Page 4 of The Masks We Break

If I see the slightest change in his demeanor...perhaps that means…

Then his head moves. It can’t be more than a centimeter, but it tics to the left.

Did I say I’ve only ever been wrong once? Make it a double. The hopeful balloon in my chest pops, snapping into my heart with a painful slap that radiates across my sternum.

Nu-huh. Nope. Not this time.

I force my legs to straighten and turn on my heels. I didn’t want to come to this stupid fundraising gala anyway, and I can only hope a tummy ache excuse will work when my father asks where I was.

My short heels echo down the vast hall as I find the valet guy. He’s behind the counter, slumped over, and a slight hum gives away his unconscious state. I find my foot tapping of its own accord as I stare down at the dozing attendant. The last thing I need is for Blaze to come out here.

“Excuse me.” I try to be gentle, not wanting to startle him.

Nothing.

My heart picks up pace, and I can’t help but let my eyes flash over my shoulder. Since we go to the same college, the odds of seeing him again have always been high, but after two years, I think it’s become pretty obvious we chose drastically different schedules. I can’t say I’ve missed seeing him, daydreaming about what could have been, but I also can’t say Ihaven’t.

Blaze has been nothing but one big book hangover that I can’t seem to forget.

I clear my throat and add a few levels to my voice. “Excuse me, sir?”

The man stirs for a moment before letting one eye drift open. It only takes a second for him to realize that he’s fallen asleep before he jolts upright. “I’m so terribly sorry, miss. I don’t know...please don—”

I hold a hand up, my parking slip between two fingers. “No worries. But if I could get out of here quick, I would be eternally grateful.”

The attendant nods his brown head profusely, still muttering apologies as he takes the ticket and jogs off toward the parked cars.

My pulse thrums in my neck as I wait for the man, so I grab my phone from the tiniest handbag I’ve ever seen and call my roommate. It only rings once.

“Hey, bitch. How’s the party?” The singsong voice of my roomie, Amora, sounds through my phone.

While I didn’t find her particularly pleasing in high school, she’s turned out to be a pretty awesome person who can bake better than Betty Crocker herself. Like many others back at Emerald Falls High, no one really noticed my existence, and the only reason I wasn’t a target on some bully’s list is because of my last name.

Solace.

My family owns a university that only top graduating students can attend. Though the occasional exception can be made if you don’t have the brains but have the funds—you just need to pass the admissions test. Hence Amora. She somehow got a signed copy of my favorite fantasy series in exchange for my tutoring services.

I mean, she had the booksaddressedto me! How could I say no?

My eyes flash over my shoulder one more time before I answer her. “Dismal. I’m headed back. Have you ordered pizza yet?”

Amora’s giggle rings through the speaker, and I can’t help but succumb to its infectious sound and smile myself. “Yep. Ten minutes out. Drive safe.”

“Will do.”

“Oh, but Rem?” She pauses, and I hold my breath. “We’re watchingAttack on Titanwhen you get here.”

I groan inwardly, rolling my eyes as far as they go. Amora knows me well enough to know I wouldn’t ditch an event with my father unless something happened, yet she’s choosing not to ask. So I’ll grant her this—heck, I’ll give her anything to keep from talking about Blaze.

“Fine,” I relent, tapping the end button on my phone, just as the headlights to my smart coupe pull around the corner.

That’s when I feel him. There’s no need to turn around to see the devil when you can feel his heat licking your back. So I don’t.

I thank the valet and hop into my car, holding my breath until I exit the parking lot.

The entire ride home, I feel him. It’s unsettling and irritating. The sensation tiptoes down my spine, forcing me straight and keeping me on edge. It’s been two flipping years, and still, he can affect me without a word, invade my brain space and become the center of everything I think about.

And that...sucks.

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