Page 72 of Wicked Minds
I frown at his dark tone. “Did something new happen with you guys?” I knew there was tension between them, but the way he says it, it sounds like something went down.Could that be what had Grayson showing up drunk at my door last night?
“It’s nothing,” he dismisses, shaking his head. “Just Grayson being his usual pigheaded self.”
“Mmm.” I know that version of him well. “Hey, my neighbor’s kid is really into hockey at the minute. They were watching your game with me the other night, and I was wondering if it’s possible to get tickets for your next home game? No worries, if it’s not, I just thought I’d ask.”
“Of course. That’s not a problem. How many do you need?”
“Hmm, two? Three?” I deliberate briefly before saying, “Three so I can go too.”
“Shortcake, there’s always a permanent seat rinkside for you,” Logan says, a goofy grin splitting his face. “I’ll get tickets sorted so your friends can join you for the next game.”
Blushing, I murmur my thanks before sampling the food in front of me as Logan’s phone pings in his pocket. Pulling it out, he makes an incredulous noise. “Well, well. Mr. Hermit himself has deigned to grace us with his presence.”
Arching a brow, I stare at him in confusion, having absolutely no idea who he’s talking about.
“Royce is joining us for lunch.”
“Thought you said this wasn’t his scene?”
“It’s not. He hasn’t set foot in here all year.”
“So why is he coming today?”
Logan pierces me with a stare that says I should knowexactlywhy Royce is eating in the food court today.
“Because of me?”
He smirks, leaning back in his chair. “Well, it sure as shit ain’t because of me.”
I swear I sense when Royce enters the room. I could justify it on how the entire room momentarily goes silent. Voices drop to a whisper as all attention turns to him.
But that would be bullshit. I knew he was here before anyone else. The second his eyes settled on me, I felt it. The weight of his gaze. The intensity of his stare. We’re connected in a way I’ve never been to anyone else. Our life forces are intertwined. I couldn’tnotsense him even if I was blindfolded.
Heads turn, whispers following in his wake as he crosses the court. Unlike Logan, Royce doesn’t acknowledge a single person. His face is set in its typical hard mask, hisfuck offshining neon bright for everyone to see.
“Holy shit, Royce King!” I hear a student at a nearby table gasp. “I haven’t seen him since he won us the championship game last year. Does anyone know why he isn’t on the team anymore?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice the rest of the table shake their heads. Royce’s sudden disappearance from the team—and college life in general—appears to be a campus-wide mystery.
I hadn’t realized until now that Royce was as infamous as Logan. Despite no longer being on the football team, girls still push out their chests and bat their lashes at him as he passes, and guys hold up their hands for expectant high-fives that Royce completely disregards.
The hall sits in stunned silence as he approaches our table and lowers into the seat beside me, deliberately sitting so he’s angled with his back to the room.
This close, I can see the tense set of his shoulders, the way they sit close to his ears, and his facial expression is pinched. It’s clear he’s uncomfortable as fuck with all this attention on him.
Shifting closer, I slide a hand onto his knee beneath the table. Placing his on top of mine, he squeezes, although the harshness on his face doesn’t lessen.
When the silence in the room lingers, the weight of hundreds of eyes on us, he shifts to glare at the gawking crowd. His expression is so foreboding that it has all heads snapping away, the room bursting into loud conversation once more.
Only then do his shoulders marginally relax, and when he turns back to face me, his expression somewhat softens. “Hi, Babydoll.”
“Hey.”
“Dude,” Logan interjects. “See what happens when you avoid people for half the fucking year.”
Royce glares at his best friend before ignoring him altogether. “How have your classes been so far?” he asks me.
“Good. I’m taking Psychology 101 this semester, and I’m enjoying it more than I thought.”
