Page 80 of Little Do You Know

“I’M NOT DRINKING tonight,” I remind Blake, except it’s more of a reminder for myself. The last time I drank, I ended up crawling into bed with Sebastian. Granted, I needed that full night of sleep; I could probably use another. I prefer to avoid putting myself in that situation again.

“That’s so boring. Why not?” she asks, jutting her painted red lip into a pout. I shrug, playing with the flimsy material of my dress. I’m supposed to be an angel while Blake is the devil; it’s almost ironic, considering our personalities are opposite our costumes.

Blake’s auburn hair is curled, but her front pieces are pulled back with a headband attached to glittery devil horns. She’s wearing an outfit of all red leather, and I’m wearing a white lace slip with a garter that could classify as lingerie. I didn’t bother with much makeup; my splash of freckles are on full display, and a coat of mascara has made my green eyes pop.

“Because I’m an angel. I don’t think we’re supposed to participate in acts of sin. Being sober for one night won’t kill me,” I add in because, if anything, it will help me stay sane. “I can’t wait for Owen to see you in that costume. You look hot enough to belong in hell,” I tease. Blake rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling.I’m glad she’s coming out of her break-up funk.

“What do you think Sebastian will do when he sees you in lingerie? At least I’m wearing real clothes.”

It’s my turn to roll my eyes because all he will do is tell me to put more clothes on. He isn’t my boyfriend, nor the boss of me. Me staying in his room one night to finally get some fucking sleep doesn’t mean anything has changed.

To my surprise, Bash hasn’t mentioned it once. I thought he’d see my moment of weakness as a victory to lord over my head. He said good morning, asked how I slept, and left as if I hadn’t crawled into his bed kinda drunk.

It was stupid of me to do that. I still can’t believe I did it. Not sleeping is making me slowly go crazy. Maybe Owen is right for once. I should see a doctor and tell them how much worse my insomnia has become. In high school, I tried every variation of a sleeping pill, but I hated how they made me feel the next day.

A glass of red wine works, but only to an extent. I still wake in the middle of the night, tossing and turning with an itch to get up and wander that I can’t permanently scratch. It’s quite a disaster, but it’s nothing I’m not already familiar with.

“Bash can look all he wants, but he can’t touch me without anyone seeing tonight. That’s the beauty of a good party. There’s eyes everywhere,” I muse, brushing through my curled blonde hair to create soft waves that fit the angelic look.

Blake raises an eyebrow at me. “Oh, so he’s Bash now? I haven’t heard you call him that since your party. Did anything change?”

“Absolutely not. I hate him.”

“You so do not hate him.”

“I wish I did. It’d be a lot simpler,” I say, frowning. So much simpler.

She grins widely at me, like she knows something I don’t. “Love is never simple.”

My jaw hangs open as I spin to look at her in disbelief. “You’re insane if you think Sebastian and I are in love. We didn’t even make it long enough to tell my brother we were a couple.”

“I’m crazy, but I think you’re crazy in love.” Blake sticks her tongue out playfully at me.

“Absolutely not,” I counter quickly. “You belong in an asylum.”

“How long have you had feelings for him?” she asks curiously.

I’ve had a crush on Sebastian since my sophomore year of high school. He always saw me as Owen’s little sister, or at least that’s what I assumed. Then his grandfather died, and it didn’t feel right saying anything. He went to college while I graduated. I got into Duke, and I was so excited. I had this ridiculous notion that Bash would see me as a grown-up outside of the environment that we grew up in. I was delusional. Sebastian did act differently, but not in the way I wanted. He acted like I was a mere bug that wouldn’t leave him alone for months. I wasn’t trying to annoy him, but it helped that Owen was his best friend, so I feigned missing my brother. Then I kissed him at that stupid party when I was drunk, and it felt like my old Sebastian again. Kissing, fighting, France, fighting again, sex, car breaking down, relationship, breaking up, fight. I guess it is pretty simple.

“I’m not answering that question. How long have you had feelings for my brother?”

“All right. Fair enough. Do you have any alcohol in here?”

I point to my desk drawer. “There should be a flask with some vodka in there if you want it. Who would the devil be without her very own flask?”

Blake finds it quickly and takes a long swig. She sputters, trying to regain her composure. “Are you sure you don’t want some liquid courage before going dressed like that?”

“If you got it, flaunt it,” I smirk, adjusting the headpiece around my forehead. Dear lord, they’re going to kill me. I’m not sure which one is going to be worse. Actually, it will probably be Sebastian; Owen will be too busy looking at Blake to notice me.

The dress covers everything, but it helps that I’m not the tallest. I guarantee I’m still wearing more than most first-year sorority girls who will be there tonight.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Of all the pictures I’ve taken of Sebastian, this might be the one I wished I could capture the most. He’s dressed as a police officer, and I like a man in uniform. Shit. I’m not supposed to think he’s sexy.

First, his jaw drops, then it snaps shut and tightens. Sebastian has almost a feral look in his eyes as they roam up my legs to the tiny slip I’m wearing, lingering slightly on my breasts. He’s making this too easy. I smile politely at him, giving a little wave and walking right up to him. “Keys, please.”

For now, Owen’s too busy staring at Blake to notice my costume yet.

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