Page 34 of Corrupt Me

“I hate that you’re doing this,” Abi sighs, helping me with the makeup.

“We’ll be there as well,” Celine reminds me.

“There’s more,” Mia says, looking intently at me.

“I’m having dinner with my parents Monday night.”

Abi’s brows furrow. “What do those assholes want from you now?”

I shrug. “I’ll find out tomorrow.”

“My dad wants Hunter and me to come for dinner soon too. I’ll tell him we’ll be there Monday night. I’ll bring Blake along, so come join us afterward.”

When I am ready, we walk downstairs. This feels oddly familiar, with the girls accompanying me downstairs while the guys wait.

“Just so you know, this will end when I go on an actual date,” I warn them.

“After we vet him, sure,” Celine says, and I roll my eyes at my overprotective friends. But I couldn’t imagine life without them.

My phone vibrates with a text from Eric.

“He’s here.”

Feeling strengthened after today’s intense training, I open the door but turn my head, and my eyes find Hunter. His stiff posture must be straining his muscles quite a bit.

Eric waits outside, and I inhale deeply, forcing a smile. He is a handsome guy—classic features, thick brows and hair, dressed immaculately in slacks and a polo. At least I know what I am dealing with. He can’t fool me with his looks.

“I thought we’d watch a movie and then go for a drink,” he suggests.

I breathe a sigh of relief. After the movie, I will come up with an excuse for wanting to go home.

“I’d love that.”

As he opens the passenger door for me, I get a glimpse of Hunter’s Audi parked in his designated spot. It looks just like him, a dangerous silver beast. I imagine it’s him who opens the door for me; it’s him with whom I have a date. Snapping out of that impossible dream, I slide into the seat and buckle myself in.

“How have you been?” we both ask at the same time. He looks so pleased that I force my mask to stay in place. He answers first, talking about his lacrosse training and classwork, and I try to stay focused, nodding occasionally.

“Sounds busy.”

“I always make time for the things I want,” he says, winking at me.

He must have quite the free time then.

The moment we reach the theater, he tells me to choose the movie. I am into violent and gory films, but I don’t want to share that with him, so I pick a Disney movie instead.

“I figured you’d pick that one. Sweet like you.”

Keep thinking that.

Armed with popcorn and sodas, we take our seats in the dimmed theater. I instantly calm down when I see fellow students are there as well.

Eric fills the silence with incessant blabber, which makes me wonder if he ever tires of hearing himself talk. But then I remember he was outgoing in high school as well. Eric always tried to chat me up, but I was even more of a recluse back then.

When the film rolls on the big screen, I lean back, eating the buttery, salty kernels. He sneaks a hand around the back of my seat, trying to play it smooth. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I catch a shadow. Hunter’s so stealthy that I doubt anyone else notices—but I do. I always sense him.

When Eric finishes his popcorn, he digs into mine. Our fingers brush, and I snatch my hand away. He grins, obviously doing it on purpose. It’s not that I don’t like to share, but it gets to be too much, so I just slam the popcorn on his lap, smiling back at him. It’s faker than the holes in the cheese of the animated movie.

I laugh when everyone in the room laughs and keep my eyes on the screen, but I couldn’t name one character. When the animated movie finally ends, I stand up, rubbing my temples.

---