Page 30 of Nodus Tollens
Pulling the comforter up and over my head, I closed my eyes and groaned.
“No, Jesus, I just passed out on my bed before I could get dressed.” I explained, but I had a strong feeling she wasn’t going to let it go that easily. Kate was about as stubborn as I was, and this had been a hot topic for a while now, whether I’d ever ‘give it up’ in Kate’s crude terms. During the duration of our friendship, I’ve never once given her an inkling of evidence to make her believe that I would.
“Okay, so then explain why it smells like a man’s been here...”
How the hell?
Tugging the top of the blanket down until only my eyes were visible, I peered into Kate’s piercing stare that was filled with uncertainty and a smirk. Still rocking last night’s clothes, her curls were sticking in every which direction while her makeup appeared just as messy as her appearance. Glancing over to her side of the room, I noticed her bed was still made and soon concluded that she never even came home. She thinks she has the right to hound me on what I did last night when, clearly, she had a little fun of her own?
“How do you know it smells like a man in here?” I questioned on the arch of a brow while Kate’s lowered drastically. Hands on her hips, she removed one from her right curve and waved it in the air all around us.
“Wren, seriously? I know what a man smells like. I have a sixth sense for that kind of stuff. Even the room has a different vibe to it.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “What do you mean a different vibe? It feels the same to me.” I lied. The room did feel different. Even from the short amount of time Hayes stood in my room, I could still feel his presence lingering beside my bed. Also, it probably didn’t help that I fell asleep tightly wrapped in the blanket that I watched him stroke with a single finger. He may have thought he left empty-handed, especially since I rejected his friendship proposal, but he didn’t. He left with far more than what I’d hoped, and for that, I knew I couldn’t see him again. He was far too dangerous and far too tempting, despite the thrilling flutters he created within my heart.
“There’s tension in the air. Thick, angsty, and explosive tension.” She went on, and all I could do was stare. “Some uneasiness. Maybe standoffish energy, too.” She glanced down at me and I immediately rolled my eyes. Okay, now she was just describing me in general.
Sighing, I sat up and made sure my chest was covered with my blanket. “You caught me. There was a guy in here, but nothing happened.”
As soon as the words fell out of my mouth, I prepared myself for the onslaught of questions that were about to come my way. It took her a few seconds to take in what I had just confessed to, then, suddenly, she leaped off the ground and onto my bed with a squeal.
“Spill, now.” She propped a hand under her chin and zeroed in on my face with a mischievous grin.
Exhaling, I folded my hands in my lap and shrugged nonchalantly, like what had happened last night was no big deal. Especially since I knew she would make it out to be one.
“It’s not really a big deal. I went to go shower last night after falling in that mud and realized I had forgotten my clothes. So, when I went to text you, I saw that my phone was gone.”
Her lips curled, and a cringe-like expression appeared on her face. “Oh no.”
“Oh yes.” I nodded. “I thought most people would be at the rally, so I didn’t think there would be a chance of running into anyone if I walked the hallways in only a towel.”
“Oh shit.” Her chin dropped, causing her mouth to widen as if she was already catching on to what I was about to say.
“Well, I did run into someone. A very hot someone who happened to get an eyeful after the towel fell off my body.” Even now, after the fact, my cheeks burned from the humility of it all. Kate’s face even showed signs of secondhand embarrassment as her free hand smacked the top of her forehead.
“So, wait, how the hell did this guy end up in our room then?” She asked, lifting the hand covering her forehead and peering at me.
Good question. I still couldn’t find a solid reason as to why I dragged him into my room or why I even entertained him as long as I had.
“So, here’s the strange part, he found my phone and was returning it to me.” I explained, and her head reared back.
“Wait, so you know who this guy was then, right? I mean, you had to if he knew where you lived.”
Shaking my head, I found Kate more confused than ever.
“I had no idea who he was, but he somehow knew me.”
“Well, did you get his name?” She leaned in closer, and a light flutter ignited in my belly.
Nodding, I answered with a drag of my tongue across my lip. “Hayes. Hayes Decker.”
I wasn’t prepared for her reaction. Not that I was expecting one, but her eyes widened into the shape of dinner plates as she shot herself up onto her knees and screeched. A very high-pitched one, at that.
“The Hayes Decker. Blonde, tall, sex on a stick, Hayes Decker?” Her words came out on a dreamy pant that I was almost positive I saw a glob of drool form at the corner of her mouth. Apparently, she knew who this guy was, and an unwanted slice of jealousy ripped through me at the information.
“Yeah… How do you know him?” I questioned while trying to alleviate the thickness forming in my throat with a swallow. Though I knew she was obsessed with everything Hendricks, a part of me wondered, even worried, that Hayes may have been a love interest for her at one point. Especially from the way she accurately described him.
“How do I know him? Are you kidding me? How do you not know him?” She stared at me like I had two heads and eventually sighed dramatically. “Wren, he’s a Viper.”
