Page 85 of Give Me Love

“Why are you here?” I ask.

“I heard it was your birthday. Didn’t wanna miss myfriend’sbirthday.” He says it with a hint of sarcasm.

“So, where’s Jace then?” I ask.

He lifts a brow. “You wanna hang out with my brother? I’ll take you to him.” He shrugs like this is no issue, but I’m no dummy. He wouldn’t be here if he never saw my date. He would still be with his own.

“I’m not leaving my friends.”

“They can come, too.”

I look back at Claire and Austin. “This place is kinda crazy anyway,” Claire says as a guy walks by her with glitter covering his chest. He throws up his hands and yells to the top of his lungs, sticks his tongue out, and starts dancing.

I look at Bryce.

He makes a face, like that was interesting, and I laugh before my eyes go to Shawn.

“I think I might call it a night.”

I frown. “Don’t do that.”

He looks from me to Bryce. “No. I think I will. Happy birthday, Kat. It was good to meet you. Austin, I’ll see you Monday.”

Austin nods as he walks off.

I scoff. “What the hell?” My eyes go to Bryce. “You ran off my date.”

“Some date,” he says in return. “Come on. Let’s go to Red.”

I don’t know why I just threw away my night because Bryce showed up. I’m a little disappointed in myself that I didn’t tell him to kick rocks. I know he only came to find me because I was with another man. Part of me loves that he cares enough to do that, but the other part wishes he had been my date in the first place. But what we have isn’t normal.

Neither of our childhoods was normal, and that’s affected our adulthood in a way that’s messing up our whole relationship. He doesn’t try to hold my hand as we walk into his club. He doesn’t act like we’re anything more than what we are. Two fucked-up adults who don’t know how to commit to a relationship even though it’s clear we both want more.

Bryce was on his phone on the way over here, texting someone and looking worried. The corners of his eyes creased as he looked out the window. Drunk me wanted to climb onto his lap and run my finger down his forehead over the wrinkle between his brows and down the smooth slope of his slightly crooked nose. I’d never really paid it much mind before, but I wondered if his nose had been broken in the past.

He surprises us all when we head for the stairs leading up to the mystery room. I look back at Claire, and she smiles at me. Austin holds her hand, and I smile at both of them, because they’ve had a few too many and they’d never do that sober.

We pass by the bouncer, and once at the top Bryce opens the door and we follow in behind him. My hands go to my mouth as I take in the sight before me, and I can’t help the grin behind them as thirty or more strangers sing “Happy Birthday” to me. Normally, I’d find a place to hide, but my buzz makes me brave.

My eyes wander over the room. It’s covered in streamers, and there’s a small cake on a pool table. Champagne glasses are everywhere, and I laugh when Jace comes out of nowhere and swoops me up.

“Happy birthday, Harrison!” he says, clearly buzzed, and I’m not sure what else. He kisses my cheek, and I blush.

“Thank you.”

“Happy birthday,” a tall blonde says as she hands me a glass of bubbly. More than half of the people leave the room, and I notice they’re Bryce’s staff.

Of course.

He doesn’t have friends.

I also notice the boy’s dates from earlier are no longer here.

I turn to look at him. His expression isn’t hard to read this time, but it’s a look I’ve never seen before.

Unsureness and a little bit shy.

This is what he was planning on the way over here, and from what I’ve learned about this complicated man, he was overthinking it.

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