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"Since you won’t let me buy you a drink, let h," I hear her say flirtatiously

I watch a guy in a button-up Affliction shirt guide her toward the dance floor, and I know exactly who’s under his arm I should have known fro twirls her once they reach the wooden floor and I see her laugh I instinctively follow after the that surrounds the floor Why is she here again? And why does she still look so da how it feels to be with a certain girl, yearning for it, and knowing you can’t have her I’ve had Audrey; she should be a distant memory at this point But I still crave every dip and curve of her skin My body knohere she fits perfectly against ain

"Staring pretty hard at irl," a deep voice booms froet that guy

Without turning around, I say, "I guess you get off on seeing other guys with your girl You sure as hell suck at keeping her yours, though"

He chuckles and positions hiht next toand looks out after Audrey Just like I’ood job, seeing as she’s been living with me for over three years now"

I flinch at the idea of her living with any guy Unwarranted jealousy flares through es in my head What would it be like to have Audrey all to myself, to be able to touch her whenever I wanted, and to see her sleepy face every ? I rub out an ache in my chest and continue to watch the loser with his hands on her hips, trying to pull her in closer

"How can you stand it, uys put their hands all over her?" He has to have knohat I was up to over winter break when I dragged her off alone It’s probably best to leave that be No reason to bring up the best dairlfriend

When her dance partner dips her backward and I catch hiain And despite what’s happening on the dance floor, Lane’s watching every move I iven her the time of day"

So she’s talked about ood as it does "You two have a weird relationship," I express

"I guess it would be weird if I were sleeping with her But I’m not" My fists clench, because I’m not sure what to think of his words "She’s likeI would destroy any asole that breaks her heart"

The threat isn’t lost on me "Can’t break as never yours"

"That’s where you’re wrong," he replies

Just then, Audrey dances past us and our eyes connect as her idiot partner spins her around Her head whips back to look again and I can see the confusion on her face, probably wondering why Lane and I are talking Lane wiggles his fingers at her and she gives him a tense smile

"She’s worried I’ll hurt you," he says, stillforward focus

"I’m sure you could," I state, "but she should also be worried that you would get hurt while trying" He throws his head back laughing and it pulls Audrey’s confused glance back to us I al to get annoyed at her lack of attention

"There’s too much shit between us," I declare

"Maybe if you took your head out of your ass long enough to hear what she has to say, you’d change yourlook, he continues, "Have you ever let her talk?"

I shake my head back and forth because it’s true If I let her talk, she could convinceEven betray irlfriend, who cheated on hinant by another man Shit… that’s a hard pill to s

"Fuck…" I continue rubbing because I have a feeling Lane’s about to est asole known to man

"She came up here last year to talk to you, not your dickhead brother But you guys wouldn’t know that, because you never let her sayher coe asole – check!

"Oh, and before your ego grows any bigger… she’s been living in California since the day after she graduated high school She didn’t e trek out to talk to you last year I sure as hell didn’t want her to waste her ti even two minutes to see you"

"You both live here?" I ask, shocked

"You either quit staring at her like she’s holding your next breath or you go talk to her," he says, ignoring

"You’re kind of an asshole, you know that?"

"Nah, just protective ofaway I guess this conversation is over I wish he would fking stop calling her his girl though It’s unnerving how one guy can ed at the same time If it weren’t Audrey that stood in between us, I think Lane and I could be friends I can appreciate his no-bullshit policy

The song is finally ending and I can already see Audrey’s partner trying to persuade her to go another round Not gonna happen, buddy

- Six -

AUDREY -

Pete, or Paul, or was it Parker? Whoever this guy is, he reeks of cologne My nose is stinging badly,to pound The entire dance I’ve been begging for the song to just end already, and now I need to tell hiot his one dance I also need to find Lane ASAP to figure out why he was talking to Jace