Page 46 of The Lies We Tell Ourselves

“Come on, Elise, don’t waste your breath,” said a girl with long silky brunette hair. Two more crossed in front of us as the group disappeared into the shadows. But it was the group of guys wearing Briar U hoodies that made my heart beat faster than a hummingbird’s wings. The air felt electrified around me, and the hairs on my arms stood on end. My eyes instinctually searched for Dillon’s. I could feel the weight of them on me as we continued in the direction of the main building.

He cocked his head, and his eyes heated as they ran over every inch of me. It felt like a physical caress, and my body reacted to him on instinct. He licked his lips before jolting, as if he’d been struck by lightning. He froze mid-step when one of the guys he was with wrapped a hand around his arm and whispered in his ear. Time slowed down as I waited with bated breath to see what he was going to do. I wanted him to walk up to me and claim me with a kiss for everyone to see, but that was a dream. And dreams rarely came true. His gaze shuttered and all traces of burgeoning lust were wiped away. In the blink of an eye, Dillon changed. He hunched his shoulders, fisted his hands, and turned on his heel, storming back toward the dorms.

“Well, that was interesting.” Ava’s words cut through the growing tension as the rest of the footballers followed in Dillon’s wake. “But it’s time for drinks, my lovelies.”

“Wow, Aves, this is amazing,” I said as we stepped into the eloquently decorated room, noting the intimate seating areas and the food and drink stations. “I didn’t realize there would be so many…”

“That’s because you live under a rock, angel.” She smiled and squeezed my hand. “I’m going to go and grab us a drink,” she said over her shoulder. “Mingle.” She wiggled her eyebrows before melting into the crowd.

I didn’t know what to do with myself. I felt like I was floundering standing in the middle of a room full of people and completely isolated. Anxiety crawled across my skin, as if I was swarmed with ants. I sucked in a deep calming breath and moved into a quiet corner away from all the vibrant energy.

“I haven’t seen you here before,” a low voice rumbled behind me. My breath caught in my throat, and I spun around, coming face to face with a man with bright blue eyes and a charming smile.

“That’s because I’ve never been.” I ran my gaze over him as recognition hit me. “I know you!” I blurted.

He chuckled. “Not in the biblical sense I hope, because I’m sure I’d never forget someone like you.” Heat crept up my neck all the way to my ears. No one’s ever been so forward or obvious with me.

“No, no. Nothing like that.” I bit my lip and looked anywhere but at him. “You… you were there at move in day and told me what my dorm was.”

“Oh.” Shock rippled over his features before they settled into that charming smile. “I’m Taylor.”

“Jamie.” I shook his outstretched hand. The calluses on his palm made me think of Dillon, and my gut sank.

“Hey.” Taylor tucked his finger under my chin and lifted my head until he could see into my eyes. “I just want to…” He shook his head before looking at me again with a furrowed brow. “I know you’ve had a tough time recently, and I just wanted you to know I haven’t had any part in it. Whatever issues he has with you, he should resolve them himself.”

“Who’s he?”

“I think you know.” A smirk teased the corner of his mouth, his eyes imploring me to piece together a puzzle I had no frame of reference for. “I’ve seen how he looks at you when he thinks no one is looking. Whether it’s fear or something else, it’s eating away at him.” He shook his head. “I hope it gets sorted out before someone gets hurt.”

“I…” Taylor placed his finger over my lips to silence me and placed a kiss on my flushed cheek.

“He’s an idiot for not seeing what’s right in front of him. And hey, if it doesn’t work out, come find me.” And with that, he was gone, swallowed up by the ever expanding crowd filling the room. The pulsing beat of EDM music flowed through me as I tried to piece together everything Taylor said to me, but I kept coming up blank.

“What in the everloving…”

“Here you go, angel,” Ava said, handing me a red solo cup. I looked at it and arched my brow. “Campus rules. Anyway, what did Taylor want?”

“I don’t really know. He was rather cryptic about everything.”

CHAPTER

NINETEEN

DILLON

“Cap, look out!” Buchanan yelled, and for a split second, everyone slowed down like they were running in molasses. Each passing second was tracked by the buh-bump of my heart against my ribs as anticipation and adrenaline surged through me. Beads of sweat trickled down my temples and slicked my back until my undershirt stuck to my skin. I gritted my teeth, muscles tensed, and watched the play unfold before me.

Buchanan was twenty yards down the field from me to the right while McCormack sprinted in the opposite direction in an attempt to split open the defensive line. I rocked back onto my right foot, pivoted on my toes, and lined up my throw to Vieck—who had somehow managed to find open space. The ball left my hand on the perfect arc for it to be delivered directly into his waiting arms as he ran a breakaway toward the end zone.

“Fuck, yes,” I growled, pounding my fist on my chest and ripping my helmet off, ready for the line change. The second string weren’t as strong, but Coach had us playing mixed matches against them, not only to push us but also to see if anyone showed enough talent to usurp us from our starting spots. He’d put the whole team on notice after we lost our game last weekend.

“Cap! Fucking move!” Stevens bellowed. The urgency in his voice registered, and the world snapped back like a rubber band and resumed at full speed. I managed to blink before I was lifted off my feet as tree trunk-like arms wrapped around me and I crashed into the grass under a shit ton of weight.

“You stupid fucker,” Chad spat at me and kneed me in the gut as he stood up. “You’re going down, and you’re gonna fucking stay down, Hargraves.” He dusted off his cleats and sauntered down field while I lay paralyzed.

“Fuck!” I smashed my helmet into the earth. Today was going to shit, and I had a feeling it was only going to get worse.

After a dressing down from Coach of epic proportions, I stormed out of the locker room while the rest of the guys were still in the shower. Coach glared at me the whole time he was reaming the guys like I was personally responsible for them playing like they were a fucking peewee team. If I’d have stayed in there a minute longer, my fist would have found its way into a few faces, and I’d probably have been kicked off the team. Which sounded really fucking appealing right about now.

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