Page 9 of Heartstruck at Dawn
The rooftop access door closed with a thump, and I prayed to Odin that he wouldn’t send William my way before I even dared to turn around to see who it was. But I wasn’t in the Norse God’s good favor because there he was, and he wasn’t alone.
William walked in with Tobias, and not one or two, butfiveother girls. Freaking five against two becausethat’s not greedy.
They all looked ready for a party; it was Friday, after all. The girls were all dressed up in high heels and short, elegant dresses. William’s cologne ruined my state of mind altogether.
Needless to say, he looked utterly handsome. His broad, muscular, but not bulky back and chest were beautifully showcased against the perfectly ironed fabric of his white button-down shirt, which he neatly tucked inside his gray slacks. A fancy belt surrounded his waist.
Butterflies flooded my chest, and I tried to squash them but failed miserably. As much as I tried to overlook the attraction, it was stronger than me.
Chemical.
Unavoidable.
Inescapable.
The door opened once again, and Erin waltzed in, looking all … pretty.What the hell is she doing here? She was so self-absorbed that she didn’t even see me standing here with Caleb. Not yet at least.
I couldn’tstandher. I couldn’t stop staring, either.
Erin wore her dark brown hair up in a low bun and a sparkly golden dress that accentuated her artificially tanned skin, which somehow, she pulled off nicely.
Didn’t William hate her guts?
He placed his arm around Erin with a too-uncomfortable-to-watch familiarity. But our eyes never met. The angle in which I stood was directly facing their way. And I wasn’t going to move an inch. Not for them.
Tobias waved his hand in my direction with a big, heartfelt smile. But not William.
Oh,come on!
He knew I was standing right there behind him! But he kept true to his mission, which consisted of giving his back to me. He acted like he didn’t even know me. And I, like none of that was bothering me.
We’ll wait and see how much longer you can go without looking this way.
Caleb noticed the change in my mood after they arrived and asked me if I was okay, but I nodded and persuaded myself to draw a smile on my face. He then asked me if I wanted to leave, but I wasn’t running away because William had stepped on the rooftop.
Hell no.
I got there first. If anything, he should’ve been the one to leave. But they didn’t seem like they were going anywhere.
To William, I was a ghost—a spectrum. I was nonexistent.
Gone.
On the other hand, Erin was a walking, living, and breathing miracle in four-inch designer heels. She had resurfaced from the dead, sporting a bleach-white smile with an agenda to torture my soul.
I could see how William’s acting skills came in handy for him in situations like these because his attitude made me doubt myself about having even met him before. Maybe it had all been a figment of my imagination—a dream.
Yeah, I don’t think so. I would never forget the sweet taste of cinnamon in his mouth when we kissed. You can’t make that up.
Caleb and I talked and pretended as if they weren’t there. From the corner of my eye, I observed how William never evenoncedared to look in our direction.
I wanted to provoke a reaction out of him and refused to believe he wanted to stay away from me. But back with Erin? Really? He’d made it clear he wanted nothing to do with her—that he couldn’t stand her.
Just looking at her made my stomach churn. I’d rather see any of the other random girls clinging to him instead of Erin.
Ah, the simpler days.
William was furious about the ruined bet, disappointed about Thomas’s kiss, and God knows what else. But the things I felt with him I’d never felt before. And something told me he was right there with me.
