Playing His Game

Chapter Twenty-Seven | Shattered

Twenty-Seven:

Chris pretty much seemed to have taken the not-so-subtle hint; the rest of the dinner consisted of all of us talking and me trying to be inconspicuous about staring at Trent.

Apparently he felt the same way, because when we were all preparing to leave, our whole group huddled front while we awaited the bill, he came up next to me.

Carly and Lauren were both immersed in conversation with their boyfriends so it was easy to slip away as Trent pulled on my hand, guiding me around the corner of the building.

I sighed in relief when we were out of sight from everyone else, a stark contrast to the excitement flitting through my veins.

"Hi," I breathed. My fingers absentmindedly inched up the front of his jacket to play with his zipper.

Both amusement and desire were present in his eyes, hard to see at all in the dim light. He closed his eyes momentarily and smiled slowly. "Do you have any idea how long I've been wanting to do this?"

"Do what?" I smiled up at him, surprised at the flirty tone I had subconsciously taken on.

He smirked, his hand coming up to brace against the wall above my head. My eyes fluttered shut as his head dipped down to mine, but the kiss never happened.

"Guys! We're leaving, come on!"

Trent jerked away from me and I stood straight up, straightening my dress. I raised an eyebrow in surprise when I saw it was my new friend, Grace, interrupting us.

An embarrassed blush rose to the surface of my cheeks. I scratched the back of my head nervously and started back towards our friends, Trent right behind me.

I felt Grace eyeing me sideways as we walked towards Lauren's car together. She gave me a smile when I turned questioningly but, for some reason, it didn't feel genuine.

I was relieved to sit in the front passenger seat for the ride home, because Grace's stares were leaving me unsettled.

...

I woke up with a jolt.

I sat straight up in bed, my heart beating quickly from fear caused by my already forgotten nightmare. I hated when that happened. I would have a horrible dream and then couldn't remember it at all, but I knew it had been bad enough to tear me from my sleep.

As the disorientation left me and my pulse settled, I studied my surroundings. The flatscreen tv bathed the room in a soft light as it played the title menu of a movie over and over on a loop. Lauren's arm was draped across the bed, centimeters from touching me as she snored lightly. Lily and Carly were both asleep, too, and I noticed the clock read 11:11 PM.

My throat was dry as I swallowed and I knew right away what I needed. The only thing that let me get back to sleep after a nightmare was a cool glass of water and talking to my mom.

Since she wasn't here, I was going to have to settle for the water.

I stood up from the bed, wrapping my black cardigan around me so I wouldn't be walking around in just a tattered tank top.

The wood of the floor was cold against my feet as I slipped out of the room and padded down the hallway.

One of the other doors was open, and I momentarily paused to peek in. I was surprised to see that this room had two beds and a huge sofa in between, on which I saw Tyler sprawled across, snoring loudly.

The entire house was quiet as I passed through it. The kitchen was empty and dim; the golden glow above the electric stove was the only light source that allowed me to make my way around the island safely.