thanks, but no thanks.”
She thumbed through the clothes, including mine. We’d been sharing every aspect of our lives, except boys, since elementary school. “You can’t stay shut up in this room for the entire school year.”
I plucked the book off my bed and onto my lap, taking a deep inhale in hopes of gaining the focus that had deserted me the last few days. “I came to study not party.”
She examined a black sheer top. “Since when can’t Arie Quinn do both?”
I shot her a look.
Frankie held the top up, waiting for my opinion. “I’ve never seen you this turned up over a guy.”
I shook my head at her silent wardrobe question. “Don’t you mean guys?”
Frankie shook her head, slipping the top back onto the rack. “No, I think you know what you want. The question is, why aren’t you taking it? Since when don’t you go after what you want? I’m the one who is careless in love. Not you.”
My best friend knew me well. I chewed on my lip, fumbling with the corner of a page. “What if he doesn’t make me happy?”
“Are you happy now?”
I pressed my lips together. “Good point.”
Abandoning the closet, she rummaged through our dresser, pulling out undergarments and a pair of black leather shorts. “Come to the party with me. Have a good time. Get drunk.” She grinned at me, walking backwa rd into the bathroom and leaving the door open. “Maybe seeing him again will put things into perspective.”
Did I want to see him?
My heart rate kicked up in my chest, and I took that as a yes. This was insane. I chewed on my lower lip. “Do you know if he will be there?”
“Cole said he rarely goes out,” she said, her voice projecting into the bedroom.
Ceasing fidgeting with the textbook, I looked at the bathroom door. “You talked to Cole?”
Frankie appeared in the doorway in the black shorts and a bralette with a smirk gracing her lips. “Yes, and we both agree you need to get out of this room.”
My stomach knotted weirdly at learning they talked about me, I had a feeling I wouldn’t be getting any work done tonight, and I didn’t want to spend it with my distracted thoughts. Going out meant I’d risk seeing Crew, and the thought should fill me with something other than a flutter of excitement. “Fine,” I conceded. “But I’m dipping the moment things get weird.”
Happiness bloomed in Frankie’s features. A grin curled on her lips, making me rethink my decision as she squealed, bounding into the room and onto the bed. I quickly grabbed my laptop before it crashed to the floor. She took the book from my lap and closed it with a snap before tossing it aside. “Let’s find you something to wear,” she said, unable to hide her buzzing of excitement.
It made me realize I should have gone out with her more. Not every night, obviously. “If it isn’t comfortable, I’m not going.” Between the weather and my mood, my energy levels were suffering. A night out might be good for my mental health.
Frankie eyed the closet. She’d have to get creative because I didn’t bring what she considered drop-your-panties clothes. She jumped from the bed after inspecting the options for a minute. “My most difficult client.” She plucked two pieces from the hangers and tossed them on the bed beside me. “Try it on.”
Her outfit for me was a cropped one-shoulder hoodie and my favorite pair of jeans. I could work with this. Frankie wore her leather booty shorts and se e-through button-up blouse. It didn’t take us long to get dressed, but my best friend wasn’t finished with me yet. She wouldn’t let me leave the house without a little makeup, and I let her fuss with my hair.
An hour later we stood outside the Kappa Chi house, a large colonial brick two-story building with six white columns flanking the front door on either side. The rain had let up, the clouds spitting only a fine mist, but light spilled from all the windows, cutting through the darkness. People were already scattered everywhere. A bonfire burned off to the side of the house, the flames flickering high as a group of idiot guys did what they did best, tended the fire by playing with gas and matches. I made a mental note to stay away from the bonfire regardless of how tempting the heat was. I didn’t want all my hair singed off my body.
Music filtered onto the streets, but for once, it wasn’t obnoxiously booming. I could actually hear Frankie when she said, “We should have a safe word.”
Snuggling deeper into my cream hoodie, I stuffed my hands into the front pocket. “For what? Is there something about this party I don’t know about? Because if you took me to some kinky, sex orgy, I’m going home now.”
She rolled her eyes, slipping an arm through mine. “That’s on Sunday nights.”
I stepped over a puddle as we climbed the stairs. “I don’t know if you’re joking or not.”
“I meant a safe word or signal if you need to be saved from all the guys you’re going to attract tonight.”
“I’m not a honey bee luring all the worker bees.”
Frankie’s siren-red lips curved. “No, bitch, you’re the queen fucking bee.”
I resisted slightly, dragging my feet as she pulled me along. “I’m not sure that makes sense.”
Despite the front porch being large, the area still felt cramped with the number of people hanging about. Two bouncer-like dudes stood on either side of the propped-open front door. “Hello, ladies,” the one on the left greeted. He looked like a linebacker, all muscles and game face.
Frankie flashed a card from her pocket, which had me giving her a funny glance. Where had she gotten it? More importantly, what was it? Some kind of admittance card?
Satisfied, the scrawnier guy on the right grinned. “Now, the question is do you want beer or punch?”
“Surprise me,” I replied, not having a preference tonight.
He handed us two black cups.
We entered the foyer, the music a bit louder. If I closed myself off in a room, it would be a pleasant, muffled sound, the perfect background ambience for curling up with a book. I doubted Frankie would let me sneak off and see if this place had a library. It was big enough.
Frankie surveyed the room like it was her personal dessert bar and she was deciding what flavor of sweets she wanted to put in her mouth. “So, my friend, do you want to dance, check out the house, mingle, or get laid?”
She got the notorious Arie glare. “The last isn’t even an option.”
“Perhaps not for you, but there’s always hope for me.” Smiling, she lifted her glass, clinking it against mine.
I pulled my drink away from hers. “I’m not cheering to that.”
“Too late,” she said, tipping her cup back and taking a swig.
“Are those my only options?” I asked, my gaze sweeping the room, definitely not looking for someone in particular.
“Uh-huh,” she muttered, using her oh-shit tone.
Not the response I expected. “What?” I said, my focus swinging back to her. We just got here. How could there possibly be trouble already? But with Frankie, trouble could go two ways. A smoldering, hot, banging guy…. Or an actual problem.
This time it could have been both, depending on which angle you choose to look. Since I wasn’t particularly in the mood for something romantic, I went with the latter, but again, it was all in perspective. To Frankie, Cole strutting across the room toward me with a coy grin equated trouble. To me, it was an acquaintance, who bordered on annoying some days, coming to say hi.
“Hey,” I greeted with a slight frown, uncertain if I was happy Cole was here. I couldn’t help the anxious kick in my stomach that Crew might be somewhere in the house. Cole was one thing. Crew was another matter entirely. In the comforting confines of my bedroo m, I thought I might be brave enough to see him, but now among a sea of strangers, this was the last place I wanted to face Crew.
Cole failed to suppress the amusement from his features. “I’m surprised to see you here.”
I scowled. “I can’t say the same for you.”
Cole took a second to acknowledge Frankie with a nod.
She turned to me. “I see someone I need to say hi to. You’ll be okay?” Frankie asked, raising a brow as her eyes darted to Cole.
I nodded. “Go, don’t worry about me.” Worst case, I knew my way back to the dorm.
“I’ll keep an eye on her,” Cole said, giving my best friend a wink.
“That’s what worries me,” Frankie mumbled before weaving around bodies to get to her friend , which, honestly, was probably a hot guy she spotted and wanted to get to know better.
“So, Quinn, what do you think of our house?” Cole asked.
My brows knitted together. “You live here?”
He nodded, lifting the beer bottle to his lips.
I scrunched my face. “Why? I mean, I shouldn’t be surprised you’re in a fraternity, but it seems so…cliché.”
He chuckled. “I think you summed up my entire life, but I argue it’s part of the whole college experience, the lifelong friends you’ll make, the networking, the social game.”
A group of girls strolled past me, forcing me to inch closer to Cole. “Wow, you sound like a poster ad for Greek life.”
“You’re not a sorority girlie. Got it. I should probably pull your application to rush then.”
“I swear, if you?—"
He swung his arm around me and tugged me to his side. “Relax, Quinn. It was a joke.”
Surprisingly, I didn’t break away from his embrace. I didn’t want to, and I wasn’t sure what that said about me. Or him, for that matter. “I haven’t drunk enough to not take you seriously.”
“Well, you’re at the right place, but you’ve got to finish that one first. Do you want to go somewhere less crowded?” he asked as the room continued to cram with bodies.
I could smell his familiar cologne. “Uh, yes, please. As long as it isn’t a bedr oom,” I added, noticing the twinkle of gold in his eyes like little impish stars.
His smile spread. “I know just the spot. We’ll grab some more drinks on the way.” His warm hand reached for mine, interlocking our fingers, and I let him lead me through the party.
The secluded spot ended up being the very room I’d been hoping this house had. A cozy library with rich, deep masculine décor from the dark woods to the elegant, worn leather furniture. Walking next to the sturdy bookshelves, I ran my finger along the wood, a layer of dust coming off. Clearly no one used this room, and in a house full of dudes, it was no surprise they also never cleaned.
“Such a shame,” I mumbled, tilting my head as I scanned the spines.
Cole watched me stroll from shelf to shelf as he leaned against the unlit fireplace. “I thought you might like it. I remember how much time you spent at the one in my house.”
I flinched, my spine stiffening. Lifting the plastic cup to my lips, I took a long drink before putting my back to the books and forcing my body to chill. “Lately, all I have time to read are textbooks.”
He could see how much I didn’t like remembering those days. “But you like it. The schoolwork and learning.”
I shrugged, crossing the room to sit on the couch. “I like what it will do for my future.”
Cole pushed off the stone hearth, his gaze never leaving mine as he took a seat beside me. “College isn’t the only path to make money.”
The couch dipped under his weight, settling in a way that had me leaning toward him. “I know that. Trust me, and I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do with my life. It came down to being absolutely certain I wasn’t destined to work at the diner or in the food industry. I don’t even like cooking.”
“But you like picking at people’s brains?” he stated like it was the most outrageous idea ever.
“I want to help people, and yes, I like knowing why people think or act the way they do. I’m sure this all bores you.” I finished my drink and set the cup on a small side table.
“You don’t bore me, Quinn. You’ve always fascinated me.”
I angled my body toward him, lifting my legs to the side on the couch and tu cking them underneath me. “And I don’t get why. It doesn’t make sense. Is it because I’m the girl you left shaken on the side of the road? Curiosity stemmed from guilt I can sort of understand.”
“So, you’re saying you sympathize with my brother and his motives?”
“Are you trying to piss me off?”
Cole brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, and I blinked. When did we get so close?
“On the contrary. Selfishly, I want you to keep hating Crew.” His gaze dropped to my lips, and I got the unmistakable sense he was going to kiss me.
I didn’t move. I couldn’t seem to think around the idea of Cole touching his lips to mine. Was it something I wanted? Hell, we might have already locked lips. It was difficult to discern between the two of them before learning they were twins. Some memories were clearer. In others, Cole and Crew blended seamlessly together.
He leaned in, and again I did nothing. Perhaps I tested my reaction, to see if my body or heart felt anything, as Cole drew nearer. He went in for the kiss, and until that moment, I hadn’t been sure what I would do. My hand came up to his chest, fingers splaying over his shirt, as I turned my head to the side, and his lips brushed my cheek instead of my mouth. “Cole,” I whispered, guilt gnawing at my belly. He’d been nothing but nice to me these last weeks, and we’d gotten to a good place, a friendly place. I didn’t want to ruin or complicate it with sex or emotions, especially since I hadn’t fully gotten over his brother.
A throat cleared, and I sprang away from Cole like I’d been burned by the closeness of his mouth. I lifted my head, glancing over his shoulder.
Crew hovered in the doorway.