“No.” Fallon’s answer bursts over her lips.
Jade shakes her head, her eyes darting between Justin and me, then she says, “Don’t mess with my cousin, or I’ll kick your ass.”
Justin lets out a burst of laughter. “It’s just lunch, Jade.”
“Yeah.” She continues to give him a look of warning until Fallon pulls her away.
Walking into the restaurant with Justin, I gesture to a random open table. “Want to sit there?”
“Sure.” He pulls a chair out for me, and once I’ve taken the seat, he sits down next to me. “How was your weekend with your parents?”
I smile because I love spending time with them. “Good. I got to go for a manicure with my mom.”
Justin’s eyes drop to my hands, and I hold them out for him to see.
“Black nails. Kinda looks cool on you.”
“Thanks.” I scrunch my nose. “I like it.”
Justin hands me a menu, then glances at one. “Are you in the mood for anything specific?”
Without looking at the selection, I answer, “I’m going to have a gourmet chicken sandwich.”
“Sounds good, actually.” He signals for a waiter and places our order, then glances at me. “Anything to drink?”
“A coke, please.”
When the waiter leaves, Justin turns his attention back to me. “Mind if I ask you why you’re not dating?”
My eyes dart to the table where Fallon and Jade are sitting, and my gaze collides with Jase’s. He looks pissed off and only glances at me for a moment longer before his eyes turn away from me.
Owing Justin an answer, I say, “I want to focus on my studies.”
He nudges his shoulder against mine and smiles. “Yeah, but you should make time for fun as well.”
“I suppose,” I reply.
This time I can feel someone staring at me and know it’s Jase. My eyes snap to his, and I give him a look of warning to stop it. He shakes his head, and getting up, he leaves the restaurant.
What’s his problem?
Justin glances over his shoulder. “What are you looking at?”
“Nothing.” Focusing on him, I ask, “How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun?”
“We went to Studio 9 on Saturday. I saw Jase and the rest of the group there.”
“Oh yeah, Jade told me they went.”
“She’s dating Hunter now, right?”
“Yes.”
Justin lets out a chuckle. “It doesn’t look like Jase will be settling down any time soon.”
The smile drops from my face. “Why do you say that?”
Justin shrugs. “He was partying pretty hard. He had a swarm of girls around him.”
I let out a hollow-sounding chuckle. “That’s nothing new.”
And still, it hurts like a bitch.
Our food comes, and I focus on eating half the sandwich even though my appetite has been missing in action since the fall out with Jase.Chapter 9JASEI’ve been walking around like a bear with a sore tooth ever since I saw Mila having lunch with Justin on Monday. It’s been one hell of a long week, and with the exam tomorrow looming over my fucking head, I haven’t been able to study.
When I stalk into the suite after my last class, Hunter’s eyes fly to me from where he’s making coffee in the kitchen.
“What’s wrong?”
“Everything,” I snap.
I go to stand by him, leaning back against the counter and crossing my arms.
Hunter raises an eyebrow at me. “Are you finally going to tell me what’s been eating at you since last week?”
I let out a sigh and admit, “I got into a fight with Mila.”
Hunter finishes stirring the caramel liquid, then leans against the counter opposite from me, and says, “I know. Wanna tell me what it was about?”
My eyes lock on my best friend. “She was upset because of all the flirting, and then I kissed her.”
Hunter chokes on the sip he just took, and I move forward. Patting his back, I stay next to him as I explain, “There’s a spark between us, but damn, after talking with my grandfather, I’m even more reluctant to start anything with her. I can’t risk pissing off Mila’s father.”
Hunter stares at me as he clears his throat. “Do you care about her?”
I give him a don’t-ask-me-a-stupid-question look. “Of course.”
“No, I mean, are you in love with her, or do you care for her as a friend?”
The million-dollar question.
Or, in my case, billions.
“I’m still trying to figure that out.”
Hunter nods and takes a sip of his coffee before he asks, “And Mila?”
I shake my head. Even though we don’t keep secrets from each other, I’m not about to betray Mila’s trust by telling Hunter she loves me. That’s between her and me. Instead, I say, “There’s a mutual attraction.”
“But you’re not going to act on it?” Hunter’s gaze sharpens on me.
“Not at the moment. I first need to figure out how I feel about her. I won’t play with Mila’s emotions.”
“Good, because I won’t be able to stop Jade when she kicks your ass if you mess with her cousin.”