Nate dipped his hand into his jacket and pulled out a box of Swedish Fish. “Don’t say I never give you anything.” He threw it to her, and she grinned.
“Maybe I was wrong about you, Miller.”
His eyes met mine, twinkling. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“What do you think they’re doing up there?” I said, staring up at the blanket of stars as I laid on the hood of Nate’s car.
We’d come down from the water tank earlier when I started to feel a little sick, but Celeste and Miles had decided to stay up there.
“If you have to ask, you probably don’t want to know.” Nate smirked. He’d retrieved a camping chair from his trunk. Just something he had lying around, he’d said.
“Celeste said she isn’t interested in Miles like that.”
“Haven’t you ever fooled around with someone you’re not interested in like that?”
I ducked my head, heat creeping into my cheeks and he chuckled. “Oh shit, you haven’t, have you?”
“Is it really such a bad thing?”
“Not at all. I think it’s admirable.”
“Admirable,” I murmured. “Yeah, right.”
“So you and Wilder…”
“We are not having this conversation, Nate.” Not now, not ever.
“He really hurt you, huh?”
I gave him a withering look and he blew out a thin breath. “Fine, Wilder is off-limits.” His eyes went past me, over the car, as he said, “So I guess you won’t want to know he’s heading right this way.”
“What?” I bolted upright and glanced behind me, my stomach plummeting into my toes. “Did he set you up to this?”
“No. No way. I had no idea he would wander over here. It’s got to be almost a mile.”
Tipping my head to the sky, I inhaled a deep breath.
“You,” Nix said.
A chill ran through me at the sound of his voice, the anger there, sending shivers skittering down my spine.
“I come in peace, Wilder.” Nate sipped on his beer.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Zane said.
It occurred to me they hadn’t realized I was here. Crap.
“Just enjoying the view, man.”
Nix and Zane emerged from the side of the car, closing in on Nate. He looked up at them, still drinking his beer. “Where are your friends?” Nix drawled.
I knew that drawl. He was drunk. Maybe a little high. But there was something else too, an undertone of anger that laced his words.
“I’m not looking for trouble. I’m here—”
“With me.” I slid my legs off the hood and stood.
“Birdie,” Nix whipped around. “What the actual fuck?”
“Hello, Phoenix.”
I could have sworn he flinched, but a cool mask slid over his expression. “You’re here with him? Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Celeste and Miles are here too.”
“I don’t see them anywhere, do you?” Zane said, glaring at me like I was the devil incarnate. But it was nothing compared to the way Nix looked at me.
Cold. Ruthless. Unforgiving.
“You two fucking?” he spat, his words lashing my insides.
“Come on, Wilder.” Nate stood. “That’s not—”
“Nobody asked you, asshole.” Zane leveled him with an icy look.
“Okay, okay, enough with the territorial alpha guy bullshit. Nate is right, we didn’t come here to cause trouble.” My head swam and I lifted a hand to rub my temples. “It’s not like we’re anywhere near the party.”
“Are you high?” Nix narrowed his eyes.
“That’s none of your business.”
“What the fuck, Birdie? You get high now? Is that what was wrong with you at the fair? Were you—”
“Stop. Just stop.” I held up my hand, panting. “What I do with my life is none of your business, Nix. If you aren’t going to leave, we will.” I marched over to the water tank, ready to shout for Celeste and Miles to come down, but Nix grabbed my arm.
“Can we talk?”
“Talk?” I scoffed. “What could we possibly have to say to each other?”
“Birdie, come on… please?”
Tell him no. Just tell him no and leave. Leave, Harleigh.
But I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t say the words.
Instead, I said nothing. I did nothing as his hand slipped into mine and he started tugging me toward the trees.
Nix
“We’ll be back,” I said over my shoulder to Miller and Zane.
“Ten minutes. You get ten minutes and then I’m coming after you,” Zane grumbled.
The motherfucker meant it too.
Harleigh didn’t resist when my hand slipped to hers, and I threaded our fingers together. I realized my error the second shivers ran through me. Touching her was like a zap of electricity rushing through my body, making my skin heat and my heart pound wildly in my chest.
It was probably all the alcohol and weed too, but everything was amplified with my hand wrapped around hers. It felt right. Normal. Nice. And I hated it. I hated that after all this time, she still wielded so much power over me.
“Where are we going?” she asked, with no trace of excitement or anticipation, just mild indifference.
“Just a little further,” I said.
I really didn’t want to have this conversation in front of Zane or Miller. Especially not Nate Miller.
Shit, hearing her voice and realizing she was out here with him, it had been like a punch to the gut. The idea that she had moved on, with some rich fucking prick who thought he was better than the likes of me.
Fuck.
“Nix.” Harleigh yanked her hand free. “Stop, just stop.”
I turned around, meeting her murderous gaze. She’d always been so soft, so quiet and shy. I wasn’t used to seeing her like this… with this fight in her eyes.
But I liked it.
I really fucking liked it.
“Birdie, I—”
“Don’t.” She gritted out. “Don’t call me that.”
“How are you?”
“How am I?” Bitter laughter spilled from her. “What are you doing, Phoenix? At the fair you told Zane to get rid of me and now you want to what? Hang out? Catch up for old time’s sake?”
“No, that’s not… I… fuck.” I dragged a hand through my hair and down the back of my neck. “You’re with him?”
“I’m not with him. I’m just hanging out with him.”
“Getting high…”
Who was this girl? Because she sure as shit wasn’t the Harleigh I’d known most of my life.
“Like I said, it’s none of your business.”
I took a step forward. “I don’t like it, B. This isn’t you; it isn’t—”
“You don’t know anything about me anymore and you sure as hell don’t get to swoop in and act like you still care. Not after what you did.” A shudder ran through her, and I fought the urge to pull her into my arms and hold her.
“I can explain…” There was so much I needed to explain. “I can—”