All in all, there were maybe fifty people scattered around the large loft apartment. One wall was completely brick while the other two were painted a tan color that made the room look more masculine.
Serena was right. The apartments were nice.
I checked my watch and tried not to look like the old Breaker as I stood there, probably unrecognizable anyway, with the bruising on my face compliments of Ash and his fists.
“What’s going on?” A girl stepped forward, and I recognized Annie. She was wearing a black cardigan and a khaki skirt. Where the hell did that girl shop? She was dressed like a nineteen-year-old soccer mom. Her eyes glazed over me like she didn’t know me. And then her hurt expression fell to Ash.
Yeah, I know how this story ends.
Not well. For her.
My heart clenched as if to remind me how it would end for me after tonight.
Serena gave her a genuine smile. “Hey Annie, I miss you. You should come hang out.”
Annie smiled back, the curve of her lips taking her from nice-looking to strikingly pretty. Now, if only she would stop wearing super tight buns. They made me uncomfortable; they looked too perfect, not one piece of dark hair out of place. “I’d like that,” she said.
Ash cleared his throat. “No offense, but we aren’t here to plan a slumber party. Two girls.” He snapped his fingers. “Now.”
Two blondes in tight dresses—one red, one black—laughed and walked forward.
I looked the other direction because I was ninety-nine percent sure I’d made out with both of them—at the same time—at a party last year.
But when you’re drunk so that you don’t think about the girl that you’re in love with—you tend to forget the faces and focus only on the feeling.
Ash eyed them up and down for a bit before shrugging. “They’ll do.”
I was pretty sure Chase would burn his house down before letting those girls get their talons into him.
Hurt flashed across Annie’s face. “Wait, I could… I mean,” She licked her nude lips. “I mean I don’t mind I know your—”
“I’m going to stop you right there.” Ash took a predatory step toward her. “I take these girls who, full disclosure, I’ll probably call blonde one and blonde two, and my dad thinks I’ve been spending hours in debauchery.” The girls giggled. “I take you,” he said, drawing out the word as his eyes went from her head down to her toes and back up again, “and he’s going to ask who my new tutor is.”
Students around us started laughing to themselves.
Her chin wobbled.
Shit.
“Knew this was a bad idea,” Junior said under his breath. “He’s not okay and hasn’t been okay, just pretending to be okay, and he’s mean when he’s like this.”
“I’ll grab him.” I moved past Junior and Serena to the scene Ash was making. “Let’s go, man, it’s late, you’re tired, and you have two sluts to please.”
“Hey!” One of the girls snapped her gum and then blew a bubble.
I just shuddered. “And I rest my case.”
The other girl just smiled like, yup I’m easy, but according to every girl on campus, Ash was the hottest thing to land there since forever.
But he was too mean to be pretty.
I imagined they saw a guy they could tame.
And he saw someone he could control.
Annie still hadn’t said anything.
And Ash still wasn’t budging.
“Ash,” I jerked his arm. “Come on.”
“I can be slutty,” Annie finally said, and with shaking fingers, she took her hair out of her bun, letting it spill in gorgeous waves past her shoulders.
Ash’s eyes flared to life like he’d just been given water after forty nights baking in the desert heat.
“You think having your hair down’s going to convince him?” His eyes narrowed. “Hmmm, maybe you do have it in you, Annie…” He reached out and slowly started unbuttoning her cardigan.
I was close enough to notice, though.
His hands had a slight tremble.
The hell.
Did he like her?
She stiffened, then whispered. “Not them, please…”
Ash’s nostrils flared before he grabbed Annie by the hand and jerked her toward him. “You better be fucking convincing.”
She gave him one solid nod.
And then he was practically dragging her toward the door.
“Sorry, girls.” Junior shoved past the two girls who looked ready to plot Annie’s death, and I followed while Serena said goodbye to Tank.
When we were back in the hall, I gave her hand a tug pulling her back. “Care to fill me in on the drama that I missed while I was away?”
Her shoulders slumped a bit. “She likes him.”
“Everyone likes him until they find out he’s a jackass most the time,” I said. “What makes this different?”
“He pretends he can’t stand her,” Serena whispered under her breath. “Remind you of another couple?”
“No.” I shook my head. “Because Annie is nothing like you or Junior.”
“No, but I think she’s exactly what my cousin needs.”