Sometimes, though, it feels like things are… shifting between Segan and I, and I don’t quite understand it. I’ve basically taken up aif I ignore it, it’ll go awaytype of mentality.
Like, I notice the way he watches me sometimes, and it’s a little more than friendly. But if I ignore it, it isn’t really happening.
Or the way, like right now, I catch myself noticing him more. How his sage green eyes shimmer brighter underneath the carnival lights, or how straight and narrow his nose is, but the way it slightly upturns at the end, or the way his side profile is nearly perfect. Things I shouldn’t be noticing on my niece’s boyfriend. But if I ignore it, it’s as if those thoughts don’t exist, right?
We’re all just getting off one of the rollercoasters when a guy walks up to us. I don’t recognize him, and one glance at Segan tells me he doesn’t either. He’s in a black hoodie despite how warm it is tonight, with dark, ripped jeans, the kind with embellishments on the back pockets, and he’s got a black, unmarked baseball cap on his head.
My hackles go up, the hair standing on the nape of my neck at who the fuck this guy could be, until he wraps an arm around one of the girls—Megan, I think. Maybe Marcie. Either way, it must be her boyfriend. He looks older, though. Like, maybe even older than me.
“Hey, man,” I say, stepping up to him, extending my hand. “I’m Josiah, Lana’s uncle. Who are you?”
His eyes, which seem to be full of amusement, drag to Lana and stay there for a few beats before glancing down at the girl under his arm, then going back to mine. “Kota. Nice to meet you, bro.”
Suddenly, I feel Segan’s body heat hover near me asKotamakes eye contact with him. A look between a smirk and a sneer slides on his face as he holds his hand out to Segan.
“Segan,” he offers the guy, and when I look over at him, his jaw is clenched, and his lips are pressed into a thin line.
“So good to meet you, man. Lana’s told me so much about you.”
Without missing a beat, Segan murmurs, “I’m sure she has.”
What is going on here?
The conversation sparks back up again, and when Kota leans down to whisper something into his girl’s ear, she then turns to say something to Lana and the other two girls, too quietly for me to make out. Lana giggles and nods her head before turning to look at Segan.
“We’re gonna go get some funnel cake. Wanna meet me back here in, like, twenty?”
Segan’s standing beside me, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans as he stares at Lana. A moment passes in silence, and then another, before he finally responds. “Sure. I’m going to go smoke anyway.”
He turns on his heel and walks away without another word, and when I look over at Lana, she smiles before waving at me, and then they’re gone too.
Okay...
Catching up with Segan, I fall in line beside him as we head toward the outside grassy area of the fair. “Wanna tell me what that was about?”
He doesn’t look at me. “Just wanted a smoke.”
“Who’s that guy?”
“You met him at the same time as I did.”
We reach the outskirts of the ground, and Segan reaches into his pocket and grabs a pack of smokes. Pulling out what I know is a pre-rolled joint and a purple lighter, he puts the stick between his teeth and brings the flame to the end. He takes a few hits before passing it to me, the sweet, earthy aroma surrounding us.
Pinching it between my fingers, I bring it up to my lips, taking a drag and enjoying the way the smoke fills my lungs. My gaze connects with Segan’s, he’s watching me with an unreadable expression. A shiver rolls down my spine, and I’m suddenly hyperaware of our proximity. Despite there being more than enough room over here for us to stand apart, we’re somehow only within a few inches of one another.
I clear my throat, swallowing in an attempt to wet my dry mouth. Segan’s eyes momentarily dip down before meeting mine again as I pass the weed back to him.
“Lana okay?” I ask wearily. Something about this whole night feels off to me. Her friends, that guy, how she’s behaving a little more than just weed high.
I can’t put my finger on it, and I could very well be making something out of nothing, but I have to ask. And if anyone were to know anything, it’d be Segan.
His brows furrow as he takes a hit, the smoke drifting up into his eyes. “She’s fine,” he replies. “Why wouldn’t she be?”
“I’ve just noticed I don’t see her as much lately.” A partial truth. “Wanted to make sure.”
An emotion I can’t name passes through his eyes before he nods. “She’s good.”
For a moment, I wonder if there’s something he knows that he’s not telling me. He’s admitted they both want to escape this place, so maybe it’s just that. Or regular ol’ teenage angst. Lord knows we all go through that. Either way, I put it out of my mind. Lana’s fine. Maybe a little drunk tonight, but nothing out of the norm.
