Page 5 of Shattered Saint
Being this close to him was setting my brain on fire and caused something else. I couldn’t quite describe it because of the storm of emotions that were crashing through me in his presence. If I hadn’t known any better, I would have thought that my heart was about to burst out of my chest, given how hard it was beating.
It could have been the way that his eyes, which I could now confirm were a beautiful green, followed my every move. It was unsettling, but something I couldn't back away from. On the surface he was calm, but there was something behind his eyes that I couldn't quite place, and I was intrigued.
Or was I making it up?
All of this was before our hands touched.
When they did, I startled with a small, involuntary jump, and a slight smile from Easton confirmed he noticed the effect he was having on me. While I'd had crushes in school, I'd never been so taken aback by someone I barely knew.
We shook hands for several seconds longer than necessary, and when he finally let my hand go, I could still feel the tingle from his touch.
“Nash and Easton have already been talking to one another.”
Those words drew my attention away from Easton and back to my father who’d spoken them.
“What are you talking about, Van?”
"Since Easton and Nash are going to Brentson University in the fall, where they’ll both be playing football, we sent the boys each other’s numbers a few weeks ago," my father said to everyone. “Tonight was just a great time for all of us to meet in person, however.”
Shit.Nash hadn’t mentioned anything about Easton, not that he usually told me anything about his friends anyway. I'd already had red flags about Easton because we'd been introduced by my father. My father's attempts to make sure that Easton was going to be friendly with my brother further complicated things.
Why was I thinking this anyway? I barely knew this guy, but my brain was still going haywire. Could it be because of my lack of a dating life?
Being the mayor's daughter made dating dull to say the least. I still had one more year of high school to go, and while I’d gone on a few dates here and there, nothing was serious. I hadn’t met the love of my life in high school, unlike my older brother. Maybe it was my paranoia speaking, but high school was… well high school. While I would argue that my experience was pretty good, knowing who to trust was an entirely different thing.
Given my father’s position in this town, it further ensured that I didn't trust many people. So, while many of my classmates were out partying at each other’s homes when their parents weren't there, I mostly kept to myself; the lonely virgin who lived in the big house just outside of the town’s center.
"Bianca, Nash, your mother and I need to go and speak to our guests, and I want to introduce Mr. and Mrs. Beaumont to a few people. Will you three be okay?"
My father wasn't actually concerned about our well-being, he was only making sure we didn't do anything that would embarrass him. Luckily, I didn't have to answer him because Nash answered for all of us.
"We'll be fine,” Nash responded.
I watched as our parents made their way to the crowd, leaving Nash, Easton, and me by ourselves.
"Are parties at your house always like this?"
I turned to look at Easton and it was the first time I'd heard him speak. His voice was a bit deeper than I was expecting and I hated that it immediately drew me in. Between his words and the look in his eyes, his playfulness took me by surprise. I didn't think he was saying what he said to be a dick, but more so because he wanted to break the ice that had frozen over us the moment our parents had left.
"This type of thing? Pretty much. It's what my parents prefer. This is kind of like their safety net; if you will,” Nash offered.
“I hate this shit.”
Both Nash and Easton’s heads swung toward me, and I shrugged. The alcohol was making me feel more brazen than normal, but they were both just going to have to deal with it.
“Don’t look at me like that, Nash. We both know you agree with me. What would you give to not have to do all of this?"I shouldn't have been sharing my thoughts in front of a stranger like this, but I didn't care. I'd blame that on the alcohol in the morning.
Nash glanced at Easton and then looked ahead. He didn't give me a response, but that answered my question anyway. He caught the eye of a waiter who was carrying a tray with glasses of water on it.
"Do either of you want anything to drink? Some of us could use this water more than others."
I rolled my eyes even though he was right. Nash did the honors of handing us each a cup, and I made a show of taking a dramaticsip from mine. The water was refreshing, and if I couldn't finish that wine I grabbed, it was the next best thing.
Was I being immature about all of this? Yes, but I still did it.
“What I really need is a cup of coffee with cream and two sugars,” I mumbled to myself.
"Being the children of the town's mayor sounds like an amazing experience."
