Page 23 of If You Dare

I bite my lip. I should’ve been watching her more closely. “Honestly, I’m not sure. She was playing a drinking game, so I think she had a few.”

“I’m amazed she lasted a whole month before getting hammered.” His gaze flicks to me, making the nerves in my stomach stir. How my heart doesn’t explode every time he peers at me through those dark lashes is a mystery. “How much did you drink?”

“I only took a few sips. It tasted pretty gross to me,” I admit, knowing that makes me sound like the nerdy loser he already thinks I am.

He chuckles, and the sound is enough to spread a grin wide across my face. “Shitty beer tastes like piss. That’s why I don’t really give a shit that Coach doesn’t let us drink during hockey season.”

“So you don’t go to parties?”

“I go to some, but they’re not as fun when you’re one of the only sober people there.” He lifts an ebony eyebrow in my direction. “That how you felt tonight?”

Earlier, I left our dorm expecting to hate every second, to feel like a little kid playing dress-up, but having Chloe by my side made the night fun, exciting. Even when she was in another room, she helped me do something I never would’ve done otherwise. Adrenaline is still coursing through my veins. “I actually didn’t have a bad time. I hung out with Chloe and one of my classmates.”

“Who’s this classmate?” I don’t know Wes well enough yet to interpret his tone, but the question doesn’t sound wholly casual.

“I don’t think you know him.”

His shoulders stiffen, grip tightening on the steering wheel. Almost like he’s...

No. Not jealous.

“Did you hook up?” There’s a steely edge to his voice now.

“No,” I say quickly, wringing my hands. “It’s not like that with him.”

“Why not?” A careful question.

“He’s nice, but I only see him as a friend.”

Wes’s blue eyes land on me again, playful and roguish. “What do you see me as?”

My heartbeat stutters. There’s no way I’m imagining this now. He’s definitely flirting with me. But whether it means anything more to him or it’s just a fun way for him to pass the time, I can’t say for sure. “A mystery,” I admit.

My answer both surprises and amuses him. “Huh. No one’s ever called me mysterious before.” He pulls into a parking lot outside of Nohren Hall. “Guess we’ll just have to get to know each other better. Now that you’re living with my sister, after all. Gotta make sure you’re not a psycho killer.”

I giggle. “I’m definitely not. Although, I think you should’ve found that out before you gave me a ride.”

He grins, and I nearly combust. “That sounds like something a psycho killer would say.”

Wes carries Chloe up to our dorm, the scent of her vanilla perfume hitting us. The smell is comforting now. My home away from home.

He lays her on her side and covers her with the blanket, our room about sixty-five degrees because Chloe likes to curl up under four layers while she sleeps, even in the summer.

My heart squeezes at Wes’s tenderness toward his little sister as he tucks her in before I force myself to turn away and grab the trash can in the corner in case she pukes in the middle of the night.

I sit on the floor to watch Chloe. During the ride to campus, Mom warned me that if you’re drunk and puke while you’re lying on your back, you could drown in your own vomit. I have a feeling I won’t be sleeping tonight, terrified about what might happen to my new best friend if I shut my eyes. “I think she was trying to impress Luke,” I tell Wes. “I don’t know why she thinks she has to impress him, though. She’s great. He’d be lucky to date her.”

“No guy on this fucking campus is good enough for her.” Wes lowers himself to the floor beside me. He says it like a fact, and I smile. He’s right. “You have a boyfriend yet?”

Warmth creeps up to my cheeks. “No, I’ve never had a boyfriend,” I admit.I hate that every conversation we have further confirms how far below his league I am. “What about you?”

“I’ve had one girlfriend. That was plenty.” His jaw clenches, features stony now as he returns his focus to his sleeping sister.

The subject is clearly a touchy one. Likely off-limits entirely. But the adrenaline from tonight is making me braver. “What happened?”

He lifts a dark brow. “You really want to hear the whole story?” Like maybe no one else has ever been interested in hearing it before.

“I like stories.” I nod to the stack of books under my desk where I keep my collection.

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