“Ironic, considering you’re onmyprivate balcony, atmyparty, that’s being thrown inmyhouse, formyteam.”
“And now I’ll be onmyway.” She points both of her thumbs over her shoulder, unwrapping herself from her sweatshirt and now I see why she was bundled up. She plants her feet on the deck and her bare legs break out in goosebumps in the cold. “Good luck hiding.”
She stands, giving me what feels like a pacifying pat on the shoulder, and heads toward the sliding door.
I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out, and I stare at the empty lawn chair for a second too long.
“Wait,” I call out, swinging my legs over the chair. In two large strides, I’m able to catch her elbow before she can fully open the door. “You never told me your name.”
Her eyes sweep over my body with a playful smirkpulling at the corners of her mouth. The quiet milliseconds tick by before she lifts a defiant chin at me. “Don’t worry. You won’t be needing it.”
She taps her hand against my chest and I reach up to catch it under mine, making her freeze where she stands. I study her face and for a brief moment, she looks as caught off guard as I feel.
I don’t know if it’s because she’s the first person who doesn’t want to give me the time of day, or maybe it’s her sharp tongue and her pretty brown eyes— okay, it’s probably all the above, but I don’t want her to leave. I open my mouth, ready to ask her to stay, only to be interrupted by the door flying open from the inside.
“Finally, I’ve been looking—” Hazel’s words cut off and her smile twists from somewhat sweet to utter disgust when she notices the girl standing beside me.
I look at the girl to my left—whose name I still don’t know—and her eyes gleam with mischief and entertainment. Before I can explain, or at least try and talk myself out of whatever this is, No Name takes the hand that’s not caught between mine and wraps it around my bicep.
An erratic heartbeat later, she pops up on her toes and presses a feather-light kiss on my cheek. Despite the cool night air, her lips are soft and warm against my skin, and my mouth parts in surprise for a second time.
“Be quick babe, I’m going to stop at the bathroom before we leave.” She smiles at Hazel as she slinks past her into my room, giving me an exaggerated wink over her shoulder before she disappears beyond my door.
What the hell was that?
“Who the hell was that?” Hazel echoes my thoughts.
“I wish I knew.”
2
savannah
Shit.Shit. Shit.
I don’t dare look over my shoulder as I fly down the stairs. Chloe better be done flirting her cute little ass off because we’re out of here. I can barely clear the stairs with all the bodies that have gathered here in the last hour since I snuck off.
“Where were you?”
I whirl around, heaving a sigh of relief when I find my best friend yelling at me.
“I was outside risking frostbite so you could talk to that guy.” I furrow my brows, looking over her shoulder for said guy.
“That guy? He looked like a Victorian child who would not have made it through the winter.”
I stare at her for a minute and then burst into a fit of laughter. “This place is out of control, let’s get the fuck out of here.” I grab her hand and pull her behind me as I start to shove my way to the front door.
“I saw a guy sleeping on the toilet naked.”
I look back at her, sure that I heard her wrong considering the casual way in which she just told me she walked in onsomeone naked. She nods her head with wide eyes, her face saying, ‘yeah bitch. You heard that right.’ I laugh again and turn, running straight into a door.
“Fuck!” I slap my hand to my forehead finding no door in sight but rather the guy I just kissed on the balcony.
Noah Fucking Kingston.
“What the hell was that?” His furrowed brows are practically kissing as he shouts at me.
“You tell me. You’re the one that almost just knocked me out,” I say while holding my neck and rotating my head. “Just because you play hockey doesn’t mean you can go around concussing people.”
