Page 14 of Shattered Saint
But tonight, things were different.
We weren't at my house.
Neither of our families were here.
And he had another girl curled into his side.
5
BIANCA
When others said everything in the room stopped after something dramatic occurred, I laughed. I thought it was just a bunch of bullshit that people spewed when they wanted to paint a picture that gave you movie vibes. I was convinced it was a way to make something sound more meaningful than it actually was.
I was wrong.
Everything slowed down. The volume of the music lowered to a dull roar. The people that I’d been around were nowhere to be found. Everyone and everything faded into the background. Nothing mattered but the two of us in this moment. If I'd had a slight interest in the guy in front of me before, it had now vanished into thin air.
My reaction to seeing Easton again was unexpected. I'd been unprepared to see him even though I probably should have expected to, but as the shock wore off, something else had taken its place, which I couldn’t quite name.
Nothing on Easton’s face gave away what he was thinking. Part of me wished I could read his mind, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what he was thinking.
The intensity from our stare was enough to make my heart skip a beat. Was he going to come over here or pretend like he hadn't seen me?
I couldn't take it anymore. Ignoring Landon was rude, and if Easton wasn't going to do something, then neither was I. Plus, he should be more than preoccupied with the girl that was currently rubbing her hand down his chest. I pushed my shoulders back and looked away. This was a silly game and a waste of time for both of us.
I took another sip of my beer and gave Landon a tiny smile. "So, Landon, how's the school year treating you?"
"Can't complain so far. The adjustment has been interesting to say the least."
I did a double take. "Are you a freshman?"
Landon nodded and a small smirk appeared on his face. I had a feeling that I knew what he was going to say. "You thought I was older, didn't you?"
My cheeks warmed as my embarrassment sank in. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed."
"It's not a problem. You're not the first one to think that."
Before I could reply, a hand slid underneath my blazer and along my lower back and I jumped. I glanced to my right, my heart leaping into my throat when I found Easton standing beside me.
I arched one of my eyebrows at him and said, "Can I help you?"
"I was coming over to say hello."
“That doesn’t require you touching me.”
He ignored my hint to remove his hand from my body. I could have made a bigger stink about it, but I enjoyed his touch too much to do so.
"You two know each other," Landon said, matter-of-factly.
"We do. I'm Easton," he said as he stuck his hand out to greet Landon.
"Landon. Nice to meet you. We're in Calculus I together."
Easton stared at him for a moment before he said, "That's right, I've seen you before. Apologies, but I'm barely awake during that class."
Landon laughed. "Yes, it is pretty early. If the other sessions hadn't already been filled, I wouldn't have taken it." Landon took a sip from his drink and then said, "I'll let you two go, but I'm sure I'll see you both around."
Landon gave us a small nod and left Easton and me alone. Easton moved and took Landon’s place in front of me. He’d created a void within me when he removed his touch, and I hated it. His welcoming smile that he’d given to me when Landon was present, shifted as his eyes narrowed within a second flat."What the hell are you doing here?"
