Page 2 of Huge Games

No time has felt like my time since Mom and Dad called it quits on their marriage. Now, all I do is worry about whether Mom is lonely or if Dad will ever call me or come to visit again.

I don't want to be in this swirly vortex of other people's emotions and demands. I want to call the shots for a change.

"My time. I like that."

Gabriella stares pertinently at Ellie as though she's worried her comment has unleashed a monster. The tears that have burned against the front of my throat for weeks lessen with a swallow and a deep breath.

I smooth my hands over my dress and fluff my hair, glancing into the mirror to check my mass of red curls. They look like they usually do: wild and crazy.

"I guess it's time to go."

At the bar, the music is pumping, and the lights are flashing, casting the moving crowd in rainbow colors. We head over to the back, where our group has already gathered. Colby, one of Ellie's triplet boyfriends, pulls her against him and kisses her forehead possessively. She's passed to Sebastian and Micky and given the same princess treatment. Gabriella immediately seeks out Dalton, Kain, and Blake, her own harem of men, wrapping her arms around them in turn for a long embrace. I stand behind like a spare part, scanning the crowd for someone who canmake me feel like I belong even a little. Dornan is leaning against the wall, talking to Gabriella's brother, Travis, and I make a beeline to my friend.

I know Dornan well. We’ve been friends, through Ellie, since freshman year. His size makes him an overwhelming presence but as soon as he speaks, his face softens and his eyes light up, and all the menace that makes him an invaluable member of the football team, slips away.

"Hey." I touch Dornan's arm, interrupting what sounded like a conversation about sport. His sky-blue eyes find mine and crinkle at the corners.

"There she is." He throws his massive arm around my shoulder and tugs me against his solid chest with vigorous affection. I half-grin, half-grimace at Travis as I'm squashed like a beetle. Dornan doesn't seem to be conscious of his immense strength.

"Hi," I squeak.

"Hi, Celine." Travis uses his hand to brush over his neatly trimmed, light brown beard as he studies me. I didn't think he'd remember my name. We've only met a couple of times, and he generally keeps to himself.

"Hi, Travis." His eyes are a deeper shade of blue than Dornan's, like dark sapphires, and they sparkle beneath his fair brows and lashes. It's weird looking at him because he seems more familiar than he should, probably because of how much he looks like his younger sister, Gabriella.

"You guys took your time. I swear Gab left to go get you three hours ago."

"A girl needs time to look her best," I say, but my eyes are already roving for Eddie. If he's here, I want to find him so that I can avoid him. I need to know where he is before he spots me.

Travis turns, glancing over his shoulder, and his light blue shirt pulls over the very nice muscles of his chest and arms. I haven't ever told my bestie that I think her brotheris a hottie, mainly because of Eddie and because it feels a little weird to lust over your friend's older brother.

I haven't told Ellie that I think Dornan's sexy, either. Well, maybe sexy is the wrong word for a man who's more wall than human. He's got the kind of masculine presence that feels safe, like a hug but as solid as granite. The funny thing is, he's a big softy underneath all the brawn.

"He's over there." Dornan indicates the far corner with a jerk of his head, where a large group of the football team and their cheerleader-type girlfriends are gathered around a table. Eddie isn't visible from where I'm standing, but I guess Dornan saw him arrive.

"Who?" Travis turns, completely unaware.

"My ex." Blood spreads heat over my fair skin.

"Oh. An ex you want to avoid?"

"At all costs."

Travis nods, and Dornan gives me a reassuring squeeze. "The douche cheated on my girl. Can you believe he'd have the audacity?"

One of Eddie's friends laughs raucously and almost falls off the tiny stool he's sitting on, and I shiver. Travis's expression turns grim, his strong jaw ticking like a heartbeat.

"Fuck people who cheat." It's said with so much venom that my head jerks back in surprise.

"Yeah. Fuck them," Dornan agrees.

If I could kiss them both right now without it being weird, I would. I swear, the number of dudes I know who have cheated on their girlfriends is obscenely high. I don't know why I thought I'd experience anything different. Men have a problem, otherwise known as a dick, and they can't help themselves. I think there is something very wrong with Eddie because we'd fuck twice a day, most days, and he still found the time and the urge to wander.

"I need a drink."

The bar is way over the other side of the dance floor, which seems like ten miles away in my ridiculous shoes, and moving from where I am, sheltered between Dornan and Travis, feels risky. Maybe sensing my unease, Dornan steers me so his body shields me. "I'll come with you."

"Me, too." Travis leads the way and clears the dancing throngs like Moses parting the Red Sea.

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