Page 20 of Collision

“Earth to Ben.” Jamie laughs. “Who’s got your attention this time?”

He turns quickly, following my gaze to where Mikaela stands before I can drop it, and his smile slips from his face. “No.”

My attention snaps back to him and I try to fake a smile, my eyes narrowing in a flash of deceitful confusion.

“What?” I steal a glance again, quickly, before frowning.

It doesn’t go unnoticed.

“No, Ben. Not Mik.” Jamie glares at me, his jaw tightening and his lips setting in a grim line. “She’s my sister. She’s - just - no.”

“Honestly, Jamie, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Lies.

The truth of his words smother me with their weight and something uncomfortable squeezes in my chest. Of course he’s right. It’s Mikaela, for God’s sake.

Across the bar a guy has his hands on Mikaela’s waist as he leans in to speak to her and she takes a sip from the straw in her ridiculously fruity drink.

My grip tightens around my glass.

“She’s off limits to you, Haston.” Jamie practically snarls at me as he snatches the glass from my hand and snaps my focus back to him, the amber liquid spilling and splashing off of the sticky surface of the table. “Off limits. Always. You got it?”

“Not that this was an issue to start with.” I brush down the splattering of bourbon on my shirt as I level him with a stare before I signal over to the waitress clearing glasses between booths. “But yeah, I’ve got it.”

“Great. Now we’re leaving, before you do something I’m going to have to punch you for.”

I roll my eyes and fish a card out of my pocket, holding it out to the waitress. “I’d like to settle my tab.”

I don’t risk looking at her. Not when Mikaela is right behind her, oblivious to how difficult she has just made it for me to leave.

Mikaela

I’ve had too much to drink. The girls squeal with bubbles of giggled gossip and the room spins around me. The tiles shift beneath my feet as I stumble, laughing when the floor comes up to greet me and a firm hand wraps around my waist, pulling me backwards, saving me from smashing to the ground.

“Jesus, Mik.” A gravelly voice sighs against my ear as fingers dig into my skin, bringing a blissful kind of pain that sends a shiver running down my spine, holding me upright.

I twist slightly, looking up to my saviour with blurry eyes and groan, loudly.

Ben rolls his eyes with a smirk in response.

“I thought you left.” I can hear how my words slur as I move out of his arm and trip again.

Why does this floor keep shifting like that?

Ben shrugs with feigned nonchalance and winds his arm around my waist once more, leaning towards the bar to grab my bag. “I did.”

“But you’re back.”

“I am.”

I can’t help it. He sounds so silly and light hearted and I laugh as I twist to face him, smiling dopily at him as he raises an eyebrow.

His face is really close now and he smells nice.

“What’s so funny, Little Mik?”

I try to shrug but the movement feels too big and I place a hand on his chest, taking a deep breath in while my head spins and my eyes search his face. He smells like lemons and pine mixed with a little whiskey.

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