Page 18 of Captured Love

Isla: Do you want to attend a campus event with me and Hailey tonight? I can send you details in a bit, but I know free food is promised.

I think about my lack of plans for the night and find myself typing a reply back before I’ve processed exactly what was happening.

Me: You’re speaking my language. I’ll definitely be there.

As I put my phone back into my pocket, I realize I haven’t thought about Knox the entire time I was at the gym.

And that’s freeing.

8

SELENE

I'm laughing so hard I nearly snort as Hailey, Isla, and I push our way through the people that are hanging around outside even though it’s chilly. It’s much more crowded than it usually is, but that doesn’t matter because I have only one thing on my mind.

“Free pizza, here we come!” I say as I glance over at Isla. “I'm starving.”

Healthy diet be damned, for tonight at least. Good thing I worked out today.

Hailey rolls her eyes, but I can see her smirk. “You know this means we have to stay for the whole presentation, right? They aren't just giving it away.”

I shrug. “How bad could it be? Sustainable living or something, right? We'll learn some important things like how to compost our quinoa and save the whales.” She glares at me because this is totally her thing and Isla and I are just along for the ride. “I’m kidding. I’m excited to see what this is all about.”

“Same, I just tend to express my feelings better than Selene over here,” Isla chimes in.

“Girl, whatever,” I say waving her off.

We reach the doors to the building, and I make an exaggerated show of holding one open for Hailey and Isla. As soon as I cross the threshold, the smell of melted cheese and garlic hits me and my stomach growls so loudly that even Isla and Hailey hear it.

“Jeez, you weren’t kidding.” Isla shakes her head as she tries not to laugh.

All I can do is shrug and say, “Told ya so.”

We walk toward the auditorium and find some seats that are in the middle but near an aisle. Hopefully, that will make it easier for us to escape if the presentation isn’t what we have in mind.

Someone at the front of the room fiddles with a microphone, causing a burst of feedback that makes the whole crowd wince and grab their ears. I take this moment to scan the audience and notice a few familiar faces from classes and around campus. Looks like a decent turnout for a freebie event on a Saturday night. My eyes land on a tall figure at the back of the room, standing against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. My heart skips a beat when I recognize him—Knox. His dark hair is tousled in that effortless way guys like him always seem to pull off, and he's wearing a faded green jacket over a plain white tee. He looks almost bored, but there's an intensity in his gaze that makes it impossible to look away.

Isla follows my line of sight and raises an eyebrow. “Holy shit…”

That causes Hailey to look in the same direction we are. Her mouth drops open briefly before she catches herself.

I tear my gaze away from Knox and look at her with wide eyes. “Did you guys know he was going to be here?” My whisper-shout almost sounds comical and borderline hysterical.

Isla shakes her head slowly, clearly as surprised as I am. “We didn’t have a game today, but I can’t figure out why he would behere. I did tell Asher I would be going to this with you, but I’m not sure why he would mention it to Knox….”

Hailey reaches up to adjust her messy bun. “Levi is having dinner with his parents tonight so unless he texted Knox and told him, this might be just random.”

“Maybe he's into the whole sustainable living thing?” Isla adds.

I haven’t the slightest idea because it wasn’t something we talked about via text message or while we fucked so… “Could just be here for the free pizza, like us.”

But inside, my mind is racing. Knox and I aren’t anything and I’ve been doing my best not to think about him. I’m convinced this is a test the universe is throwing my way because why in the hell would he be here? Yep, fate is playing some kind of trick on me.

The lights in the auditorium dim and someone steps up to the podium. I steal one more glance at Knox. He shifts his weight from one leg to the other and scans the room. For a moment, I think his eyes meet mine, but it’s too dark to tell and I look away too quickly to be sure.

“Thank you all for coming out tonight,” says the woman at the podium. She has short, cropped hair, and wears an oversized knit sweater and jeans. “I'm Maggie, and I'm excited to talk to you all about sustainable living in the modern world.”

I shift in my seat, trying to get comfortable, but my mind is anywhere but on the presentation. What if Knox sees me here? What will he think? Would he come over and say hi? Do I even want him to?

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