Page 89 of No One Else

“Just leave,” she grits out, her face smiling now in case anyone’s watching, but her voice is scary. “Before I get security and have them escort him out.”

I stare at her, her eyes flashing fire, and turn around to Evan, who’s regarding us warily a few feet away.

I approach him, too mad right now to look him fully in the face. “Let’s go,” I whisper, keeping my head held high to anyone who may be watching us, and lead the way out.

He opens the Bronco’s passenger door for me when we get to the parking lot, but we both stay silent as he navigates the roads to my dorm.

He pulls into my lot and shuts the SUV off but makes no move to get out. He taps on the steering wheel with his thumb, staring straight ahead. “Are you mad?”

A scoffing noise emerges from the back of my throat before I can contain it. “Well, I’m not happy. If you’d waited a second longer, I was about to knee him in the balls.”

“So you just wanted me to let him keep kissing you then?” There’s an edge to his voice I haven’t heard before.

“No, but you didn’t have to go full enraged caveman in there. He was obviously doing it to goad you.”

“Yeah, and it worked. I’ve told him to back off.”

“Oh yes, let’s not forget about that. Apparently you’re on camera threatening him. His dad’s a lawyer, Evan. A shark. The kind that defends crooked businessmen and politicians. He’d have no trouble going after you if Carter asked him to.”

His eyes flash in the dim light coming from the street lamp. “God, Natalie, what did you expect me to do? Politely wait for him to finish kissing you and ask him to please not do it again? Should I have bent over for him afterward too? Jesus.” He runs a hand through his hair, pounding a fist down on the top of the steering wheel.

“I’m just saying you didn’t have to make a scene. Brittany’s about ready to kick me out of Suncoast Serves.”

“How was any of that in there your fault?” he yells, pointing back in the direction of the other side of campus. “He was holding you in place. I saw him. And she’s going to try and blame that on you? Fuck that.”

His voice echoes in the confined space of the SUV, enough that I flinch slightly. I’ve never seen Evan worked up like this. Didn’t know he was even capable of it.

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Nothing will be solved tonight with both of us this heated. “How about we both just cool off for a while? Pick it up again tomorrow after sleeping on it?”

“Fine,” he mutters, staring out the windshield again.

I open my door and step down, careful to keep my dress off the dirty ground.

“I’d do it again,” he says in a hard voice, still not looking at me. “I don’t care who his dad is. He can’t just do whatever he wants.”

I twist my lips, staying silent on the matter. Half of me agrees with him but the other half remembers how Carter and his family are. Evan doesn’t know what they’re like.

I shut the door and make my way inside, my heart growing heavier with each step I take up the stairs. I stop in my room briefly to grab pajamas to change into and go to take a shower, washing off the extra makeup I put on, washing away the events of the night.

Should I have pushed back harder against Brittany? Truly made her see that Carter was at fault?

Should I have just agreed with Evan and let it be? He was defending me after all. He went about it the wrong way in my opinion, but I know his intentions were pure.

I hate being at odds with him. Maybe I should text him. At least to tell him that even though I’m mad, I understand where he’s coming from. I have a feeling this ball of turmoil in my gut won’t go away until there’s some kind of resolution between us.

I head back to my room to get my phone and stop short at the end of the hall. A guy’s waiting outside my door, but it’s not who I want to see.

“What are you doing here?” I ask Carter, silently seething at his audacity showing up here after what he pulled tonight.

“I’m here to make you a deal,” he says, all traces of his charming public persona gone. His nose is swollen, dark circles already forming underneath his eyes.

Good. I hope his black eyes let everyone know that he came out the loser of that fight.

“I’m not interested,” I tell him, trying to push past him to open my door, but he puts out his arm, halting me.

“You’re going to be interested or otherwise I’ll destroy him.”

I stumble, finally truly paying attention. “What?”

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