Page 110 of Wanted You More

He points toward the crowd of people dancing. It takes me a few seconds to find Kennedy grinding on some guy in flannel. “She seems to be enjoying herself. Didn’t take her for being a cleat chaser.”

I smack him. “She’s not! And who cares if she was. I hate when people accuse others of chasing after a certain type of person.”

He holds up his hands, careful not to drop his beer. “Christ! Okay. I wasn’t judging. I’ve just never seen her with anyone like that.”

My eyes zoom in on the guy in question. I think I’ve seen him around, but he looks like any other college guy to me. “Does it bug you that she’s paying that guy attention?”

I’m a little disappointed when he shakes his head and finishes his drink. “Nah. I want her to meet people and have fun.”

I don’t bother asking him if he wants the same thing for himself. I’d seen him with a group of girls when he was going to get us drinks earlier. Their conversation didn’t seem completely innocent.

Slipping my arms through the sleeves of the hoodie Lincoln found for me to fight the chill, I turn toward him. “I want her to be happy too. Both of you.”

Part of me hopes that’s all I need to say, but I don’t think the statement lands where I want it to. Because Lincoln steps closer to me and tugs on the hoodie string, keeping it between his fingers. “I want that for you too.”

His voice is low, and there’s something in it that makes me feel a little uneasy. When he lifts his gaze to meet mine, I see something familiar in them.

Because it’s how I look when I see Noah.

“Linc…” I shake my head, putting my hand on the one that’s holding on to the string. “I care about you. I do. But like I said before, this thing isn’t going to happen.”

“Because of him?” he presses.

Noah.“Yeah. And because Kennedy is my friend and she likes you. It wouldn’t be fair to anybody involved. I want to be your friend.”

“What’s going on?” Kennedy asks suddenly, her eyes darting to our hands. Her lips twitch. “You guys look all serious.”

I drop my hand and step back to put space between me and her ex. “I was telling him that I’m not feeling super well and was going to see if you’d be okay with heading back.”

She stares at me for a second, and I must look sick enough for it to be believable because she softens. “Of course we can. This is boring anyway. I got groped by, like, forty guys in the past hour and I’m pretty sure eighty percent of them weren’t an accident.”

Her arm loops against mine as she looks to Lincoln, and I’m positive I see her bat her eyelashes. “Can you walk us back to our room?”

His eyes move from her to me, then back to Kennedy again. “Yeah.” He clears his throat and tosses the empty beer can on the ground with a pile of others. “Let’s go.”

It’s no surprise that my roommate gets as close as she can to him. I choose not to say anything on the walk back to our building, which feels like it lasts forever because of the silence.

Lincoln doesn’t try making conversation.

I don’t.

Kennedy says something about the party every so often but gives up trying to break whatever tension is growing when neither of us replies to her.

When we’re safely back in our room, Kennedy stops Lincoln from leaving and asks him to wait in the hall for her.

“Are you going to be okay?” she asks once I’m sitting on my bed.

I look toward the door that’s ajar. “Are you going out again?”

A guilty smile tilts her lips. “I’m going to see if Linc wants to grab some food. I can bring you something back if you want.”

I’d expected her to stay in with me, but maybe this is better. “No, that’s okay. Have fun. Text me when you’re on your way back.”

Her eyebrows wiggle as she heads toward the door. “IfI come back, you mean.”

I’m left gaping at her as she disappears, closing the door behind her.

That’s either going to end really well or very badly.

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