Page 25 of The Casualty of Us
I ignore Ollie’s angry whisper and hang my jacket on the back of the chair, waiting until I’m already walking away to meet Hayes’s gaze and throw him a wink.
“Fuck.”
“Sit back down!”
Hayes’s groan and Ollie’s furious order both follow me away from the table, keeping the grin on my face in place while I assess my target. I quickly take in his laid-back demeanor as he sits typing away at his computer with a couple of books spread out around him. His short black hair is well kept and the gray sweater he has on is pushed up to his elbows, highlighting his brown skin that’s all cool undertones. There’s a balance to his entire bearing and vibe that’s without a doubt attractive too and explains the guys’ reaction to me coming over here.
“Hi there,” I start, making sure to snag his attention before sliding into the chair across from him. “Graham, right?”
“Yeah.” He smiles back openly, closing his laptop while continuing. “And you’re Ophelia Fitzroy.”
“That I am.” I pop my chin in my hand, cocking my head at him. “So you’ve heard of me?”
“Everyone in the county has heard of you.” He chuckles.
“True,” I agree with a shrug. “But what have you heard specifically?”
Because it never hurts to have all the information.
“Depends on who you ask.” He shrugs, brown eyes considering me. “Younger girls say you keep to yourself mostly, but the older girls…stuck-up and some other not nice words are typically what’s thrown around.”
“Rude,” I snort.
He lifts his hands into the air. “Their words, not mine.”
“Forgiven.” I nod in understanding. “So listen, Graham, I need a favor.”
“And what’s that?”
I drop my hand to the table, making sure to keep our gazes locked while leaning closer to him and whispering, “The Ruins.”
“Ha!” He punctuates the sudden laugh with a quick shake of his head. “No way, you’re ballsy, I’ll give you that, but no way.”
“Come on,” I pout. “Why not?”
“First years aren’t allowed, they’re too messy and it’s a chill place.”
“Hmm,” I muse, narrowing my eyes at him and quickly trying to catalog enough for a viable assessment. “You have any sisters, Graham?”
“Yeah.” He nods, clearly confused but willing to play along anyway. “Two.”
“Right.” I take a short breath. “I’m going to be straight with you. I’ve had a bitch of a year, as I’m sure you’re aware, but living through a kidnapping can do that.”
“I…” He swallows. “Yeah, I’d imagine.”
“Now, imagine,” I push on, dropping my hand with a sigh. “Imagine if one of your sisters had lived through the bitch of a year that I’ve had and all she wanted was to get an invite to a party.”
He scoffs. “That’s not—”
“I’m not done.” I scowl. “This is truth time, Graham. Now, do you see the guys at the table over there by the fireplace?”
His eyes drift over my right shoulder before quickly coming back to mine. “Your brother and Hayes?”
“Yeah,” I agree. “So here’s the thing: if I go back over there without an invite to the Ruins, I’m going to have to deal with them moaning about it for the rest of the year, which really isn’t on my agenda.”
“I—”
“What is on my agenda,” I cut him off quickly. “Is being a normal girl. Do you know what that means, Graham?”
