She snorted as she followed. “You only know what Lexie says.”
“You’re spoiled. You’re jealous of Lexie. And you’re the kind of person who blackmails her cousin,” I stated, my voice hard.
She stopped walking. “Sh-she told you!”
“Asher fucking heard you,” I growled as I kept going. “Now, fuck off.” I walked around the corner and towards the backyard. I was going somewhere Tara couldn’t follow.
Lexie
By the time we got back the party was getting rowdy. People were jumping off the diving board into the pool, one guy was doing a keg stand. It was chaos, but good chaos. Isaac led me through the crowded house and found Ethan with his bandmates.
“She’s all yours,” Isaac announced before kissing my temple.
“You mean I get to keep her?” Ethan asked, his face hopeful. The guys chuckled,
“You don’t want to keep me, I’m a lot of upkeep,” I warned Ethan. Ryan and Oliver laughed. Brooklyn, their new singer, watched me from the corner of her eye. She had a sweet angel face. Her blue eyes were ringed in black, her hot pink hair reached her shoulders in a choppy haircut. When we first met I had tried being nice, but she just watched me. Like she was watching me now.
Isaac gave my shoulder a squeeze before he ducked into the crowd. I pulled out my phone and texted the guys.
Alexis: Someone else is up.
Asher: On it
Alexis: Thanks.
I tucked my phone back into my pocket. Brooklyn was still watching.
Ethan got to his feet and took my hand. “Come on, Beautiful. I want a dance.” I smiled as he pulled me through the house to the living room, where the speakers were blaring. I told Hades to stay in the corner while we danced within his sight. Ethan smiled, spun me under his arm, and brought me back. As we danced I relaxed into him. We moved to the music. When a slow song came on, Ethan pulled me close. I draped my arms over his shoulders and took a deep breath of his spicy cologne.
“Thanks for dancing with me, Snoopy,” I said softly.
His hand moved up my spine slowly. “Always, Beautiful.”
“How are you doing?” I asked.
His chocolate eyes met mine. “Better, thanks to you.”
“I just listened,” I reminded him as warmth washed through me. “You could have called any of us.”
The corner of his lips lifted. “I don’t see myself calling Zeke in the middle of the night because I need to talk.”
I smiled at the image. “You’d probably get cursed out and lectured at the same time.”
He chuckled and held me closer, his hand running slowly back down my spine. My heart raced. Our dancing slowed.
“You know you can call me any time, right?” he whispered.
“I know.” I ran my eyes over his serious face. “What’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “I just had a bad dream last night. Don’t worry about it.”
“What happened?” I asked.
His eyes ran over my face, his arms held me tighter. “I lost you,” he said, his voice just over a whisper. “You died. In front of us. We were all there, trying to get to you, and we just couldn’t…” His eyes filled with shadows. My heart ached.
“Hey, I’m okay,” I reminded him. “I’m here, I’m safe.”
His eyes met mine again. “I know, it was just a bad dream.” He tried to smile as if everything was fine.
I hugged him tight. “I’m okay,” I whispered in his ear. “I’m not going anywhere.” Please don’t let me be lying. My heart ached as I shoved the thought to the back of my mind.
He squeezed me back and took a deep breath.
We were still dancing when his phone went off. He checked it and cursed. “I need to go watch Isaac.” He texted back while I got Hades’ leash.
“Who’s got Lexie duty?” I teased.
He chuckled. “We’re meeting Miles.” He led me through the loud crowd. The music was starting to make my head hurt. It was roasting with so many bodies in here, not to mention the smell of so many sweaty people. Was everyone drunk already?
Miles
I handed off the controller to Chris and headed toward the doorway of the game room to meet Lexie and Ethan. The party was getting rowdy and people were bumping into each other everywhere. That’s not going to be good for Angel. The thought had me moving through the crowd faster. I finally spotted them waiting in the hall just outside the door. She was leaning against the doorjamb of the glass French doors, her fingers rubbing at her temple with her eyes closed. A headache? Ethan and Hades were between her and the crowd. Good, less chance of her getting bumped. I finally reached them.
“How’s your night going?” I asked them.
Ethan smiled. “I got a dance; it’s awesome.” Lexie smiled a tired smile. Ethan chuckled before he leaned down and kissed Lexie on the cheek. I looked away from them to the crowd, my fingers tapping on my thigh. How were the twins so sure she wanted to be touched? How did they know without her telling them? I envied them that skill.
“I’ll see you guys later.” Ethan’s voice had me turning back to them. Ethan slipped into the crowd.
“What would you like to do?” I asked.
Lexie wiped the sweat from her face. “Can we go outside? It’s hot and loud in here.”
“Sure.” I took her hand that wasn’t holding Hades’ leash and started walking her through the crowd. In the hallway it was even louder than the game room. I was trying to get through when Lexie jerked her hand from mine. I was turning to her when Hades growled and barked.
A drunk guy’s hands were up. “Sorry, just a bit dizzy,” he said, his eyes on Hades.
Lexie had moved a step back from him into a defensive position, her shaking hands were up in fists. I moved to her side, slightly between her and the drunk.
“H-heel,” she told Hades. The guy stepped back into the crowd with a small smirk on his face. I ran through my memory looking for a name. Thomas Avery. I turned to Lexie, her face pale as she took a deep breath. Without thinking, I wrapped my arm around her and began moving her through the hallway. The crowd parted, allowing us to get through. I opened one of the doors to the backyard and guided her out.
The backyard wasn’t quite as busy, but after that scare she’d want quiet. Keeping my arm around her, I walked her down to the lake. She continued taking deep, calming breaths. We reached the end of the dock, as far from the house as I could get her. She slipped off her sandals and sat down, dipping her feet into the water. I sat beside her, watching her carefully. She looked down at the water and took several more deep breaths. My body grew tense.
“Are you alright?” I asked, keeping my voice gentle.
She nodded. “I think I’m going to stay outside for the rest of the party.” Her voice was quiet and shaking around the edges. She didn’t seem to be having a flashback…
“Whatever you need,” I promised. If she wanted to leave, we’d leave. If she wanted to stay outside until dawn, we’d stay outside until dawn.
She sent me a small smile. “Sorry.”
“I’m not big on parties, Lexie,” I told her as Hades sat beside me and I started scratching his ears.
“But you go anyway,” she pointed out, her voice quiet. I met her eyes. “Why?”
Because you do. I couldn’t say that though. Could I? Maybe I should tell her how I felt? The agreement with the others popped into my mind. Why did I put that up for a vote again? Looking into her beautiful eyes I couldn’t remember. I shouldn’t tell her. I’d be betraying the guys, not to mention, if she didn’t… I’d been quiet for too long. Say something!
“Sometimes I’m the only one Isaac will listen to, at least I was before you came along,” I told her. It was true, I'd just never said it out loud before.
She nodded. “That makes sense.” She looked down at the water and started making small waves with her feet.
“What happened in the hallway?” I asked, needing to know.