The music shifts to a different song and I pat Sophia’s waist and mumble, “I’m just gonna…” I point to the door and take my leave.
I can feel her eyes on me as I weave my way out of the room, but then the sensation of being watched shifts from a mildly confused stare to an obsidian glare that makes my skin crawl. I glance behind me and spot Ivan. His eyes gleam as he studies me.
I scowl straight back and then shift away, making sure I zigzag into the hall through several groups of people before slipping out a side door.
As soon as I’m out, I start sprinting, racing around to the front and trying to find Chris.
I want to pretend I don’t know why she left, but I do. I know exactly why she split and in retrospect, I guess she had every right to. If she’d been making out with some guy on the dance floor, I would’ve been seriously pissed. I couldn’t have handled it. I would have been ripping that guy off her faster than I could think straight.
“Shit,” I mutter, annoyed with my warped thinking that playing pretend was the right move.
I stop in the outside corridor, looking through the darkness for signs of her.
I don’t want to yell “Chris” and draw attention to myself. She’s most likely heading back to her room, but which way? We’re not supposed to go to the dorms while the dance is on. The restricted area is pretty damn vast when there’s a school function. Teachers will be patrolling the corridors like prison guards.
I grit my teeth and head right, sticking to the shadows as I creep along the outside corridor, past the big stone pillars. I think I can hear faint footsteps in front of me, so I pick up my pace to a light jog. As I make it around the corner, I see a door creeping shut.
Running for it, I duck through and am lucky enough to find her heading for the stairs.
“Chris.” I whisper her name, sharp and clear.
She freezes on the bottom step, then swivels back to glare at me. “Leave me alone.”
“Come on.” I reach for her but she whips her arm out of my reach.
“Shouldn’t you be making out with Big Boobs right now? Why are you even here?”
With a little growl, I snatch her arm and pull her off the steps, catching her against me and carrying her into the shadows. I place her feet on the floor and press her back against the wall.
She struggles, trying to wriggle away, but I grab her wrists and pin them against the wood, holding her steady.
“Quit it,” I whisper. “Just hear me out.”
“No, you asshat. I don’t want to listen to you!”
“I wasn’t kissing her because I wanted to.”
“Oh, please. Just save it!”
I lean in close, the tips of our noses brushing as I whisper-bark at her. “I couldn’t act different. If I didn’t play along, everyone would have known something was up. I had to keep my eyes off you and pretend like you weren’t the most important person in the room!”
She goes still, her swallow audible in the quiet space.
I can’t see her clearly in the darkness. Moonlight filters in through the top window but it’s not reaching us. Slowly letting go of her wrists, I find her face, running the pads of my fingers over her soft skin.
“If I could look at you the way I wanted, everyone would know how hard I’m falling, and we can’t afford those kinds of questions. We…” My voice trails off as her shaky breath hits my chin.
“You can’t fall for me.”
“Too late.” I find her mouth easily, pressing her back against the wall and kissing her like I want to.
She struggles and pushes against my shoulders, wrenching me away with a little whimper. “I can’t fall for you.”
“Too late?” I ask, soft and hopeful.
She lets out a shuddering sigh and I lean towards her again. I start out slow, brushing my lips over hers, teasing her mouth open with a languid tongue curl. She melts against me. Running my hands down her body, I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her close. She grips my neck, tipping her head and giving me full access to the wonders of her mouth.
Her tongue has never tasted so sweet, her body never felt more right.
I want to lift her up, feel her legs wrap around my hips.
I want to carry her to my room and share something more.
But a cold prickle tickles the hairs on the back of my neck and I pull away.
Whipping around, I scan the darkness, searching for whatever the hell is unnerving me so bad. But I can’t see anything. I can’t hear anyone coming. There’s just this unsettling presence lurking in the air.
Chris wraps her fingers into my lapels and tugs me closer. I rest my hand on her neck. Her pulse is hammering as the creep factor gets the better of her too.
“Come on.” I take her hand, threading my fingers through hers. “Let’s get out of here.”
“I don’t want to go back,” she whispers.
“I know.” I kiss her forehead. “Let’s just go hang out in your room for a while.”