Page 19 of Twisted Little Game

I could do this for my entire fucking life.

Right now, he’s in Colossus dining hall, sitting alone at a table with a sandwich.

I take a booth a few rows back, observing.

The pendant light above the table showcases the pale blond highlights throughout his hair.

It’s been about a week since he arrived on campus now, and I’m still not used to the way I’m fixated on his looks. It’s like a sore spot I can’t keep poking at, inside myself. The hair… his lashes… his fucking lips, when he takes a sip from a bottle.

What is it about him that bothers me?

All week, I’ve gone back to my phone, re-reading the messages he sent me that night.

Calling himself a cock slut.

Telling me he’d let me fuck him.

So mouthy, and so irritating.

My phone buzzes on the tabletop, startling me.

Nata

Coming tonight?

Roman

Can’t.

Sad. I miss you when you aren’t at dinner.

Have to stay on campus tonight. Will you be ok with Yegor?

I’ll try not to punch him.

Be good.

Natalia is a friend of the family. Our mothers used to be very close friends, until my mother’s death changed everything.

The phone buzzes again, and this time it’s a selfie from Natalia. She’s smiling, showing me the dress she’s picked out for the formal dinner. A glittery, champagne-colored tight thing, with a plunging neckline to reveal a good portion of her tits.

I suspect Natalia has had a crush on me for longer than I’ve known about it. She finally dumped her awful ex a few months ago, and since then she has flirted with me anytime she can.

It used to bother me that I felt nothing when I looked at Natalia.

Numbness, where there should be… something. Lately, I’ve found it harder to care.

I lock my phone and slide it back in my pocket.

And when I look back up I do a double take.

Tate’s table is empty.

Fuck.

Not possible.

I lost him.