“Dude, you’ve been so MIA lately, we don’t know anything,” Gage argues.
Knox scoffs and shakes his head, going behind the counter to get a drink. When he turns around, his eyes meet mine for the first time and widen.
“Delaney,” he breathes. “I didn’t see you there.”
I smile weakly. “Yeah, well, it seems you’ve been a little…preoccupied.”
He looks confused for a moment before he realizes what I’m referring to. However, as he’s about to answer me, something else grabs his attention. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
Without another word, he storms over to the door, where Hailey is talking to some guy, and grabs her by the wrist. She yells something in his face then yanks away and stomps up the stairs. Knox throws his head back exasperatedly before following her.
“They seem…happy,” I quip sarcastically.
Zayn hums, showing his annoyance. “I don’t know what the fuck he’s doing. They have a long, screwed-up history, but something is different this time. He hasn’t talked to me about it, though, so I’m just as in the dark as you are.”
They all keep their eyes on me, the sympathetic looks doing nothing for my mood. Maybe coming here tonight wasn’t such a good idea after all. My options are simple—stay and subject myself to seeing Knox and Hailey all night, or swallow my pride and leave. For the sake of my sanity and my heart, I choose the latter.
“I’m sorry, Tess. I’m going to head home.”
She frowns. “Are you sure? I’m sorry. I thought it would be a good idea. I didn’t think she would be here.”
“It’s all right. I’m just going to grab my keys. Where did you put them?”
“Zayn’s room.”
Great, upstairs. I take a deep breath. Just get the keys and leave. He’s probably not even in Z’s room—more like a guest room or something, doing God knows what. I slowly creep up the stairs, making sure the coast is clear, then duck into the bedroom to get my key and purse. Once I go to leave, however, I walk right into a warzone.
“Hailey, fucking stop!”
“No!” she shouts back. “Just leave me alone and let me live my damn life!”
She goes into the bathroom and slams the door shut in his face. I try to slip away undetected, but luck isn’t on my side, and my keys slip out of my hand and clatter onto the hardwood floor. Knox turns at the sound of the noise.
“Laney?”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’m just getting my things.”
“You’re leaving? Didn’t you just get here?” He actually looks hurt by the idea.
I swallow down the lump in my throat and square my shoulders. “Don’t do that. Don’t act like you care.”
His brows furrow. “What makes you think that I don’t?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the fact that one minute, we were fine, and the next, you all but vanished from my life—and no, your half-assed replies don’t count.” I take a step back. “It’s cool. I see why you did it, and you two have a history together. I get it. I just have no interest in being your side piece.”
I go to walk away when he rushes toward me and grabs my hand. “Wait, stop. It’s not what you think.” I give him a look that shows exactly how over this whole situation I am, but I don’t pull away, so he continues. “We have a history, yes, but that’s not what this is. Her brother asked for my help. She’s gotten herself involved with some heavy drugs. When her parents found out and tried to step in, she ran away and started living at a homeless shelter. I’m just trying to get her to go home.”
It’s a sad story, and a part of me can even admire his need to help, but it’s not enough. “No. I’m sorry, but no. You spent the last week doing everything but completely ignoring me, with no explanation at all.”
“I’m explaining, now.”
I shrug. “Too little, too late. Whatever was going on between us, it’s not anymore. Only having me around or letting me in when it’s convenient for you doesn’t work for me.”
He catches me off guard by spinning us around and pinning me to the wall, his face only centimeters from mine. “You’re so wrong you don’t even know which way is right, but you walked straight into the lion’s den, Bambi. No way I’m letting you turn back around now. You’re playing my game now.”
His lips meet mine in a bruising kiss. All his frustration, his passion, his desperate need to keep me—I can feel it all, and my resolve doesn’t stand a chance. Every bit of resistance I had toward him evaporates with him against me, kissing me like this. He grips my waist and lifts me with ease, allowing me to wrap my legs around his hips. Neither one of us pulls away as he walks us into a bedroom and kicks the door shut behind him.
Carrying me to the bed, he lays me down and hovers over me. His hands roam my entire body as I grip at his shirt. When he pulls it over his head, I finally get to take in all his tattoos. The ones on his arms I’ve seen, but the two sparrows on his chest have always been hidden, tucked away from view. I want to trace them all and commit each one to memory.