“Blade. A minute?”
He nods and stands up. “Sorry, babe. Be right back.”
The two of them disappear into the other room, and Ray plops down on the couch next to me. He looks over and grins at me, but he's a little too close for my liking. I go to scoot away, only for him to follow me.
“Um, do you mind?” I ask.
He smirks. “Not at all.”
I look over to where they disappeared, wishing they'd come back in, but my attention is jolted back to Ray when he rests a hand on my leg. I go to push it off, but he doesn't let me.
“Come on, honey. Don't be such a prude.” The honey tone of his voice makes me want to vomit.
I shake my head and push him off again. “No, and besides, Blade would kill you if he knew you were touching me like this.”
He chuckles. “Nah. The only one you're off limits to is Z.”
“Excuse me?”
Before I can ask him what he meant, Blade and Zayn come back into the room. Ray winks at me and moves back to his former spot on the floor. My whole body shivers in disgust. Chances are he was probably just talking shit, but that doesn't stop me from being skeeved out.
Blade resumes his spot next to me and drapes an arm around my shoulders. “Okay, where were we?”
He goes to kiss me, but I look over at Zayn, who once again won't even look my way. “What were you two talking about?”
“Nothing that concerns you.” He grips my chin and turns my face back to him. “Now stop worrying about him before I start getting jealous.”
A FEW HOURS LATER, I walk into the kitchen to get a bottle of water and I see Zayn standing there. The two of us are alone, which is my only chance to ask him what's been up, but the second he sees me, he moves to leave.
“Seriously? That's just it? We don't talk anymore?”
He stops, but doesn't turn around to face me. “Yeah, it is.”
My chest tightens at the lack of emotion in his voice. “Can you just tell me one thing?”
Zayn doesn't answer me, but he also doesn't continue his exit, so I take that as a yes.
“Ray tried hitting on me while you were in here with Blade,” I say, and Zayn's shoulders tense. “When I turned him down, he said something about how the only person I'm off-limits to is you. What's that about?”
He's still for so long I start to wonder if he's even paying attention, but then his shoulders sag. “Don't know. Don't care.”
I stand there, watching as he walks away and wondering what the hell happened. How did he go from being so worried about my safety to literally not giving a shit about anything? Not even Ray trying to get with me while he and Blade were right in the other room.
When I accept the fact that I'll probably never know what happened, I drop my head and return to the living room. Honestly, it's probably no one's fault but my own. I pushed him away. I can't be mad that he finally let me.
IT'S AFTER NINE BY the time Blade drops me off back at home. He pulls into the parking spot and pulls the emergency brake up. When he looks over at me, there's a level of lust and want in his eyes that's hard to ignore.
“I hate leaving you,” I tell him sweetly.
He smirks and runs his fingers through my hair. “You don't have to. We could go back to my place. Maybe stay up a little later.”
It doesn't take much thought to know exactly what he's referring to. “I would, but I still have to write that essay.”
Retracting his hand, he looks annoyed again, and for some reason I'm clinging to that positive attention.
“Maybe tomorrow though?” I suggest.
He winces. “Didn't I tell you? I won't be around tomorrow. I have to go on a small road trip.”