Page 4 of Close

“Can’t wait.” Brandon’s eyes are glued to her backside as she disappears into the crowd. “You know where to find me when you want to lose.”

“We’re still playing, lover boy.” Connor snaps his fingers in Brandon’s face.

He turns back to the table. “Sorry, ladies. Let’s end this quickly. I have to be somewhere.”

The game continues, cups disappearing rapidly now.

My head is foggy from all the cheap beer Ju keeps shoving into my hands.

“You good?” Ju asks me.

“Yeah, fan-fucking-tastic.”

We are getting absolutely destroyed. The score is something like—I don’t know anymore. But we’re down to our last cup while they still have 1,2,3… a lot.

“Come on, we can still beat them,” she says as I reluctantly swallow another mouthful of beer.

Yeah right. At this rate, we’ll join the guy outside hunched over the bush before that happens.

Brandon snickers as Connor lines up his next shot. “Give it up, ladies. We’ve got this in the bag.”

The ball lands right in our last cup with a mocking plop.

Ju slams her hand down. “Oh, hell no. Rematch. Right now.”

“If you want to lose again, be our guests.” Brandon shrugs.

“I should go find Mike,” I say.

“Want to split up to look for him? Check upstairs?” Ju asks.

“No, it’s fine. You stay here.”

“Okay, but don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she says, shifting her attention back to Brandon and Connor. “So, where did Naomi go off to? I need a new partner.”

I fight my way through the crowd, climbing the stairs to the second floor, which is even more crowded than downstairs, with couples making out in every corner.

The heat and noise threaten to overwhelm my senses, and for a moment, I consider leaving, but then my eyes land on Mike.

My steps falter as a wave of numbness washes over me.

He stands in a corner, lips locked with a beautiful girl with red hair.

The world stops spinning. I stare at them, unable to look away, waiting for the sight to make sense. But it only grows more surreal.

After what feels like an eternity, the girl’s eyes flutter open and land on me. “You want to join in?”

Mike pulls back from her, his hands still on her waist, gaze finding mine. “Fuck.”

Chapter 2

Sebastian

The black SUV pulls up to the curb, and I open the door, the thumping bass of shitty party music already giving me a headache. I nod to Stewart and get out before he drives away, leaving me standing outside the frat house.

Another fucking party.

Great.

---