I smash my lips together so forcefully I feel like they’re going to bruise.
“Seth.” His eyes soften and I swear he can read right through me, see the scars hidden on the inside of me, beneath my skin, along my heart, across my soul.
Tears start to burn in my eyes, but I suck them back. “Can we talk about something else? I don’t think I’m ready for this conversation yet.”
“Okay.” He easily lets it go and I like him even more because of it.
We spend the next few hours talking and drinking. When he asks me to dance, I feel bad when I say no.
“I don’t think I’m ready for that,” I explain apologetically. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay.” His lips tug to a small smile, covering up his disappointment. He looks at his watch and his eyes widen. “Shit, it’s after three o’clock. What do you say we head back to campus?”
“I actually like that idea a lot. I’m starting to reach my sleep drunk phase.” My gaze skims the dance floor, the bar, and the entrance. “But where the hell is Luke?”
“He left about an hour ago with that girl,” Greyson says.
I shudder. “She was so gross. He could do way better.”
Greyson smiles to himself as he gets to his feet. “I’m going to go to the bathroom and then we can go. It’s a pretty nice night, anyway. Great for a walk.”
By the time I guzzle down the rest of my drink, he’s made it back to the booth. “You ready?”
“Yeah.” I stand up and start pushing my way to the door.
He moves up behind me, so close that his solid chest brushes my back. His body heat engulfs me and I find myself slowing down and taking my time.
The song suddenly switches to a more popular one and the crowd around us goes wild. Everyone starts jumping up and down and the floor vibrates. Greyson laughs and joins in, dancing behind me while continuing to move toward the door. Every time he moves, he grinds against me. By the time we make it to the exit doors, I’m on the verge of losing it, so riled up all I can think about is ripping his clothes off. I almost welcome the idea, too, and contemplate acting on what my body wants, even surrounded by people.
Thankfully, the cool night air acts kind of like a cold shower and helps me relax a bit. I manage to keep myself under control as we round the building and head down the sidewalk toward the campus a few miles away. It’s late enough that hardly anyone’s out and when Greyson reaches over and takes my hand, I don’t pull away.
“You never did tell me what your major is,” Greyson says as we stroll past the closed stores.
“That’s because I don’t have one.” Between the alcohol in my system and his fingers wrapped around mine, I feel high, like I’m having a crazy out-of-body experience. “I figure there’s just too many things I’m good at to pick only one talent,” I joke with a grin.
Chuckling under his breath, his gaze flicks to the stars in the sky then back at me. “If you had to pick a major right now, what would it be?”
I thrum my finger against my lip. “How about weekend partying?” I tease. “No, if I really had to pick one right now, I’d probably pick psychology.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. There’s something about the human mind that I find fascinating,” I tell him. “But I also like English and drama and, of course, clothes, but that can’t really be a major. The one subject I hate is math. A math major will never, ever happen.”
“Do you play any sports?”
I choke on a laugh. “Are you kidding me?”
Greyson shrugs innocently. “I’m just trying to figure you out, and you never know.”
I glance down at my stylish outfit. “Do I look like I play sports?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugs again. “Maybe you’re hiding a rock hard body under those clothes.”
I roll my eyes. “Oh, whatever. You’re totally feeding me a line right now.”
“I am not,” he protests, biting back a grin.
I roll my eyes so hard they almost get stuck up in my head. “What about you?” I step back and scroll over his lean, toned, smoking hot body. “You could be a sports guy?”
“The only thing I do that is even remotely athletic is going to the gym.”
“Aw, so you work out?” I muse over something. “I think you and I might be polar opposites.”
“Is that a bad thing?"
“Nope. I don’t think so, anyway. I actually told my friend Callie the day I met her that opposites attract and make the best kind of friends.”
“You two seem really close,” he says.
“We are… She’s my best friend,” I tell him. “I like helping her, too.”
He momentarily studies me, his gaze making me feel restless. “Who helps you, though?”
I shrug, getting squirmy over where the conversation is headed. “I’ve always been good at taking care of myself. Besides, her letting me help her helps me, if that makes sense.” I chuckle as I daze off at the lampposts across the street. “We have this list of things she’s afraid to do. I’ve been helping her slowly scratch off stuff and have even done some of the stuff with her. It’s fun, but I still worry about her.”
“That guy she was with at the party,” he says, glancing at a car as it drives by. “That’s the guy she likes, right?”
I nod. “Yeah, there’s a long story behind how they met, too… I think they’d be good together if they could get on the same page. But Callie’s afraid and doesn’t trust many people. And Kayden... Well, I don’t know him very well, but from what Callie’s told me, he has every right to be wary.”
He grows quiet, staring at the intersection ahead of us. “I’d really like to meet her. Callie… I mean… I know she’s important to you.” He offers me a smile. “Maybe sometime in the future the three of us can hang out?”
“Okay.” It seems like such a simple request, but it’s so much more.
He’s talking about the future. Meeting my best friend. Whatever’s happening between us, he sees as a long-term thing, which probably means a lot of dating, hand holding, kissing, intimacy, emotions. I won’t be able to hide behind my smile anymore.
I’m not sure if I’m ready for that.
All I know is that I want it, more than I think I realized.