Page 19 of Shade
Our gazes lock for the briefest moment, and I allow myself to get lost in the blue. As if he knows I can sense there’s something bothering him tonight, he blinks away the expression.
His eyes, lazy yet brooding, give me a slow once over before landing on his phone again.
I wonder if now would be a good time to ask him to follow me on Instagram?
I want to rip the phone from his hands and see what’s so interesting to him, but I saw how that went with the girl. I can see it in his eyes, something’s happening around him that maybe he’s not going to tell me, but it’s real and not good. He’s still pretty, but he’s also a mess of epic proportions.
“Are you okay?” I ask timidly, my voice a whisper.
His emotionless baby blue irises slide in my direction over the top of his sunglasses. He doesn’t answer me, but he does shake his head, his scowl filling something completely unexpected. Pain. Slipping his phone in his pocket, Shade uses his free hand to tousle his unruly hair from his face. And then he steps out of the elevator along with my chances with him tonight because the girls follow greedily behind them.
My heart pounds too fast, my mouth drying. I swallow over the dryness in my throat that feels like I have sawdust in my mouth. I stand on the elevator and then I get pissed, my face heating, anger hitting me that he didn’t have the decency to reply to me.
How dare he ignore me!
Why couldn’t he take a minute to acknowledge the love of his life standing five feet from him? I mean, for fuck’s sake, Tiller paid more attention to me than he did.
But then again, what if there’s something wrong with him? He needs me to make him feel better! You saw that uneasiness. You tell me, is he okay?
Didn’t think so. Still doesn’t help my pride though.
You’ve heard that song “Big Girls Don’t Cry” by Fergie?
Dude, she had it right. I wouldn’t cry just because Shade Sawyer dismissed me. I’d come back like a wrecking ball. Shit, different song.
Oh well, you see my determination, don’t you?
Precisely.
