Page 53 of Matched

Shrugging off Omari’s arm, I pushed through the crowds towards Charlie, watching his eyes widen as I drew closer. Nodding a hello to Asher and Levi as I passed them, I grabbed Charlie’s wrist, tugging him along with me. He came without protest, and I let go of him as soon as we were out in the hallway. The music wasn’t so loud out here, and I was able to speak at a normal volume.

“Can we talk for a minute?”

Charlie glanced around us. “Is here okay? Or do you want to go next door to mine? Half the party seems to be happening there, but it’s quieter than in here.”

“No. Here’s fine. Stay where people can see us. We’re just two people who know each other, having a normal conversation.”Taking up a casual position against the wall, I fixed my gaze on my beer. “Some of the boys were saying I should hook up with a girl tonight. It’s not…I don’t want to, but maybe we should. Or I dunno, flirt with someone at least.”

Next to me, Charlie inhaled sharply. “Do you think this is a good idea? You—you’re not even a one-night-stand person. Or so you said.”

I flinched at his unexpectedly harsh tone. “No. I think it’s a shit idea, but we need to dosomething.”

There was silence while he processed my words, but eventually, he spoke, his voice almost too quiet to be heard over the combined sounds of music and conversation. “Yeah. I guess you’re right. The sooner we get over this, the better.” With a decisive nod, he straightened up. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

21

“Come on.” Nate jerked his head towards the lounge. “We can start in there.”

“Now?”

“Yeah.” His jaw was set, his mouth a hard line. “The sooner, the better.”

Even though I’d verbally agreed with his idea, I wasn’t mentally prepared for it. The thought of seeing Nate with someone else made me feel physically sick, but he was right when he said that we needed to do something. This was a stupid plan, but who knew? Maybe it would work.

I followed him back into the lounge, watching as he scanned the room. In front of the bay window, the furniture had been pushed aside to create a large space for dancing, and after a brief pause, he headed towards a group of four girls on the edge of the dance floor area.

“Zoe,” he said, turning that stupidly sexy smile on a pretty girl with long, glossy blonde hair. She instantly returned his smile, stepping up to him and placing a hand on his arm as he dipped his head to her ear to say something too low for me to catch over the loud music filling the room. She responded with a giggle and then said something about the football match that made him smile wider.

I didn’t react outwardly, but all I wanted to do was pull him away from her and take him somewhere far away where we could?—

No. This was why I was going along with his fucked-up scheme.

Just friends.

Nate raised his head, his gaze flicking to mine for a second before he glanced back down at Zoe. “This is my friend Charlie.”

All four girls turned to look at me, and so I pasted on a grin, hoping it didn’t look as fake as it felt. Fake it ’til you make it, right? “Hi,” I said.

“Hi. Do you happen to be single?” One of the girls stepped forwards, suggestively looking me up and down. I looked over at Nate. His expression was shuttered, but as he held my gaze, he slid his arm around Zoe.

“Very single,” I said, still looking at Nate. Something flashed in his eyes, but he turned back to Zoe before I could work out what it was.

“We’re both single,” he murmured, and somehow, I heard it clearly over the music.

Okay. This was the plan, and this cute, forward girl was making her interest known. Time to give her the attention she deserved.

“I’m Charlie. Want to dance?”

It took less than five minutes for me to realise what a mistake this was. My dance partner, Kate, was gorgeous, and beforeNate, I’d have been into her. But instead, all I could focus on was Nate dancing with Zoe, his eyes fixed on mine, burning into me with an intensity that took my breath away.

I couldn’t. Fucking. Deal with it.

“I’m really sorry,” I said to Kate, releasing her. “I can’t—I need to go.”

I twisted away from the dancing students, blindly shoving my way through the crowd. Out in the hallway, the number of bodies had increased, blocking my way to the front door. I turned on my heel, running up the stairs instead, taking two at a time. Anywhere was better than being here, surrounded by so many people.

By some miracle, the bathroom was free, and I launched myself through the open doorway, slamming the door closed behind me. A twist of the lock, and then I collapsed forwards, planting my hands on the counter on either side of the sink.

The sounds of the party were muffled by the thick wood of the door, and my breaths came loud and fast in the silence. I hung my head, swallowing around the sudden lump in my throat.

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