Long After (Sometimes Never 3)

“I love you, Annie. I need you. Tell me.”

My breath hitches. I open my eyes and nod. “We’re okay.”

Loden steps back, holding me at arm’s length as he grins at me. “Let’s celebrate. I’ll take you out to dinner.” He pulls me back in as he adds, “And then we can go dancing.” His voice has gone husky and I know he’s remembering our first date.

“O-okay,” I agree. “I need to finish getting ready.”

He looks at me then, his eyes trailing down my body, taking in the dress I put on for Park’s show. “Were you going somewhere?”

I shake my head stiffly. “Nope. Just a late start today.”

“All right,” he says, his brows drawing together. “I’ll be back in an hour. I need to run home to the new place real quick. Be ready.” He kisses me gently and then walks out of my room with a smile. I slump against the dresser as I pick up my phone and text Chase.

This is for the best.

Hannah comes back in, still on her phone. I watch her in the mirror as she lies back on her now made bed. She’s happy and relaxed. I sigh. No. There is no way I could ever have that

kind of relationship with Loden.

16

Fade Into You

Chase

I open the passenger side door and offer my hand. Kayla takes it with a smile. She interlocks her fingers with mine and we walk that way, hand in hand, toward the restaurant.

I met Kayla through Ella—back before Ella thought I was going to accost her dog. At the time, I had been interested in Ella and barely noticed Kayla. Then she turned up in my Lit class this semester and we started talking. Annie disappeared on me again and it doesn’t take a scientist to figure out the Loden equation. When she was dating him, she stopped hanging out with everybody. They broke up for the summer and she started coming around. Loden comes back, and Annie’s MIA once again.

Kayla’s a good distraction. I like her. She’s nice and she’s sexy as hell. But there’s something about her that holds me back from making this exclusive in the way she wants.

Shit. It might not even be anything about her, regardless of how much she gets on my nerves. In fact, I’m pretty damn sure it’s me.

“What are we doing after we eat?”

“Uh, I don’t know…” I let the end of my sentence float off into space because I had no intention of doing anything with her after this. I want to go get in a late workout and maybe swim a few laps if I have time. Ever since Park met his girlfriend, Lucy, over summer break, he’s bailed on nearly all our workouts. With Guy and Park both in their own apartments, I ended up going back to my old pattern, which consists of me sleeping in every chance I get, but I still try to get my swim time in.

Now I’ll need some way to get rid of all this extra energy I have if I’m not working out. I glance at Kayla with the thought. I’m sure she and I could come up with an alternative way to relieve my excess energy issue.

“Why? What’d you have in mind?”

I open the door and usher her out of the brisk night air. She twirls a thick lock of her dark hair around one finger and shrugs her shoulders.

“There’s a party.”

I’m always up for a party, but that wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for. The hostess greets us and we follow her to a booth in the back. Kayla slides in beside me and I stifle the annoyed sigh that’s dying to burst from my lips. I hate this about her.

Hate it.

I need my space while I eat and I’d rather be able to look at the person I’m with. Seriously. Who the hell likes to cuddle while they eat dinner?

She hooks her arm through mine as she opens her menu. I fight against the urge to shake her off me. It doesn’t matter. I already know what I want. It’s the same thing I get every time I go out. But Kayla will read the menu for the next ten minutes, looking at all the stuff she really wants, before ordering another fucking salad.

“What are you getting?” she asks with her attention still on the open menu in front of her.

I want to bat my lashes and tell her I’m thinking about getting a salad with dressing on the side and ice water to drink. But this would cause her to stare at me blankly until I explained it was a joke.

This also irritates me.

Damn it. This is why I’m single.

“Burger and fries,” I reply.

“Mm, that sounds good,” she says.

I arch a brow that she doesn’t see because she still has her nose buried in the menu. I stare out the window and wonder how long I’ll keep doing this. How long will I keep her around? How long will I keep scrutinizing everything she does?

“I think I’ll get a salad,” she finally decides.

Oh, the mockery that erupts inside my head.

Outside I smile and nod, and pretend this hasn’t happened at every meal in every other restaurant we’ve been to over the past few weeks.

~*~

After I make a phone call, in which I beg Guy to join us and to which he denies my request because he already has plans, Kayla and I go to the party. It’s at a frat house, Sig something another—I don’t keep up with all that shit.

I had texted Park to come hang out with me because if my only form of conversation is Kayla, this night is going to drag. I didn’t hear back and I know that means he’s busy with Lucy.

Kayla interlocks our fingers as soon as we’re out of the car. The front door is standing wide open. There’s a guy puking over the porch railing and I chuckle. When the first thing you see is someone upchucking large quantities of alcohol, you know it’s a good party.

I should have stopped and got my Super Soaker.

The music is techno. Not my favorite, but better than that pop shit I deal with at most parties. I fill two cups, offering one to Kayla, and lean against the wall while I chug half of mine down.

“You want to dance?” Kayla shouts over the music. I glance around at the overly filled living room, looking for the designated dance floor. And my eyes land on Annie. She has her arms wrapped around Loden’s waist and they’re dancing much too slowly for the fast-beating song. Her face rests on his chest as if she’s listening to his heartbeat—which makes me want to gag.

I nod and Kayla sets her beer down. I bring mine along as she tows me behind her. Her hands slide up my chest and hook around my neck.

“I love this song,” she says close to my ear.

I ignore the comment, turning my head to the side so I can down another mouthful of my drink. I try to keep my eyes off Annie, but it’s been weeks since I’ve seen her.

I hope she doesn’t plan on avoiding me until next summer. That’s going to get old real quick. She hasn’t even gone to talk to Guy as far as I know. Looking at her now has my breath hitching in my throat and my blood boiling at the same time. I don’t like being a part-time friend at her convenience.

I look away and try to focus on Kayla, but it isn’t happening. My thoughts keep forcing their way back to Annie. Maybe she’s just been busy. She always has so much going on.

I don’t realize I’m staring at Annie’s face until her eyes open and her lips part in surprise. I offer her a grin and she smiles for half a second before she turns away, looking up at Loden. He doesn’t notice the way she’s gazing at him because he’s too busy watching me.

I nod a hello. Annie says something and he glances down at her.

And then Annie’s entire body tenses at his reply. I stop moving with Kayla, my hand dropping away from her side. All my attention focuses on Loden’s hands and the way they’re pressing into Annie’s hips, his fingers digging into her skin. It takes me a second to register what’s happening. I want to make sure I’m actually seeing what I think I’m seeing.

But before I can react, Loden releases her, causing Annie to stumble back a step as if she had been struggling against his grip, and confirming my suspicion.

Kayla puts a hand on my arm, wondering what the hell I’m doing, but I can’t even acknowledge her. I’m stuck, frozen in place as my body wars with my mind. As my eyes battle my thoughts, trying to convince me that I didn’t see what I know I just saw.

Loden pushes through the crowd and it takes Annie a second to follow after him. I grab hold of Kayla’s hand and drag her along as I make my way through the crowd.

“What’s going on?” Kayla asks. “Where are we going? Are you okay?”

I glance at her over my shoulder. “I just need to check on something,” I say, giving her the vaguest answer I can come up with. When I look back, I can’t find Annie. I pause, shifting my gaze from one side of the room to the other. I continue on to the kitchen where the kegs are set up. There’s a game of quarters going on at the table, a few guys doing shots at the bar area, and a couple of girls sitting up on top of the counters, talking.

No Annie.

I turn around and head for the staircase. I’m assuming it leads up to the bedrooms. My heart rate kicks up into overdrive. If he took her up there to carry on what I saw in the living room…

Maybe I misunderstood.

Maybe I want something to be wrong in their relationship. Maybe I imagined it.

She didn’t ask for help. She didn’t yell. Hell, she followed after him. I must have gotten the wrong impression. But I have to be sure. I won’t feel right until I’m positive.

“Chase,” Kayla sighs. “What are we doing?”

There are six doors, all closed. I nudge Kayla against the wall near the landing. “Wait here for a second. I’ll be right back.”

“If you want to mess around we can go back to my place. My roommate went home for the weekend.”

I shake my head. “I’ll be right back,” I repeat. She rolls her eyes at me, but stays where I leave her. I stop in front of the first door and press my ear against it. Holding my breath, I listen. I’m met with silence. The second door gives the same response. Third door is slightly ajar so I peer inside. It’s a bathroom and there’s a girl hugging the toilet while her friend holds her hair.

Moving on to the next door, I repeat the process. When, again, I get nothing but the quiet hum of wood against my ear, I start for the next door.

Voices make me pause. I concentrate on listening as I step back to the door I just abandoned.

“I didn’t do anything,” Annie says. Her voice is lifeless, void of any emotion.

“Bullshit. You were watching him while you were dancing with me.”

Silence.

“I see the way he looks at you.”

Annie gasps and my blood runs cold.

“I told you, that’s the one thing I won’t put up with.”

“Loden,” Annie says, her voice quiet, but I can hear the panic in her tone. I shove the door open and move into the room.

Loden has his hands in Annie’s hair and for one agonizing second, I think I really did misunderstand everything I’ve seen and heard tonight. It looks like he’s about to kiss her.

Until I detect the fear in Annie’s wide eyes and the anger etched into his features.

“Oh, that’s just fucking great,” Loden spits. He removes his hands from Annie’s hair and I notice it doesn’t fall right, like maybe he had been gripping it for awhile. Like maybe he had been pulling it.

“You all right?” I ask Annie.

She doesn’t answer. She doesn’t move. Her only reaction is to stare at me, the fear not leaving her eyes. I take another step closer and that jerks her out of whatever thought she was trapped in.

“I’m fine. We’re fine.”

I let my eyes move away from her and find Loden. His hands are in his own hair now and he’s pacing the length of the bed.

“Why don’t you let me give you a ride home?” I suggest, not knowing how to deal with this situation. I don’t want to make shit worse, but I’m not about to walk away, either.