“Thanks!” Harper beamed and turned to the guy, whose arm she held in a firm grip. “Nara, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend, Drake.”
Dressed in a fitted white tux with tails, Drake’s bald head gleamed in the dimly lit room. “Nice to finally meet you, Nara. Harper has talked about you non-stop since you two met.”
“Nice to meet you too, Drake.” His deep voice made him appear older, but then so did his rangy build and sharp jawline. I couldn’t help but fidget under the steady regard behind his fitted pale blue mask. His dark eyes appeared to be assessing me, as if he were weighing whether or not I was worthy of being Harper’s friend.
When he didn’t say anything else, other than to smirk slightly, I glanced at Harper for help. She was too busy staring at him in adoration, like her world totally revolved around him. He obviously wasn’t much of a talker. What did she see in him? Was it because he seemed edgy, which was so different from her buttoned-up life? I couldn’t take his assessing stare any longer. “Well, I hope you all have a great time tonight,” I said, edging away.
Harper tore her gaze from Drake long enough to wave. “You too.”
I moved to the other side of the room and stood along the edge of the dance floor. My gaze settled on the blonde girl snuggling close and personal with Drystan, which made me think of Ethan. I really wished he could’ve come.
A second slow song started up and another girl, this time a brunette, snagged Drystan from the blonde. He scanned the crowd, looking for me. I started to wave, but someone gripped my elbow and spoke in my ear.
“Dance with me, Nara.”
I tugged against Jared’s grip, but he whispered, “Please, I want to talk.”
What could he possibly want to talk to me about? When his gaze skipped through the crowd to land on Lainey and Matt, I pursed my lips. “Where’s your date?”
“She’s in the bathroom with her girlfriends.” He tugged me forward, pulling me deep into the dance crowd.
He tried to wrap his arms around me, but I pushed on his shoulders to keep some distance between us. “What do you want, Jared?”
He narrowed his gaze over my shoulder, then spun me around so his back was to Lainey and Matt dancing. “What’s the deal with Lane and that guy? Does she really like him or is she just trying to get back at me?”
I stiffened, offended for my friend. Even if he was right, the fact he was asking about Lainey spoke volumes. “What’s
your
deal? Do you really like Tarra? Or are you just trying to win the crown tonight?”
Confusion filtered through is gaze. “I—I don’t know.” He actually seemed genuinely conflicted.
At that moment, Lainey’s gaze snagged mine across the room. Eyes wide, she yanked Matt closer and mouthed over his shoulder, “What are you
doing
?”
I stepped closer to Jared and whispered in his ear, “You threw her away, but now that someone else wants her, you’re all interested again?” I met Lainey’s curious gaze and mouthed, “I don’t know!” Taking a step back from Jared, I locked gazes with him and continued, “Grow up, Jared,” then turned and walked off with brisk movements, ignoring my protesting muscles.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
As I reached for a cup to pour myself some punch, a girl spoke in my ear in a low hiss, “Bet you couldn’t wait for me to go to the bathroom so you could move in on Jared! Don’t think I don’t know you used to have a crush on him.”
I poured my drink, then cast my gaze over Tarra’s bright blonde hair to her perfect, tanned body wrapped in a silver-sequined dress displaying every curve. The crush I’d had on Jared seemed like a lifetime ago. Ethan eclipsed everyone in my mind.
“Old news,” I said, shrugging. “For the record, Jared asked me to dance.”
Silver glitter-coated eyelids narrowed behind her silver mask, creating a creepy eyeless effect, instead of the sultry one I was sure she was going for. “I don’t believe you.”
I took a sip. “I really don’t care if you believe me or not. It’s the truth,” I snapped. As Tarra walked off in a snotty huff to look for Jared, annoyance rippled through me. Her rocky relationship with Jared had unleashed the questions I’d tucked into the back of my mind about Ethan. Why hadn’t he called me back? Who was the girl who’d answered his phone? My stomach churned as another worrisome thought occurred. When Ethan did finally call me, would I like the answers he gave?
An upbeat reggae song started at the same time Drystan whispered in my ear, “Ready to find out if this Welsh bloke knows how to dance?”
I grinned and set my cup on the table, putting my hand in his outstretched one. “Absolutely!”
Drystan really did know how to move, and while we danced to a long set of nonstop, fast-paced songs, I was able to forget about everything and lose myself in the rhythm of the beat. After a while, Lainey and Matt made their way over to hang with us, which made dancing to popular songs even more fun. This is what I came for…giving myself up to the fun and enjoying time with friends.
“You’re really a lot of fun when you let your hair down, er…pull your hair up, Nara,” Drystan spoke over the music.
Lainey heard him and shoulder-bumped me, making me bump Drystan in turn. “She says, ‘right back at you.’”
I snickered at her silliness, then raised my arms in the air to snap my fingers, swiveling my hips to the beat. “I guess you Welsh know a thing or two about rhythm.”
With a bark of laughter, Drystan gripped my waist right over the diamond cutouts, his hands warm against my exposed skin. Lifting me off the ground, he swung me around in a circle. “You have no idea,” he said, eyes twinkling behind his mask while his mouth tilted in a lopsided, sexy grin.
Just as my feet touched the ground, the lead singer announced, “The mask unveiling will be coming up soon, and after that, we’ll reveal the Ice King and Queen. Stay tuned!”
When the band began playing a slow, sultry song, I said in a lighthearted tone, “That’s our cue to get something to drink.” I started to walk off, but Drystan grabbed my hand and pulled me back.
“Uh-uh…” Stepping into my personal space, he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close. “I’ve waited all night to dance with you. The drinks can wait.”
I shook my head and smirked as my hands settled on his shoulders. “But we’ve been dancing for at least forty minutes.”
“Not like this, Nara.” He began to slow dance to the lulling melody, his hand sliding up my lower back. He’d moved close enough that I felt his heart pounding against mine.
I gave a nervous laugh. “See, we’ve both just had a workout. We need hydration—” I trailed off, my gaze snagging on Lainey and Matt. I hoped to flag her attention so she’d go to the refreshment table with me, but she was staring at Matt. He said something, and then…he kissed her. Lainey seemed surprised by his kiss, but I blinked in shock when she began to kiss him back with equal enthusiasm.
“And just like that, it all worked out brilliantly.” Drystan chuckled in my ear, drawing my attention back to him.
“I—I’m happy for them. Surprised, but happy.”
Drystan’s hand slid under my shawl, his fingers pressing against my exposed skin on my upper back, drawing me so close I was forced to look up at him. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said in a husky voice. As soon as he finished speaking, Drystan lowered his head toward mine.
Tension had been building inside me ever since he pulled me into his arms for the slow dance. I slid my hands from his shoulders to his chest, creating some distance. “Drystan,” I began, just as a hand landed heavily on my shoulder.
“I believe you promised to dance with me tonight, Nara,” a familiar deep voice rumbled in my ear.
Drystan’s hold tightened around my waist and he snarled, “Not on your life!”
Ethan’s tense stance radiated fury. His fingers dug into my shoulder ever so slightly. “Do you want to bet yours on it?”
The menace in his voice matched the deadly shine of his dark eyes behind his black mask.
“Hi!” I said with a surprised smile, my voice pitching higher as I gripped Ethan’s hand on my shoulder with an I’m-so-glad-you’re-here squeeze. My heart thumped harder than it had all night as I pulled out of Drystan’s grasp. “It’s okay, Drystan. This is Ethan.”
As I met Ethan’s gaze, I couldn’t believe how much broader his shoulders appeared or how incredibly drool-worthy he looked in an all black tux. But his unique mask had snagged and held my attention. Below the eyeholes, the black mask sported a slight beak, reminding me of a raven. I smirked, acknowledging his appropriate mask, before I nodded to my dance partner, “Ethan, meet Drystan.”
Without another look at Drystan, Ethan tugged me away. Once we’d moved deep into the throng of people, he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close.
“That was rude, Ethan!” I gasped for breath at the same time I gripped his shoulders. Shock couldn’t begin to describe my feelings. When I had to tilt my head back to see his eyes, I realized he’d also grown taller since I’d seen him last, by at least an inch and a half. Holy cow, what’d his parents fed him in Michigan? Miracle-Gro?
Ethan’s narrowed gaze followed Drystan until he left the dance floor. “If I’d stayed near him a second longer, I would’ve pounded him into the floor for touching you,” he said in a barely controlled tone.
“We were just dancing. He’s a friend. What has gotten into you?” I said, completely taken aback by his anger.
When his gaze returned to mine, Ethan’s fury simmered to a steady burn. “He wants you, Nara! Is that all it took? A month for you to forget about me? About us?”
It was hard to read Ethan’s face behind his mask, but his shoulder muscles under my hand had turned hard as a rock as his arm tightened around me.
All
I’d done since he left was focus on him. My own anger rushed to match his. I jerked my chin up a notch. “Who’s Danielle? And why didn’t you call me back?”
Ethan started to speak when the lead singer called out over the song, “Okay everyone, time to take off your masks!”
In fluid movements, Ethan removed my mask, then pulled his own off, saying in a low grumble, “I don’t like not seeing your face.”
A collective murmur rippled through the people around us, drawing my attention. Everyone must’ve noticed the lone guy who’d showed up at the dance wearing all black in complete defiance of the dress code. But apparently, they didn’t recognize him until he pulled off his mask.
I was a bit shocked too. The mask hid the fact he’d cut his hair. Now it was super short on the sides and a mess of spiked bangs. The new cut allowed full access to his deep blue eyes, which were currently sweeping the crowd people around us. He met every single pair of eyes looking at him with his own bold, assessing “yes, I’m looking at you” stare.
“Well?” I asked, wanting…no,
needing
to hear his answer.
He clasped my hand on his shoulder. “Not here, Nara. Let’s go.”
As he purposefully cut through the thickest group of people, aggressively shouldering his way past everyone, my brain screamed,
What had happened in Michigan?
This wasn’t the same Ethan who left. That guy preferred to avoid physical contact with others. Now Ethan appeared to be going out of his way to brush against as many people as possible on his way off the dance floor.
I didn’t know what to think, but I was done being kept in the dark. Just as we stepped off the dance floor, I tugged hard and dug in my heels, yanking him to a halt. “I want answers, Ethan. Not later. Now!”
When he cut his gaze back to me, volatile emotions churned in their dark blue depths, making them appear almost black.
Drystan stepped to my side and clasped my free hand. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to, Nara.” His gaze openly challenged Ethan.
Ethan’s jaw muscle flexed as he looked down at Drystan holding my hand. When his gaze flicked to mine, his eyes swirled, turning black as obsidian. I hadn’t imagined the darkness earlier. Ethan’s hand tightened around mine, and a vibration began to tingle between us, rippling up my arm. He was on the verge of exploding, and he was asking me to take care of Drystan, or he would.
I slid my hand from Drystan’s and adopted a reassuring smile. “I’m fine, Drystan. I’ll be back.”
Drystan set his mouth in a grim line, then nodded, shoving his hands into his pants pockets.
The moment we stepped outside into the cold, Ethan asked, “Did you drive?”
I nodded and he started in the direction of the parking lot, but I tugged on his hand much harder this time. “I’m
not
bailing on Lainey, Ethan.”
His shoulders flexed, but he didn’t say a word. Instead, he shifted direction, moving toward the field house building next to the gym. Thankfully the custodial staff had turned all the outside floodlights on for the dance, which made it easier to wind our way down the sidewalk that skirted the back side of the gym. The field building housed the physical therapy equipment, including soaking hot tubs, first aid rooms, and the coaches’ offices.
“Who is Danielle?” I repeated. Ethan never relinquished his hold on my hand, and with his brisk pace, my shawl kept falling down my shoulders. I resorted to carrying it while working hard to keep up with his long stride. I wasn’t cold at all, because each step I took worked up my own angry, jealous lather.
“She’s a cousin,” he finally said over his shoulder right before he yanked open the field house main door.
A cousin I could deal with. Would’ve been nice if you had mentioned her before now though!
I straightened my shoulders and allowed him to tug me into the building
.
I was surprised the building was unlocked, but then I remembered the back of the building had tons of storage space. That’s probably where most of the decorations, tables, and other paraphernalia for the dance had been stored.
A myriad of smells of menthol, camphor, rubbing alcohol, bleach, chlorine, and faint sweat wafted our way as we passed the various rooms in the building. Once we reached the office area, Ethan tried one door and found it locked. Moving to the next office, he turned the knob. I thought it was locked too, but then suddenly he was tugging me inside.