Could this be any worse?
Pulling out my phone, I’m about to try again when I hear a noise coming from the kitchen. I take off hearing a door sliding.
“Finn!” I say, running over to him and squeezing tightly.
Normally I wasn’t one for affection, not growing up with that type of attention. I blame my gooeyness on Hailey’s constant hugs. She was softening me.
He’s drenched in sweat, but I hardly notice, glad to see that he’s in one piece and seems to be okay.
Pulling back, he looks down at me, a perplexed expression crossing his face. “You look like you saw a ghost, lil’ sis,” he says jokingly.
My throat may be scratchy and dry, but my relief was whole. He’s fine.
His eyes shift from me to the hallway. The confusion on his face hardening as his jaw sets in place.
“Did that dick weed do something?” Harsh lines form around his mouth. “I swear, Rory, if he so much as…” He doesn’t finish his sentence. Leaving the threat hanging in the open air.
His confusion blurring my own. “Xander? He hasn’t done a thing.”
“Then why are you holding on to me like you’d thought I’d died?” he demands, guarded.
I take a step back, dropping my arms as the pieces all start to come together. Clicking in place. One bad fragment after the other.
My mindset was no longer jaded by the unknown.
Looking around I notice the other hellhounds are as soaked as Finn. A solid sheen of perspiration.
How had I been so ignorant? Cole once again bettering me without even trying. My brain hurt. Logic outweighing the beating emotions inside my chest.
I charge him. “You asshole!” I seethe, as my chest heaves.
He looks down at me as detached and as impassive as he liked to pretend, he was.
“You ruined my date on purpose.” Cole’s eyes stay blank, and I flinch at the lack of empathy. “How could you?” I wheeze out as my heart sinks further.
Those eyes of his glimmering in awareness, holding me captive with the truth. I exhale a tight breath, not believing he would be capable of doing something so childish.
“Tell me why, Cole.” Despair layering my every word. “Why would you do this?”
He doesn’t so much as flinch, not blinking once. Watching me with a stoned expression while I carried them all. My head was a tangled mess of confusion.
“You owe me an explanation.” Losing my edge more and more with every passing second, he doesn’t say a thing.
“Is someone going to tell me what the hell is going on?” Finn snarls behind me.
“Tell, them,” I grit out. “Tell them all what you did, Iceman,” I say, letting Cole see the hurt in my eyes.
His shoulders drop half an inch, relaxing his stance. Indifferent.
I spin, not being able to stomach seeing that look any longer. My lips smashing together in disappointment.
“Cole texted me,” I start. “Saying you couldn’t breathe, Finn, so I rushed home to make sure you were okay when no one would answer their phones.”
“What?” Finn replies after a moment. Heated eyes flicking from me to Eli and back.
“None of you answered when I tried to text or call, so I came home.”
A muscle in Finn’s cheek tics as his brows crash together. He had yet to look over in Cole’s direction.