Page 16 of Easy Out

“You think too much,” Hart says. I stop walking and stare at him, but he ignores me. Instead, he looks at the wall over my head, avoiding eye contact.

“How do you know I’m thinking anything?” Hart looks me dead in the eyes, shocking me. For the second time tonight, I’m hit with the intensity of Hart’s eyes. They are black holes that suck you deep into their depths with no promise of an escape.

Hart lifts his hand and smooths a thumb over my eyebrow. “Twitches,” he says as I look up at him under the fluorescent light of the stairway. Hart moves his hand to my elbow and urges me up the steps.

The door to my dorm room opens as I approach. “Hi, Lo! Bye, Lo!” Charlie runs across the hall back to her room, laughing. I shake my head. That girl is crazy.

“About time Lauren.” Syd greets me as I’m shutting the door. “Charlie wants to hang out tonight. You want to come?”

“You’re kidding, right? No way. I’m exhausted. Didn’t you con Nash into helping you move in the rest of your stuff tomorrow?”

“More like he conned me. He wants to do it early in the morning. What is wrong with my brother?” Sydney turns to Koa. “Can you help with that? And you too?” she asks Hart.

“Nash already asked,” Koa informs Syd. “We’ll be there. You ready to go, man?” Koa stands up from the couch and stretches. Sydney’s absentmindedly licking her lips as her eyes roam over the exposed skin at Koa’s waist.

I snatch the tea towel on the oven handle and throw it at Syd’s face. For the drool. I mouth at her while I mimic wiping my chin. Hart chokes on a laugh earning him a glare from Syd.

I wonder if there is any history between Koa and Sydney from high school. She’s never mentioned anything except being friends with him.

Koa doesn’t say much to me as he leaves but hugs Sydney goodbye. Hart stands silently in the living room. He has such an intimidating presence.

“I’m just going to....” Sydney’s voice trails off, and she throws a thumb over her shoulder before hurrying to her bedroom.

Hart waits until her door closes before veering his attention to me. He closes the distance between us in a few strides. I keep my chin up and look him directly in the eyes.

Getting locked in staring contests with each other seems to be our thing. It’s happened more than once tonight. It feels like we’re doing more than staring. It’s almost like he is trying to communicate with me. Oddly enough, I think if I were to get to know him better, I would be able to understand Hart without having to say much.

But tonight, I have no idea what he’s thinking. Hart lifts a hand to smooth out my eyebrow. My mouth tugs with a small smile. He already knows too much about me.

“Dulce sueños brujita. No lances más hechizos esta noche,“ Hart croons. I have no idea what he is saying but his voice makes my knees weak.

I lock the door behind him. I want to sink to the floor, but if I don’t get to my room and pretend to be asleep in the next five minutes, Sydney will be on my butt, asking me for the play-by-play.

As soon as I cross the threshold of my room, I hear the click of Syd’s door. “Oh, Lauren, you have some explaining to do.” She races into my room and tackles me onto the bed.

“You first. What’s up with you and Koa? And what happened tonight that I needed to give Hart a ride home in the first place?” Sydney stands up and straightens her clothes.

“You know what. I’m kind of tired. It’s been a long night.” Syd fake yawns as she backs her way out of my room.

“I see you, Syd. You can’t hide from me either.”

“Our secrets survive another day, sister.” I was about to tell Syd I didn’t have any secrets, but that would be a lie. I have so many secrets. I think my secrets have secrets.

“Syd, there’s nothing to say. He barely spoke to me the entire time we were together.”

“Then what was all that sweet dreams stuff he just said?”

“You know Spanish? What else did he say?”

“I know a little. I didn’t pick up on all of it. He definitely said sweet dreams to you. It was kind of hot.” It was very hot. I can’t read into it because while his words might have been nice, the gleam in his eye said something else.

“Whatever you’re thinking, don’t. I gave him a ride home because you asked me to. Nothing else happened. I don’t think I’m his type anyway.”

“What smart, beautiful, funny, caring? Yeah, guys don’t usually go for women as perfect as you.”

“Love you, Syd!”

“Enough to wake up early and help me move my stuff in?” Syd pouts and puts her hands together to plead with me. I groan and throw a pillow at her. She throws it back. “Thanks, babe. I love you too.”

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