Page 17 of Beginning Fate

Step one: Learn everything I could about my mate.

And I had the perfect inside source for it.

I smiled and gave a little wave to Kylie across the room. She smiled back at me.

“Are you okay?” I signed.

“Yes. Where is my sister?”

“She left.”

Her smile waivered like she hadn't expected me to say that.

“Is she okay?” she finally signed back to me.

I nodded. “Tired.”

“What is he doing?” Monte asked.

“He's talking to the deaf girl from across the room,” Kevin explained.

“Wow. Denny's upped his game,” Remy teased. “Flirting in sign language is a new level, my man. Am I right?”

He held out his fist like he expected me to pound it. Instead, what I really wanted to do was pound his face for even making that sort of insinuation.

Before it even got awkward, they'd all moved on to other things.

When I looked back towards Kylie, she wasn't where I last saw her and it took me a minute to realize she was dancing in the center of the room with the other freshmen. Someone had cranked up the music and from the looks of it, she could feel the vibrations as she danced along with the others. It was magical to watch. She looked so carefree.

As I studied her more closely, I realized she looked a bit like Lauren, or at least they had the same light green eyes.

My mate may have thought I was ignoring her, but every time I so much as glanced her way, I committed every inch of her that I could to memory.

“Wow, he's like transfixed by her. What the hell are you doing sitting here just watching, Denny? Get out there and do your thing?” Braxton advised.

I stared at him in confusion. “What’s my thing?”

“You know. Go schmooze her up and take her to bed.”

“She's a freshman.”

“When has that ever stopped you?” Monte laughed.

The others agreed.

“I'm a fifth year. I'm not going to bed with a freshman, especially not that one.”

“What's wrong with that one?” Remy asked.

“Dude, she's deaf,” Braxton reminded him.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I snapped.

“What? Nothing. I'm just saying that clearly you’re not into deaf girls.”

A noise from the center of the room caught my attention and I turned to see Kylie standing there watching us. The look on her face told me she had been reading our lips throughout the conversation.

Tears pricked her eyes, and she turned and ran from the room.

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