“Are you sure it was him?” I ask.
“Yes. I clearly remember him from the day he came to the dorm. And he was definitely talking to Mason.”
“Whoa, whoa, what?” Lennox asks as she stops in her tracks. “Who's here and talking to Mason?”
As soon as we stop, I can’t focus on the questions. Only on what’s happening. Except I don’t know what’s happening.
Why the fuck is Tyler here?
He said he was leaving. He said I would never see him around here again.
Yet here he is. At a local college party? What the actual fuck?
I pull out my phone as Madison fills Lennox and Everleigh in about who Tyler is. With a quick swipe, I bring up my messages with Drew and scroll up until I find the message he sent me with his address. I look up the directions from here, trying to gauge how far we are from where he’s staying.
Ten minutes with light traffic.
He’s close! I knew it.
Tyler’s still here. He fucking lied to me. And now he’s talking to Mason, probably threatening him to never speak to me again.
“Lo! Earth to Chloe!” Madison shouts and puts her arm out in front of me to stop my pacing. Shit, I didn’t even realize I was.
“I can’t fucking believe he’s here!” I yell. “He lied to me!” I spin on my heel and storm down the beach. There’s more of the party down here, and it looks a lot better than what’s going on over there.
“Wait up, Chloe!” Madison calls. The girls rush up behind me. “We can hang out over here. It looks like more fun anyway, and no Mason.”
“Thank you, guys. Let’s have a good time and forget about the stupid shit,” I say as we stop in front of another drink table.
After we refill our drinks, we sit near the fire, right in front of a group of sexy boys playing beach volleyball. Perfect eye candy distraction. I fill them in on Tyler and what happened with us when I left. Lennox thinks I should forget about him, and Everleigh thinks it’s sweet he’s here wanting to see me.
All of it is like a big mind fuck to me.
The worst part is knowing he lied. He’s been here all this time? Has he still been watching me? And what is he saying to Mason? He better not be a dick and try to scare him off.
I don’t have feelings for Mason like that. Plus, he has a girlfriend and his own life. He’s just a friend. Plain and simple.
Hell, I don’t like any guys. I’m not looking for love. It only gets in the way. I’m here to focus on myself. And myself only.
The hot group of guys finishes their game and walks over toward us, shirtless and glistening in the late afternoon sun.
“Can we sit with you fine-looking ladies?” one of them asks Lennox, and of course she’s nodding and jumping out of her seat to offer it up. He’s a cutie with light-brown hair and a six-pack for days, and he sits right down. He grabs Lennox by the waist and plops her down on his lap. Wow, that was a little fast. But she seems to love it.
The other few sit around us, and soon, food, drinks, and chatter are all around us. I forget about the Tyler and Mason drama for a bit and laugh with these two cute guys flirting with me.
One touches my leg, and I move away slightly, causing the other guy to lean in close and nip at my ear. I jump, not expecting the contact.Whoa, guy.
“You’re gorgeous, baby. Come home with us.”
Us?
“Us? Like, go home with both of you?” Wow, that sounded dumb, but the punch has given my tongue a freedom it’s not used to.
“Yes, baby girl. Both of us. Trust me, you won’t regret it.” The blond one places a hand on my hip, and that’s when I jump up. They’re a little too handsy for my tastes. Never mind the creep vibes rolling off them in waves. I’ve had enough.
But before I can even open my mouth to say something, Tyler’s in front of me, gently moving me out of the way. As soon as his hands touch my waist, my skin lights on fire, and it pisses me off and delights me at the same time.
But there isn’t time to figure anything out because suddenly, a fight has started in front of me, and Madison is pulling me backward.