Once I hit send, I go back to cleaning, ignoring the looks Savannah is giving me as I do. The problem with knowing each other as long as we have is she can read me just as well as Tessa. I’m clearly not getting out of this one.
“What’s up with your sudden interest in Knox?” she questions.
“No sudden interest. I was just curious where he was.”
“Delaney.”
I groan, throwing my head back and taking a deep breath. “Okay, maybe there’s an interest.”
“Delaney!” she repeats, this time with more urgency.
“No, you don’t get to do that.” I point my finger at her. “I didn’t judge you when you let Grayson treat you like a doormat. Or when you automatically assumed I’d think differently of you for being poor and stopped talking to me because of it. So, you don’t get to judge me for this.”
She sighs and runs her fingers through her hair. “Okay, fair enough, but I just don’t want to see you get hurt. I don’t think there has been a single girl he’s hooked up with that he hasn’t fucked over.”
“The same can be said for Carter, and yet you want me to give him a shot.”
“Because Carter knows I’d kick his ass if he ever hurt you. Knox doesn’t care about anyone but himself.”
I know she’s only trying to protect me, but I can’t bring myself to believe what she’s saying. There’s something hidden deep behind those blue eyes of his—some reason why he does his best to keep out the world. Savannah can think he does it by choice if she wants, but I’m going to figure him out.
TWO DAYS PASS, AND it’s been total radio silence. I’ve tried texting Knox a few times, but my messages go unanswered. By the time school gets out on Monday, I’m seething. Who does he think he is, kissing me on my birthday and then disappearing without a trace? Even Tessa said he hasn’t been around since Friday night.
“Laney,” Carter calls, jogging up to me as I’m leaving.
“Oh, hey, Carter. What’s up?”
He rubs the back of his neck—a telltale sign that he’s either nervous or uncomfortable. “Is there something going on between you and Knox Vaughn?”
It’s a loaded question. If someone asked me this on my birthday, my answer may have been different, but right now, I’m not so sure.
“No, why?”
“You just seemed a little…flirty…at your party.”
“Ah, that.” I roll my eyes. “Nope, nothing going on between us.”
The way his mood brightens is evident. “Well, in that case, can I take you out this weekend?”
“Like on a date?”
“Uh, yeah. I mean, unless you don’t want it to be.”
It’s weird, seeing Carter so uncomfortable like this. Normally he has all the confidence in the world, but here he is, practically mumbling like a twelve-year-old talking to his first crush.
“Bambi!” A familiar voice calls, and my head whips around to find Knox in a car next to us. He narrows his eyes on Carter before focusing back on me. “Get in.”
Despite not seeing him in days, my heart still races at the sight of him. He’s dressed in a snug black T-shirt, showcasing his muscles and all the tattoos that cover his arms. I look from him to Carter and back again.
“Why should I?”
He groans. “Don’t be a pain in the ass. Just get in the car.”
“Don’t fucking talk to her that way,” Carter snaps, but that only fires Knox up more.
Jumping out of the car, he comes around the back and over toward us. “Why don’t you mind your damn business?”
“Since when is she your business?”