I choke on my wine.
Mason pushes Fisher’s shoulder. “Dude, shut up.” He gives me a worried look as I cover my mouth to cough—wine is stuck in my throat. “Don’t mind Fish, Annie. He doesn’t know whether to check his ass or scratch his watch.”
Jeremiah has an ex? He’s here with a girl…?
Kelsey lays a hand on my arm. “Want to go home?”
Her concern makes me smile, and I pat her hand, but deep inside I feel a low darkness starting to spread. “I’m fine. You should go dance with Colton.”
After giving me a long look, she and Colton start moving to a fast song, getting lost in each other.
“Do you want to dance?” Mason asks me, looking awkward. Fisher has vamoosed.
“I’m cool,” I say, and Mason lets out a long breath of air, muttering something about needing to check the keg.
All alone, I find myself wandering toward the back of the house, looking for the library. I can’t help it. I have to know what’s up with Jeremiah. I need to know if I screwed up our friendship.
I pass by a billiards room with three pool tables, then a den full of cushy sofas. I come upon a room with lots of desks and shelves filled with books. I bet this is where DTK guys study. I hear a noise and gaze to the right. Jeremiah.
He’s sitting with a pretty girl on a leather sofa. Smiling at her. She touches his arm and returns his stare. Seeing them together makes me choke again.
He jerks his head when he hears me cough. My heartbeat races and I feel panicky. Seeing him with another girl sucks. I have no right to him, I know, but still. This really does suck. My hands shake. I make a break for the door.
“Hey, wait up,” he says breathlessly, rushing toward me. “You came to our party.”
“I did.” I look past him to where the girl is still sitting on the couch. I wipe my damp palms on my jeans. The darkness inside me starts to spread. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
He glances over his shoulder but turns right back to me. “You aren’t interrupting. Gina and I are in the same Ethics of Education class. We were talking about this paper we have to write for the midterm.”
“Oh.” I thought she was your ex.
“But you came,” he repeats, a grin spreading across his face. He rubs his hands together. “How about a tour?”
Gina stands and stalks over to him, wobbling on her four-inch heels. “So that’s it, then?”
“We can talk about the paper on Monday. Talking about schoolwork on a weekend is a crime.”
“It is not,” Gina says.
“I’m sure it is in some states. People outlaw all sorts of shit. Like, in Minnesota, it’s against the law to eat ice cream on sidewalks on Tuesdays.”
Gina glares. “But we were talking!”
“We’ll talk on Monday.” Jere takes my hand, leaving her behind, and leads me to a rear staircase. His dark jeans, knit cap, and snug gray tee make my mouth go dry.
“I should go back to my room—I mean, home,” I say. Even after a week, my new room doesn’t feel like home.
“You can stay right here with me.”
“You were with a girl. I don’t want to interrupt.”
His expression is soft and kind. “You didn’t interrupt.”
“Fisher told me she’s your ex.” I stare at the hardwood floor. He doesn’t say anything back, and when I finally look up at him, I find a wicked smirk.
“We dated for a couple weeks last winter, but we didn’t mesh…Are you jealous?”
“No!”
“I think you’re jealous,” he whispers. He nods at my fingers, which are currently playing with my necklace.
I cross my arms. “Nope. You should go right back to whatever you were doing with Gina.”
“You are so jealous.”
I change the subject. “This is not what I expected a frat house to look like.”
“Oh?”
“Where’s the waterslide? Where’s the body shot area?”
“That happens later in the evening,” he jokes. “Want that tour now?” He takes my hand in his and leads me to the backyard. They do, in fact, have a pool, but no waterslide. Probably couldn’t afford one after buying that naked mermaid statue. Eye roll. They also have lots of picnic tables, lounge furniture, and tennis and basketball courts. Inside the house: a huge kitchen with an island, a meeting room, and a dining room with five long tables that easily seat a hundred people.
“What is this? The Great Hall at Hogwarts?” I say, making him chuckle.