“So, I haven’t seen him sneaking out of your room every morning and he hasn’t been sleeping in your room every night?”
He looks back at me nonchalantly, like he hasn’t just dropped a truth bomb about something that I would’ve cut off my own arm to keep other people from knowing.
Dani looks like she’s about to explode with the questions that I know she’s dying to bombard me with. Keller doesn’t look surprised, though, because like Baron, she clearly hasn’t been oblivious to the new rooming situation on our wing.
I’m saved from saying anything as a familiar face comes into view.
“Who’s been sleeping in whose room every night?” Devon asks, clearly having overheard those last words. I hope that it’s the only thing he overheard.
He looks pretty damn good, freshly showered and in his soccer jacket. That boyish smile, hazel eyes and clean cut wholesomeness makes him the kind of guy you’d want to bring home to meet the family. Not that I have any apart from Magnus. But still, I can appreciate that wholesomeness.
“No one,” I answer quickly. Maybe too quickly. I’m well aware that my face is flaming.
Baron looks like he’s enjoying this too much.
“Anyway, if someone had been … doing that …” I say hurriedly. “It’s not happening anymore and it will never happen again. Because that is now over. Before anything even started.”
Devon looks totally baffled. But that’s a good thing because no way do I want this guy, this cute guy, who is potentially interested in me and doesn’t come with a million complications, thinking that I’ve been rolling around in bed with Raph St. Tristan.
Baron throws a smirk at me.
“Are you sure about that? Because Raph is staring at you so hard right now, those big blue eyes look like they’re about to fall out of his pretty head.”
Shit. So much for not naming any names. I shoot Baron a look of death as he flashes me another shit-eating grin before jogging off to join his groupies.
Dani throws me a look and mutters something under her breath that thankfully I think only I can hear.
“Lip-brushing, huh?”
Keller is almost pissing herself with laughter. But I’m not laughing as I look over at Raph, who is indeed staring. Staring hard.
Screw him.
I turn to Devon, giving him my full attention.
“So, are you coming to tonight’s after game party?”
He looks nervous and it’s kind of sweet.
I hesitate because inexperience means that I don’t know what the proper etiquette is —is he just asking if I’m coming to the party generally or is he asking me to come with him? And all of this is difficult enough without having to focus on blocking out a certain pair of uncanny blue eyes which are still trying to burn a hole into me.
Dani answers for me.
“Yes, Jazmine would love to go to the party with you, Devon.”
Now, it’s my turn to feel embarrassed.
He smiles back at me, and I find myself thinking that he really does have a great smile. He doesn’t have dimples and it’s not so beautiful that it’s difficult to look at, but then again, he’s also not an asshole who’s likely to break my heart in two.
“Great. Do either of you girls need a ride there, too?” he asks Dani and Keller.
“Nah, I drove here,” Dani replies.
“I hitched a ride with B, but it looks like his car’s gonna be full with all his groupies, so mind if I catch a ride with you?” Keller asks Dani.
“Sure, no problem.”
And with that, the two of them are walking off, leaving me alone with Devon.
I catch a glimpse of Raph over Devon’s shoulder and I notice that he still hasn’t moved and that he’s still staring. His eyes narrow as he notices that Devon and I are by ourselves and I almost hear the cogs in his mind whirring as he probably realizes that we’re going to the party together.
To my horror, I see him start to walk towards us, no, more like stomping. Layla is still next to him, but he isn’t paying her a shred of attention and she looks furious.
I quickly grab Devon’s arm to steer him off the field and he looks perplexed by my sudden rush, but goes with it.
Devon’s arm drapes around me casually and I stiffen at the touch, but there’s no way I’m about to give Raph the satisfaction of seeing me push Devon away. So, I lean into Devon instead as we walk off the field.
“Is this okay?” he asks after a second.
I catch a glimpse of Raph, who has now been intercepted by Baron, and Baron is clearly trying to talk some sense into him.
Not that Raph has any right to be angry. None at all.
“It’s fine,” I reply. “Great, actually.”
“Hey, D—got a death wish?”
I tell Devon to ignore the taunts from the other players as we walk off the field, but I’m not sure I believe my own advice, because Raph really does look like he’s about to murder my date.
Devon is the perfect gentleman during the drive from Gramercie back to the beach just beneath Regency Mount, where the party is tonight.
He doesn’t try to hit on me and doesn’t make a single inappropriate comment as we chill together at the beach party. We hang out with Dani, along with some other guys from the soccer team, who all look at Devon as if he’s a dead man walking. Then we dance a little on the makeshift dance floor, and sit by one of the bonfires. The whole thing feels so normal, like the typical high school date that I’ve missed out on all these years and part of me is really enjoying it.
But despite myself, I can’t deny that I can’t fully enjoy myself because part of my mind is elsewhere. It’s on Raph. Just like he was on the field and at school, he’s the center of attention at the party. Star player and team captain—everyone is congratulating him and paying their respects to the king. What the fuck ever.
He’s surrounded by at least half a dozen girls at all times and I don’t fail to notice that Layla never leaves his side.
I don’t know what Baron said to him back on the soccer field, but whatever it was, has stopped Raph from murdering Devon, although I do catch him glaring at my date several times throughout the evening, as if he would very much like to kill the guy. The whole thing is so twisted, that it just pisses me off even more.
“So, I’m guessing you know this but I’m kind of taking a big risk by being here with you tonight,” Devon says, as we sit by the bonfire, watching the flames flicker and dance.
“Oh you are?” I reply in a teasing tone.
“Yeah, I mean Raph’s been giving me the look of death all night.”
“You noticed that, huh?” I say, with a grimace.
“Kind of hard not to and I’m sure soccer practice isn’t going to be much fun for the next few weeks.”
“Sorry.”