Page 25 of War

Glancing around the table, watching everyone eat, I can’t help but smile.

I’ve never had a big family—no brothers or sisters, no father. I’ve never had anyone to cook or bake for besides my mother when she was alive.

War has given me more than he knows.

CHAPTER TWELVE

ORA

“What happened with you and Haze last night?” I ask Lu. We’re sitting on my couch, eating snacks and talking shit, debriefing everything that happened at our first club party. We both have face masks on, our hair in messy buns, and we’re in our bathrobes. A romantic comedy plays in the background, but I’m too nosey and wanting gossip that it’s hard to pay attention.

She groans and scrubs her hand down her face. “While you went off with War, I walked up to the stage and tried to flirt with him.”

My eyes widen. Lu has always been an incredibly confident woman, so I shouldn’t be so surprised she took control like that, but I am. She usually makes men work for it. “And?” I press, knowing there’s more to the story.

“And…he rejected me,” she replies, rushing the last three words and pursing her lips. “So I walked away and ignored him for the rest of the night. Flirted with Blade, who is really cute, I might add, and then Haze said he wanted to take me home.”

“Did anything happen?”

She shakes her head. “No, nothing. He barely spoke to me on the drive. But here’s the thing… I know Haze. Well, I know him as Hayden. I haven’t seen him in years.”

I sit forward, grabbing my mask as it almost slips from my face. “Wait, what?”

She nods, wincing. “I used to be best friends with his sister growing up. I always had the biggest crush on him. They used to live next door to me. When I was about sixteen, they moved away, and I lost contact with his sister, Aspen.”

“So you haven’t seen him in how long?” I ask, brow furrowing as I do the math. “Thirteen years?”

“Yeah. I almost didn’t recognize him. Bones told me his name was Haze, but I knew he looked familiar. You know what the worst part is? I threw myself at him just before he moved away. He rejected me then, and he rejected me now. Seriously, I hope I never see him again.”

“He refused to let Blade take you home,” I muse, wishing I knew what was going through his head.

“Yeah, I don’t know. Some misplaced responsibility since he used to always look after us back in the day,” she guesses, shrugging. “Why did I have to go up to that stage and make a fool of myself like that?”

“Lu, you’re a beautiful woman. Smart. Talented. A successful business owner. Any man would be lucky to have you. And if Haze doesn’t see it, then another man will. Blade looked like he was really into you.”

“Yeah, I definitely need some dick,” she murmurs, lifting her cup of coffee to her lips.

“Well, you now have access to a whole clubhouse full of…that.” We smirk at each other.

“Did Haze sing back then?” I ask, settling back into the couch.

She nods, her green eyes flickering. “Yeah, he did. And he played guitar. I used to be able to hear it through his open window at night as I was falling asleep.”

Okay, that’s pretty damn sweet, but I’m not going to say that.

“Small fucking world,” I mutter, and she expels a deep sigh.

“Tell me about it. Last place I thought I’d run into my childhood crush, only to be told he fucks anything that walks. Apparently, anything except me.” She groans, playing with the end of her ponytail.

“Have you ever been turned down before?”

“No,” she replies. We share a look and then start laughing.

“Maybe you needed to be humbled,” I tease, and she throws a cushion at me.

I’m about to retaliate when we hear a knock at the door. “You expecting anyone?”

I shake my head. “No, maybe it’s the delivery man.” I pause when I get to the door, realizing what I’m wearing, but hey, he’s seen me in worse. But when I open the door, I come face-to-face with War.

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