Page 99 of Hate To Love You

When Damian approaches, Allie stops dancing and smiles at him. I don’t hear what they say, but Allie must have said yes, because when the next song starts, they’re dancing together. I melt when I see the smile on Damian’s face.

“You go, bestie,” I whisper to myself, a proud smile on my face. It falls when my stupid brain remembers Ryker hasn’t come to find me yet. Damn you, brain. Damn you.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as Holland approaches Ellie and I, his eyes glued to Lainey and the guy she’s dancing with. Here we go.

“What is she doing?” he seethes. Wow, subtle.

“Dancing,” Ellie says pointedly. Holland’s eyes narrow but don’t move from Lainey as she grinds her ass against Teddy.

“I see that. Why is she dancing with him?” he asks menacingly. I shrug.

“He asked her. Teddy’s nice.”

“Yeah well, he just wants to get in her pants,” he accuses. I stifle a laugh at his obvious jealousy.

“Why do you care?” Ellie questions her brother. His shoulders straighten and his face looks defensive.

“I just don’t think she should be dancing with him,” he goes back to watching and I watch him, seeing the exact moment he decides he’s going to do something about it.

“Fuck this,” he says, storming over to Lainey and pushing Teddy backwards. He grabs Lainey’s arm and pulls her back toward us. Lainey’s face is furious as she fights with Holland, trying to get out of his grasp.

“What the hell, Holland?” she hisses. He lets go of Lainey’s arm, taking a step closer to her.

“You needed a break,” he claims. Lainey’s nostrils flare with anger. Yeah, she’s pissed.

“Who says?”

“I do.”

She takes a step forward until their faces are inches away from one another. Ellie and I exchange a wary look, waiting to see what Lainey’s going to do. She doesn’t take kindly to being told what to do, and Holland is on thin ice.

“Fuck you, Monroe.”

Lainey disappears into the sea of people, leaving Holland standing here with an angry glare on his face. A minute later, Holland storms off in the opposite direction.

Man, I feel bad for them since they’re going to have to put up with each other for another year.

Reality sets back in as I remember the fact that Ryker still has not made an appearance.

“You okay?” Ellie asks over the music. I nod, not wanting to explain the worry I’m feeling over not seeing Ryker yet.

“Yeah, just a bit warm. It’s really hot in here,” I lie. Ellie nods in understanding.

“It is. Do you want to step outside? I’ll go with you,” she offers, her eyes sincere.

“No, it’s okay. I have to go to the bathroom,” I tell her.

“Okay. I’ll be here. Text me if you need anything,” she smiles sweetly, and I glance over to Lainey and Damian one more time before heading for the stairs.

I don’t have to pee, but I needed an excuse to go look for Ryker. Since I haven’t seen him downstairs, maybe he’s upstairs in his room or hanging out in the living room. But why wouldn’t he text me to let me know.

The music pulsates through the walls, and the sound of the crowd dissipates as I make my way up the stairs. I walk into the living room to find it’s empty. My shoulders slump and I let out a sigh.

Okay, so he’s not there. Maybe he’s in his room.

Walking down the hall, I find Ryker’s room and open the door slowly. Peaking inside, I realize he’s not there either. What the hell?

Anxiety ripples through me as I pull out my phone to send a text to Ryker.

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