Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 127146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
"And what are you doing dancing with this reprobate, Spencer? Didn't they tell you that if you're going to date a guy from The Mill, it should be me, or maybe…” He taps his chin like he’s thinking. “Only Lee is prettier."
She giggles again, and he points out Lee, who is still pouting in the corner.
"Should we go cheer him up, do you think? He looks like he could use a drink or two."
She turns her attention back to me, her body more relaxed. "Is he your friend?"
My smile is more real than fake now. "Yeah, I guess he is."
She follows Sebastian over to the other side of the room, and for the first time so far tonight, I feel like I can breathe.
Lee tenses when they approach but relaxes under Sebastian's pointed teasing of both him and the girl. I turn, intent on another damn drink, but the ground beneath my feet disappears. My eyes collide with another pair of pretty green eyes.
Bel.
She’s standing behind the bar, her eyes wide, face as white as a ghost. There's no doubt by the heartbroken expression she wears that she hasn’t missed a minute of what happened, including that kiss.
CHAPTER 32
BEL
It's like my body completely froze from the inside out. The tray in my hand shakes and threatens to topple, so I slide it behind the bar on instinct alone while the rest of me stays locked in place, staring at Drew over the high-top bar.
He whispers my name, and it breaks the spell, allowing me to move my legs and take one stumble backward.
His eyes stay on mine, and his hand comes up like he might reach for me even though we are several feet apart. No one else is in the room, and that thought scares me now. All I see is him, and on repeat in my head, the highlight reel of her kissing him, of her touching him.
What the fuck is happening?
The bartender moves my tray. "What the hell are you doing? The natives are getting antsy. Go circulate." The hard line of the tray hits my chest.
I take the weight and stare up at the large forty-something bartender as if he's speaking another language. "What?"
"Take this round and go. Come back when you need more. You're holding me up for custom orders."
I look up at Drew again, and he's closer now. Only the bar separates us.
"Bel," he breathes, and even with the music, the crowd, I hear it anyway.
It doesn’t matter. I can't do this. I can't face him after what I witnessed. It hits me all at once that I know nothing about him. His grades, his schoolwork, how he feels inside me, but nothing real. Nothing substantial.
Has he had a girlfriend this whole time?
The thought shoots through me, and I can't face him. No. Not like this.
I turn, and I fucking run like the coward I am. Leaving the tray on a side table near the door, I race right into the service hall that runs along the ballroom. It's empty now, but it doesn't take long to hear the sharp tap of dress shoes on the linoleum chasing me.
"Maybel, stop."
He never uses my full name, and I hate him for doing it here. Now.
"Fucking stop, Bel. Damn."
I'm moving faster, cutting across another hall that leads into the kitchen to the other hallway that runs perpendicular to the main one. This place is a maze, but I will find my way out of here or die trying.
He continues to follow me, and I continue to ignore him. "You really want to do this here? Go ahead and run. It doesn’t matter. I'll always find you. I'll always catch you."
I glare at him over my shoulder, still moving. He's slow, slower than I know he can move.
"Let me guess, you say that to her too? Did you chase her down and take her in the woods too? Claim her virginity and fuck up her life?"
He huffs and stuffs his hands into the pockets of his tux. A fucking tux he looks incredible in. "You sound desperate, little wallflower. If you stop, I can show you what I really think."
Fuck him and fuck this. "No," I snap and up my pace.
"You know I like it when you run from me."
His words make me want to stop and fucking deck him. Especially since I hadn't heard a word from him since he left my room the last time. The distance between us is so thick that I hadn't yet figured out how to breach it. I think that’s on him, not me. If he's saving himself for some tall, willowy rich girl, me throwing him out means nothing despite his protestations.
When the next door comes up, I sweep through it and back into the party. It's all diamonds and big hair. All these people have far too much money and time on their hands. Drew follows me, pausing as he scans the crowd again. I grab a tray from a passing server and swing through the crowd into the big knots of people to keep him off my tail. He can't confront me in here, not in front of these people.