Page 94 of The Heart Breaker

“Thank God,” Ryan mutters, shaking his head.

I smirk into my drink. “I just don’t have the energy for Cole right now,” I say. “I’ve got more important things to be stressing about.”

“Like the art showcase?” Isabella asks, smiling. “Have you decided if you’re doing it?”

Maisie’s brows pull together. “Wait. What showcase?”

“It’s not a big deal.” I wave her off. “Just some campus thing. A bunch of artists submit pieces, and they pick a few to hang in the student gallery.”

Maisie’s jaw drops. “Aurora, that sounds amazing. You have to do it. Then when you’re famous, I get to tell people I knew you first.”

Isabella points her cup at me. “Your art is way too good to stay hidden in your room.”

God, I hate how much I love them.

“Fine,” I mutter, because there’s no winning once the two of them gang up on me. “I’ll submit something.”

They both grin, and I take another sip, my eyes drifting across the room, toward where Cole had been standing.

Except now he’s not alone.

My stomach clenches the second I see a girl talking to him, smiling up at him with her hand on his arm. Cole just stands there with his head bent toward her, and something burns under my ribs.

Girls have always been around him. Before we started sleeping together, during it, probably after it too. I know exactly who he is. I knew before I ever touched him. So why does thesight of her standing there with him make it feel as if something just drove straight through my chest?

He told me he wasn’t seeing anyone else, but that didn’t mean he didn’t start to. It didn’t mean he wasn’t still hooking up with other people. There was no exclusivity talk, because all we do is fuck. It’s all I’m ever good for, apparently.

Spending every day with him over the holidays was a mistake.

Now I’m in too deep, and I’ve got nobody to blame but myself.

I will myself to snap out of it, reminding myself I swore I’d never let a man get under my skin again.

“I need another drink,” I mutter, but the girls barely hear me, too busy talking to their boyfriends, who are looking at them as if they’re everything, while every man in my life eventually walks out on me.

I reach for the vodka and pour some into my cup, then top it off with cranberry juice. I’ve barely taken a sip when I catch Cole moving toward me out of the corner of my eye.

“Careful,” he says, his hand settling at the small of my back while he reaches past me for a fresh red cup. “At this rate, you’ll be drinking out of the bottle.”

I ignore him, take another sip, and turn to walk away from him, but he follows.

“Why are you rushing away from me?”

“Just not in the mood to talk to you.”

He scoffs. “Since when?”

“Since always,” I snap as I keep walking.

He steps in front of me, blocking my path, his eyes narrowing. “Yeah?” he says. “Must’ve gotten confused, considering you were riding my face two days ago.”

My eyes widen and I tug him into a quiet corner, shoving him back until he hits the wall. “Shh,” I hiss, glancing around with my heart in my throat. “Are you actually out of your mind?”

There are people everywhere. Anyone could’ve heard that. But Cole just looks amused, smirking down at me. “So now you want to talk to me.”

“No,” I snap, stepping back. “I don’t.”

“Mhm.” His eyes dip to my mouth, then lift again. “You sure about that, Prescott?”