Dylan is already moving toward Zane and I insert myself between them. “It’s okay, Dyl.”
Dylan looks uncertain. “I’ll bust his balls.”
Zane gives him the finger, his eyes hooded. “Fuck you, man. Sorry if my social skills need polishing. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“It’s called being civil,” Dylan grounds out.
“Maybe nobody cared to teach me how to open doors and pull back chairs for the chicks, but I honestly didn’t mean anything,” Zane mutters.
“I said it’s okay.” I suck in a deep breath. I’m over my initial reaction, brought on by the memories of the town and its people. I can do this. I saw a therapist in Chicago, and I’ve learned to be in control of myself. “I have some scars, but they’re old now and don’t show much. This,” I touch the one on my cheek, turning so Zane can see it, “is the only one on my face.”
He nods stiffly, his gaze flicking away. “I’m sorry, Audrey. Honest.”
My chest expands again. “No problem.”
Dylan throws an arm over my shoulders and tugs me away from his friends. “Let’s leave these idiots and go get some air, huh?”
“Hey, what did I do?” Rafe mutters behind us.
“They’re okay,” I say, feeling bad for the argument.
“Yeah, they’re okay,” Dylan concedes as he pulls me through the open door at the other end of the room and out into the cool night air. “Hearts of gold. Just acting like morons most of the time.”
“I didn’t mind,” I say, freeing myself and walking to the rail of the balcony. “I can take it.”
“You shouldn’t have to,” Dylan says quietly.
I just stare out into the night. The sky’s clear and the moon bright. You can smell the lake on the air. “I like your new look.”
He’s my best friend, along with Tessa, and I’ve only seen him a couple of times since we moved to Chicago after the accident.
“It’s not new. I’ve had it for more than a year now. You’d have seen it on Facebook if you had a look.”
After the accident I avoided social media. Social events. Social everything. For a while, I hadn’t been sure I was even alive anymore.
Dylan nudges me with his elbow. “Didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I’m not upset. I’ve missed you,” I say. “A lot.”
“I thought you’d never come back.”
Time to acknowledge the truth. “I never wanted to leave.”
“Even though the place reminds you of your dad?”
“Because of that.” I smile. “And because I was happy here. I realized that running away wouldn’t make me happy.”
“I’m glad you’re back,” Dylan says. “I hope you’ll find here what you need.”
Finding what I need means deciding what that is. And I have no clue what I need, not yet.
Meanwhile, I drink my beer and move around, talking to people. Dylan’s right: I see familiar faces from my class, and I can scarcely admit it to myself—or Tessa—but I’m having a good time. Alcohol helps me open up and soon enough I’m laughing and even dancing with Tessa in the living room.
I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun. For a moment, I forget the past, my mom, the stress of moving here and enrolling in classes. I have a feeling everything will turn out all right.
Tessa twists against me, throwing her long blond ponytail in my face. I shove her off, laughing and flinging my loose red curls at her.
“Come on, girl, shake those hips,” she shouts over the music, making me wonder just how drunk she is.
“It’s hip hop, not salsa.” I do shake my body, though, and we bump hips. It’s good to have Tessa back in my life. It feels great to know our friendship withstood the time and distance.
I can put the past behind me. I’ll stop having nightmares. I’ll be happy. Hey, it’s a new beginning, right?
That’s when I see him.
Asher.
At first I think I’m mistaken. I’ve gone back to the cooler by the table for another beer and see a guy leaning by the door, a booted foot propped on the wall, a beer in one hand. Messy black hair, arctic blue eyes, a dark tattoo winding up the side of his neck.
No. It can’t be.
The guy looks up and his eyes widen. The color drains from his face and his mouth opens as if he’s about to speak.
Yeah, it’s Asher. There’s no mistaking him.
My breath freezes in my lungs. I can’t help staring, my face heating. Like always, I instinctively lean toward him, drawn like a moth to the flame.
He seems taller, more muscular, his biceps bulging through his thin T-shirt. But it’s the same handsome face, the same beautiful full lips.
The lips that gave me my first kiss. He turned my world upside down. I was so in love with him. He was my neighbor, my best friend, my buddy. He also was my partner in chemistry and math, and he was brilliant. Kind. Funny. Hot as hell.
Then he kissed me.
And ignored me ever after. Granted, he was absent from school a lot by then, for reasons nobody seemed to know. One thing I knew was that he started getting into fights and getting expelled. It was strange and annoying, but worst of all, he stopped talking to me. I’d often catch his cool gaze on me, but he’d turn away as soon as he caught me looking.
It broke my young heart. I swore to forget all about him.
Weird, though, how every single guy I dated ever since has looked like him—tats, blue eyes, dark hair. Heaps of bad attitude. Lots of anger and violence.
Damn.
I turn around, shoving through the crowd. I’m over him. Definitely and irrevocably.
The night his dad got drunk and crashed into our car, killing my dad and scarring me for life.
I fight my way through the crowd. My goal is to get away—as far away from Asher as possible.
That means leaving the party, and although it sucks because it’s still early and I’ve already decided to fit in, blend in, make new friends and a new life, there’s no way I’m staying with him around.
Only Tess is my ride back and she’s nowhere to be seen. Panic tightens my throat. I kept glancing back over my shoulder. No idea why I think Asher might follow me. Why should he?
I’m getting out of here, ride or not. I might even walk back. I head toward the exit.
“Leaving already?” Zane is wrapped around a beautiful girl with skin like coffee and cream, and his exotic eyes have that glazed look of the happily inebriated.
“Yeah.” I glance around but still can’t see Tessa.
“But it’s early. We’re having a good time,” Zane whines, “aren’t we, Meg?”
The girl he’s hugging pats him on the arm and laughs. “Yes, Zane, we are.”
“See?” Zane brightens. “Come on, don’t go.”
“Why’s Asher here?” The words come out of my mouth before I realize. Crap.
“Asher? Ash Devlin?”