Page 58 of Shameless

“Missed you, babe,” he growls.

“It’s only been a couple of hours since we saw each other!”

“Doesn’t matter,” Jax complains. “I still missed the hell out of you.”

“Aww.” Lanie’s voice softens, becoming dreamy. “I love you so much.”

“I love you more,” he responds with enough heat to melt the panties off Lanie’s body.

Ugh.

Make it stop.

These two are so sickeningly sweet that I get a toothache every time I’m around them. Although, if anyone deserves a good guy, it’s Lanie. Like most girls in their early twenties, she’s dated her fair share of assholes. Jaxon is almost too good to be true. Kind of like a mythical unicorn that sprang to life. He’s an athlete who isn’t interested in screwing as many girls as he can get his hands on.

Ever since I rolled into town a few days ago, Jaxon and Lanie have been glued together at the hip. I get the feeling he’ll be our unofficial third roommate for the year.

Know what’s been getting a lot of use?

My noise-canceling headphones.

Most nights, those two sound like they’re auditioning for a porno. Let’s hope it calms down soon.

Jaxon and Lanie coo at each other before their mouths fuse, and they start going at it like a pair of cats in heat. I clear my throat and glance everywhere but at them. If we were hanging out at the townhouse, this would be my cue to exit stage left. But we’re not at home; we’re in the middle of a field a few miles from town. There’s nowhere for me to go, and no one for me to talk to.

Awkwardness descends as I flick a piece of straw from my shirt.

Maybe I should take this opportunity to grab a beer. There must be a keg around here somewhere. You can’t have this many college kids congregating in one spot and not have alcohol. That would be considered sacrilegious, right?

With any luck, by the time I return, Jaxon and Lanie will have stopped mauling each other long enough for us to move on with our evening. It’s not like he’s being shipped off to war tomorrow and they’ll never see each other again.

Sheesh.

My gaze meanders to them in hopes that they’ve gotten their fill of each other.

Nope. The face sucking has become even more intense. Any moment, clothing is going to spontaneously combust from their bodies.

I don’t really want to be around when that happens.

So…a beer it is.

Not that either of them is paying me the least bit of attention, but I point toward the mass of bodies that have multiplied in the fifteen minutes since we’ve arrived. “I’m going to grab a drink.” When my words are met with kissy noises, I say, “Try not to miss me too much while I’m gone.”

Lanie waves a hand absently in my direction as they continue to get it on.

“Okay then,” I mumble before reluctantly taking off on my own.

The number of people gathered here is a little overwhelming. Lanie’s right; half the university must have shown up. Everyone is talking, laughing, and drinking. In other words, they’re having a great time.

Me, not so much.

It takes a good ten minutes to find the keg. Or maybe I should saykegssince there are six of them next to the back end of a midnight black pickup truck blasting music from massive speakers. I can barely hear myself think over the thumping bass. Then again, maybe that’s for the best. It’s a relief to get out of my head, even for a few minutes.

I locate the line for the beer and take my place at the end of it. I’m not much of a drinker, but I need something to smooth out all of the rough edges so I can relax and enjoy myself.

My flesh prickles with awareness, and I run my hands over my arms to banish the disconcerting sensation. I glance around, scouring the crowd for one face in particular but don’t see him anywhere. That alone should alleviate my anxiety, but it doesn’t.

My parting with Hunter wasn’t what one would call amicable. I don’t blame him for being hurt and angry. Whether Hunter understands it or not, I did what needed to be done. As painful as it was, I’d do it all over again. I loved Hunter more than life itself.

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