Page 7 of Hard to Take

My gaze drags back to Brooke, who’s moving toward the bar.

“Bears usually vocalize when they’re feeling threatened,” I offer before cutting through the crowd toward Brooke.

From behind, I get a chance to look at her as she pushes her hair over one shoulder. Her skin is damp with sweat.

“You dodging my calls?” I’m trying to sound as though I don’t care if the answer is yes or no.

She glances back. “Been busy.”

Any other girl, I’d take it at face value, but she responds to people she cares about. She responds when something matters.

The bartender sets four glasses in front of her—for her, Nova, Sierra, and Chloe, I’m guessing. Brooke tries to grab them all at once. The final glass wobbles precariously.

I step in, taking it before she can stop me. “Figured you might want to thank me for coming to that reunion with you. Braving an entire resort full of strangers to save your ass.”

“Except they weren’t strangers, were they? You were already acquainted with everyone from Kappa. Especially Kevin.”

His name on her lips throws what I was about to say out the window. My gut clenches. “Whatever he said, Princess?—”

“He didn’t say anything. Caroline told me you hit him.”

Damn it.

That’s worse, because it means the piece of shit talked to someone.

He wasn’t supposed to let that get around. It was the only thing we agreed on, for mutually beneficial reasons.

“Brooke,” I start.

“Did he hit you first?”

My head falls back.

“It doesn’t matter,” she shouts. “Jay explained why you did it. You don’t owe me anything.”

She pushes past me, starting for her friends who’re leaning against the railing around the dance floor.

The pulsing beat throbs through my feet. I feel it more and more the closer we get to the floor.

A crowd passes in front of her, forcing us to bunch up. My fingers wrap around her arm and tug so her back until she hits my chest.

“What’s with this roommate business?” I call next to her ear as we wait for the path to clear. “Don’t tell me it was brought on by some sudden ‘I miss sharing a bathroom with another human’ bullshit.”

The comment earns me side-eye. “My rent’s going up, and I didn’t get the deal with Elise. She picked Caroline over me.”

Surprise sets me back. “Because?”

“Caroline had this video from the retreat.” Brooke turns back toward the crowd.

She’s trying to look unaffected, but in profile, I see the hurt underneath.

There’s only one thing Caroline could’ve had video of.

Our time in the hot tub comes back to me, the heat of it, the longing. The absolute fuck-everyone-else of it, because it was Brooke and me and it was enough.

This is my fault.

I wanted to help her, and instead, I let my damned hunger for her block out everything else.

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