Page 21 of Sweet Oblivion

Stef tugged at Lindsay’s arm, finally leading her away. The girls turned the corner, cutting off the staring contest. Aya heaved a huge sigh of relief.

“You weren’t kidding about the mean-girl vibe,” Aya said.

“Wait for it,” I told her. “The boys are just as gossipy and mean.”

Aya leaned her head back and groaned. Somehow, I palmed her hip. Her warmth saturated my skin even through the denim. I flexed my fingers, enjoying the supple give of her flesh.

Aya’s tits rose and fell as she glanced over my shoulder. Her voice came out a bit higher than normal, and her pulse pounded in her neck.

Already I craved her. How had I gone so long without this? How could I manage a full day, let alone weeks of being near her, needing to be nearer? Emotions jangled through me, terrifying in their ferocity.

Her lids lowered, her lashes covering her eyes. “Nash…”

“Omigod, Nash likes her,” a girl squealed.

We both startled. I stepped back.

“This situation is scarier than those cliffs I showed you,” Aya murmured.

“More dangerous, too,” I deadpanned. “But don’t worry, as long as you stick with me, kid, you’re golden.”

“Because of your parents?” Aya asked. Her wide eyes caught mine. “Do you think that’s right? Fair?”

I shook my head. “Neither. But it’s the pecking order. And it’s not just my parents—my mom’s father owns the hotels these people stay at all over the world. We’re rich fuckers who lunch with global leaders. That’s also why no one cares if I’m feeling sad or lonely or whatever.”

“That’s impossibly sad.” Aya looked down.

“Maybe. But as much as they want to take me down—and they do, so bad—they can’t touch me without pissing off the head of the RNC, DNC, SBU, Jetsetter Records, you name it.”

“You never told me how you ended up in Austin,” she said, tilting her head so all that glorious hair spilled down her neck, cascading over her chest. I nearly groaned. Being near Aya was the most perfect torture.

I shrugged and attempted a nonchalance I didn’t feel. “My Pop Syad—my grandfather—he owns a large IT firm in addition to his hotels. He moved my mother here when she was a teenager, and she liked it. My dad bummed through all the live music venues. That’s how they met. His band, Quantum, played lots of clubs and scored its first national record contract about ten years ago.”

I frowned, my high of spending time with Aya fading as the realities of my life slammed back into me. For a few moments, Aya had managed to keep those worries at bay. Even after all this time, I didn’t have much ability to create new music. The last song I’d composed had been another one with Cam, and Dad wasn’t going to be happy when he found out about that.

Aya snorted. “The inability to touch you must drive these kids crazy.”

I lifted my chin, trying not to think about how I wanted her to touch me—or where. “Lord the most. That guy hates me.”

As if he knew I was talking about him, Lord lumbered over and bumped my shoulder hard, forcing me closer to Aya.

“Looks like Nashville’s got himself a girlfriend. I wonder if she knows he used to cry about his mommy’s drug problem.”

I feigned a disappointed sigh, even as the bite of shame slid up the back of my neck. I had cried the year Lev died—blubbered in the bathroom—because it was the first time I’d had to sit at a lunch table without him.

“She likes vodka, dipshit. Coke was so last year. Might want to pass that on since your mom’s known for her coke nose. Oh, right! You don’t see her or her nose because your parents refuse to live in the same state as you.”

Lord raised his fist, his face florid, but Aya stuck out her foot, tripping him as he hurtled toward me.

“How clumsy of you,” she said, batting her long eyelashes. “Would you like a hand up?”

Aya started to bend down just as Lord rose with a snarl, slamming his shoulder into her chest. The impact caused her to fly backward into Hugh, who’d been walking by. He dropped his book bag and a big, messy pile of papers flew from his binder as he attempted to catch her. The two of them tumbled to the floor, Aya sprawled atop a befuddled Hugh.

Lindsay and Stef shrieked with laughter, sounding like hyenas ready to close in on their kill. They must have been lurking right around the corner. They were probably the ones who sent Lord to bug me. I never underestimated Lindsay’s mean streak, and this situation seemed to be the kind both she and Lord lived for.

Hugh shifted, his hand sliding over Aya’s chest. I heard a deep whooshing in my ears as her eyes widened and her jaw trembled.

“That’s it,” I said, my voice quiet but carrying an intensity that caused everyone in the hallway to stop.

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