Page 101 of Ink & Stardust

I want to make him feel even a sliver of what he’s made me feel.

I want him to think that I’ve moved on, even if that couldn’t be further from the truth.

It doesn’t matter if this entire situation is my fault. Right now, I choose to blame him.

For letting me touch him.

For letting me know him.

For letting me love him.

For taking it all away by not feeling the same.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I hear Kai’s voice seconds before his hand closes around my forearm, jerking me back with so much force it feels like the action jars my brain.

And then he’s in front of me. Expression tight. Eyes wild.

“Excuse me.” I ignore the way his nearness makes me feel, holding onto my anger like a vice grip as I attempt to shake off his hold. “Let go of me,” I warn, my voice eerily low.

“You heard her,” Owen pipes in. “Let her go.”

Kai’s deathly glare splits to the man behind me.

“You have one second to leave or what happened last time will look like child’s play. I don’t give a fuck if I end up in jail. This floor will wear your fucking skull if you don’t walk away right the fuck now.”

My entire body vibrates from the intensity of his words.

I don’t have to look back to see if Owen listened. I know he did by the angry smile that tugs at Kai’s mouth as he no doubt scurries away.

“You.” His gaze drops back down to mine. “Outside. Now.”

He moves and I unwillingly move with him, his grip on my arm unshakable as he drags me from the house like a screaming toddler who needs to be taught a lesson.

I trip over the doorframe. Stumble down the front steps. And then nearly eat grass when he lets me go so abruptly that the momentum carries me forward.

“What. The. Fuck.” I spin, screaming right in his face.

“My thoughts exactly.” His nostrils flare as he leans in, not letting my words or my aggression keep him from invading my space. “What the fuck do you think you were doing in there?”

“What I was doing is none of your fucking business.” I don’t miss the way he cringes at my language. He doesn’t like when I cuss. He says it’s not me, and he’s right, it’s not. This knowledge only spurs me on more.

“You made it my business when you swallowed his fucking face in front of me,” he fires back.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you cared.” Angry tears prick the backs of my eyes. “Why are you even here?”

“Last time I checked, I’m entitled to come to a party.”

“Last time I checked, you hated parties, or was that just another lie?”

“I never lied to you!”

“Then why are you here?” I scream right back at him.

“Why the fuck do you think I’m here?” he yells back even louder.

“I wouldn’t know, considering when I pass you on campus, you don’t even have the decency to acknowledge me! You’ve come inside my body more times than I could possibly count. The least you could do is act like you know me!”

With every sentence, our voices grow louder.

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