mouth so red and soft-looking and sweet and without thinking I leaned in and she did, too, all the blood in me flooding my skull, ringing, roaring, leaving my hands tingling and hollow. Her face tilted toward mine. I mirrored it, started to close my eyes.
“Blythe?”
Armin’s voice.
We both whirled around. A silhouette stood against the streetlight.
Blythe rose, smoothing her dress.
“I cannot believe you did this again,” Armin said, approaching.
“He started it.”
“You can’t get yourself arrested. You’ll lose your visa. I shouldn’t even need to tell you this.”
“Welcome to tonight’s program, Armin. I know you’re just tuning in, but perhaps show some fucking concern whether we’re okay.”
“I’m sorry. I know you can handle yourself. I thought—” He sighed. “Are you okay?”
“Peachy. How about you, Lane?”
“I’m fine.”
“Great. Since we’re all unmolested, please continue the lecture.”
Armin grimaced, suppressing frustration. “I’m not lecturing. I’m reminding you how dangerous it is to act like this.”
“Like myself?”
“Blythe.”
“What, then? Should I have let him shove her around? Maybe feel her up a bit?” Her tone was mocking, but a thread of tension ran along her jaw.
“You should have called security, not punched him in the face.”
“You weren’t there.”
“I don’t need to see you proving your alphaness to know what happened. You can’t take these risks, Blythe.”
“No, what I can’t do is just watch while some arsehole insults your girlfriend.”
Her shout echoed down the empty street. Armin stared at her, startled.
“It’s okay,” I said, moving midway between them. “He won’t press charges. He’s underage. They told him not to come back.”
Armin’s face tightened. “Don’t get caught up in this, Laney.”
“Caught up in what?” Blythe said. No answer. “Right. Nothing. Perhaps we should have a frank conversation about this incredibly tense nothing between us.”
My heart jolted.
Armin touched her shoulder and she glared at him. Neither spoke, but the look between them conveyed things I couldn’t intuit. His touch was some kind of salve that soothed her.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re right. I wasn’t there.”
“Yeah, well, not like I ever go off half-cocked and make you clean up my messes.”
He finally smiled. “Because who could put up with that for three years?”
“Probably someone with undiagnosed psych issues.”
“If only we knew a competent doctor.”
“There’s always your dad.”
“Low blow,” Armin said, laughing.
Argument over. That easily they were friends again. So knowing, so natural. I felt like I had begun to disappear.
“Got him good, though,” Blythe said, brandishing her knuckles.
Armin asked if she wanted to go to the ER, which she took as an insult to her Aussie fortitude. They joked around. I shrank back, wondering if they’d even notice if I left.
“Come here, you.”
Blythe stood with a hand outstretched to me. Armin’s head tilted, and though I couldn’t see his face in the dark I sensed his pensiveness.
“I’ll get the car,” he said.
Reluctantly I went to her, my limbs wired all weird, jittery.I was too nervous to take her hand, so she put it on my bare arm, which was worse. Her face was full of curiosity, mischief, and something nameless but intent, something between fear and thrill. Exhilaration, maybe. It did crazy things to my heart. I looked away self-consciously and she yanked me into a hug, a shock of unexpected warmth. We’d never hugged before. She was surprisingly slight, sparrow-boned. I’d been thinking of her as half god, someone whose pedestal I could barely brush with my fingertips, but really she was just a girl, like me. Her heart beat too fast and her hair was tangled and when my cheek grazed hers I held it there. My arms coiled tighter.
Mine, I thought. Mine.
We pulled apart and fell into step behind Armin without a
“Blythe?”
Armin’s voice.
We both whirled around. A silhouette stood against the streetlight.
Blythe rose, smoothing her dress.
“I cannot believe you did this again,” Armin said, approaching.
“He started it.”
“You can’t get yourself arrested. You’ll lose your visa. I shouldn’t even need to tell you this.”
“Welcome to tonight’s program, Armin. I know you’re just tuning in, but perhaps show some fucking concern whether we’re okay.”
“I’m sorry. I know you can handle yourself. I thought—” He sighed. “Are you okay?”
“Peachy. How about you, Lane?”
“I’m fine.”
“Great. Since we’re all unmolested, please continue the lecture.”
Armin grimaced, suppressing frustration. “I’m not lecturing. I’m reminding you how dangerous it is to act like this.”
“Like myself?”
“Blythe.”
“What, then? Should I have let him shove her around? Maybe feel her up a bit?” Her tone was mocking, but a thread of tension ran along her jaw.
“You should have called security, not punched him in the face.”
“You weren’t there.”
“I don’t need to see you proving your alphaness to know what happened. You can’t take these risks, Blythe.”
“No, what I can’t do is just watch while some arsehole insults your girlfriend.”
Her shout echoed down the empty street. Armin stared at her, startled.
“It’s okay,” I said, moving midway between them. “He won’t press charges. He’s underage. They told him not to come back.”
Armin’s face tightened. “Don’t get caught up in this, Laney.”
“Caught up in what?” Blythe said. No answer. “Right. Nothing. Perhaps we should have a frank conversation about this incredibly tense nothing between us.”
My heart jolted.
Armin touched her shoulder and she glared at him. Neither spoke, but the look between them conveyed things I couldn’t intuit. His touch was some kind of salve that soothed her.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re right. I wasn’t there.”
“Yeah, well, not like I ever go off half-cocked and make you clean up my messes.”
He finally smiled. “Because who could put up with that for three years?”
“Probably someone with undiagnosed psych issues.”
“If only we knew a competent doctor.”
“There’s always your dad.”
“Low blow,” Armin said, laughing.
Argument over. That easily they were friends again. So knowing, so natural. I felt like I had begun to disappear.
“Got him good, though,” Blythe said, brandishing her knuckles.
Armin asked if she wanted to go to the ER, which she took as an insult to her Aussie fortitude. They joked around. I shrank back, wondering if they’d even notice if I left.
“Come here, you.”
Blythe stood with a hand outstretched to me. Armin’s head tilted, and though I couldn’t see his face in the dark I sensed his pensiveness.
“I’ll get the car,” he said.
Reluctantly I went to her, my limbs wired all weird, jittery.I was too nervous to take her hand, so she put it on my bare arm, which was worse. Her face was full of curiosity, mischief, and something nameless but intent, something between fear and thrill. Exhilaration, maybe. It did crazy things to my heart. I looked away self-consciously and she yanked me into a hug, a shock of unexpected warmth. We’d never hugged before. She was surprisingly slight, sparrow-boned. I’d been thinking of her as half god, someone whose pedestal I could barely brush with my fingertips, but really she was just a girl, like me. Her heart beat too fast and her hair was tangled and when my cheek grazed hers I held it there. My arms coiled tighter.
Mine, I thought. Mine.
We pulled apart and fell into step behind Armin without a
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