Page 112 of Puck Prince

He does nothing but look at me.

I can feel his eyes shifting between the road and my face. He doesn’t say anything, but his jaw is a reliable narrator. I know the curiosity must be killing him.

Once we get to the complex, we take the elevator to our floor. Owen puts his hand on my lower back, ushering me to our familiar crossroad.

“Well, I guess this is goodnight?” he rumbles, half-statement, half-question.

“Yeah.” My voice is small. “I guess it is.”

“Alright. Well. Have a good night then.”

Owen and I both pull out our keys. I am about to shove mine in the lock when my heart drops into my stomach.

What if Kennedy goes home with Spencer? I should warn her…

“You good?” Owen asks.

“Yeah, I just— Wrong key is all. I’m tired.”

I fake smile.

He fake smiles back.

… Or worse. What if Kennedy brings him home? Brings himhere?!

“Callie…?”

My chest is rising and falling, and I think I am going to be sick.

She can’t.

She wouldn’t.

She might…

Fast, hard footsteps on the staircase make me whip around. My heart is pounding so frenetically it physically hurts. I nearly gasp as the door to the stairwell opens. And out comes?—

No one I’ve ever seen before.

It’s just a group of guys screwing around—drunk, loud—but I find myself clinging to Owen anyway.

“Hey, hey,” he croons in my ear. “You’re okay. I got you.”

“Right.” I nod, but I’m anything but okay.

I try to pull away, but he doesn’t let me. “What happened back there?”

“Nothing. I thought I saw something. Someone. It’s nothing.”

If I keep saying it, it will become true. This will go away.

“You sure?” he asks. “Because your spider monkey grip says differently.”

“Can I stay with you?” I blurt out.

“You mean…” His voice trails off, but his hold on me never falters. “You want to stay the night?”

Desperately. More than anything.

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