I’ll have to ask him how he does that.
Say no so easily.
So confidently.
“What about you? Why’d you show up?” He turns the tables on me. “I thought events like these weren’t your thing.”
“They’re not, but Dia needed someone to go with. You know, since she’s single.”
Xavier scoffs. “Take it from me, she won’t be single much longer.”
“What do you mean?”
“I saw Finn drag her into a maintenance closet earlier.”
All the lights come on in my head. So, that’s where she disappeared to. It would also explain why she didn’t answer my gazillion texts.
“What do you think they’re doing right now?” I realize how stupid the question sounds as soon as it escapes my lips.
“Probably just talking,” Xavier deadpans.
We trade glances.
And we both start laughing.
“Right.” I sneer.
My best guess is they’re having scandalous closet sex as we speak. Maybe Finn finally managed to convince her he didn’t cheat? There’s no way she wouldn’t have answered my texts by now. Not unless she was… busy.
Our laughter dies down at the same time, and we make eye contact, equally breathless and exhausted. It’s a quarter to three in the morning at this point.
He doesn’t look away.
I don’t either.
“At least some of us are having fun right now.” I chuckle.
“Hey.” He bumps his knee against mine, and I shiver like an unexperienced virgin who’s never been touched by a man in her life. “I’m not… not having fun.”
Don’t blush.
Don’t blush.
“Are you blushing?” he asks.
Fucking hell.
“No,” I say a bit more defensively than intended. “And you don’t have to pretend like you’re actually having fun. I’m not stupid.”
“No pretending needed,” he assures me.
“Aw. Pity compliments. My favorites.”
He laughs. “It’s true. You’re not the worst company I’ve ever had, Harper. The most uptight maybe, but not the worst.”
“Thanks…” I half-smile. “I think?”
We don’t speak again for a few minutes, and I can’t help noticing, as I absentmindedly scroll down my social media feed, that he’s still checking his phone screen constantly.