Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I could’ve sworn if her eyes could kill, I would be dead by now.

Mia stared at the note in my hands from across the classroom, her gaze sharp enough to cut glass. I quickly folded it and slipped it into my bag, my cheeks burning. The calm of the past few days felt like it was about to shatter. I spent the rest of the class avoiding her eyes and Lucian’s. When the final bell rang, I grabbed my things and headed straight for the gate without looking back.

I wasn’t going to meet him at the tree. Not today. Not with Mia watching my every move like a hawk.

Instead, I texted my small group of friends the only people who didn’t treat me like a joke. Sarah (not Mia’s friend), quiet bookish Grek, and bubbly Nora. “House beach party tonight?” I typed. They replied almost instantly with excited emojis. For once, I wanted to do something normal. Something fun. Something away from the suffocating tension at school and home.

By 8 PM, I was dressed in a simple black dress that hugged my curves more than I usually allowed. It wasn’t too revealing, but it made me feel… pretty. My friends picked me up, and we headed to the party a monthly thing thrown by some seniors that everyone whispered about.

The music hit me first when we arrived. Loud, pulsing beats mixed with laughter and the sound of waves in the background. The house was packed with students from our school and nearby colleges. Dim lights, red cups everywhere, bodies moving on the makeshift dance floor.

I stuck close to my friends at first, sipping a drink slowly. For the first time in weeks, I felt a little light. We danced in our small circle, laughing at Aisha’s terrible moves. No one bothered me. No insults. Just music and freedom.

Then I saw him.

Lucian stood near the kitchen area with Max, both of them looking unfairly handsome. Lucian in a black shirt that stretched across his broad shoulders, Max laughing beside him. My heart skipped. I quickly looked away, but not before our eyes met across the room. He smiled that small, secret smile that made my stomach flip.

Mia was there too, of course. She arrived with her usual group, wearing a tight, short red dress that showed off her slim waist and long legs. She looked stunning. And she knew it. She made a beeline straight for Lucian, throwing herself at him with a flirty laugh, pressing her body against his arm while talking animatedly.

I watched from the corner as she danced close to him, flipping her hair, touching his chest. She was putting on a full show the slender, confident twin everyone wanted. But Lucian barely reacted. He politely stepped back a few times, his eyes drifting toward my direction instead. Mia’s smile grew tighter with every rejection.

My friends noticed. “Is that your sister throwing herself at him?” Nora whispered. “She looks desperate.”

I just shrugged, finishing my drink a little faster than I should have.

The night blurred pleasantly as the music got louder. Someone suggested games. Truth or Dare. Never Have I Ever. We all gathered in the big living room, sitting in a messy circle on the floor and couches. Lucian ended up across from me. Mia forced her way into the circle too, sitting close to him.

The game started innocently enough. Funny truths, silly dares. But the drinks kept flowing. I was on my third cup something sweet and strong that made my head feel fuzzy and warm. My body felt loose, my usual shyness melting away.

Mia was drinking heavily too, laughing loudly and daring people to do stupid things. She kept trying to pull Lucian into her dares, but he stayed reserved, his gaze often finding mine.

“Never have I ever had a crush on someone in this room,” someone called out.

I drank. So did many others. Lucian drank while looking straight at me. Mia drank too, glaring daggers my way.

The game turned wilder. Dares got bolder. Someone dared Mia to kiss the hottest guy in the circle. She tried to go for Lucian, but he turned his head at the last second, making it land on his cheek. She laughed it off, but I saw the flash of humiliation.

I was getting drunk. The room spun a little. My cheeks felt hot. My body felt sensitive every brush of fabric against my skin reminding me of Lucian’s touch in that empty classroom.

Mia was worse. She was loud, sloppy, clearly drunk. Her friends eventually pulled her up when she started stumbling. “Come on, Mia. Time to go home,” one of them said, half carrying her out. She protested weakly but let them take her. As she passed me, she muttered something I couldn’t quite hear, but the look she gave me was pure venom.

The party continued without her.

I stood up to get some air, the world tilting. Strong arms caught me before I could stumble.

“Easy there,” Lucian’s voice murmured in my ear.

I looked up. He was holding me gently, one arm around my waist, supporting my half drunken weight. His body felt so warm and solid against my softer curves. I leaned into him more than I should have, half drunk, half alive, and completely wanting more than just his arms around me.

His hand rested on my lower back, fingers brushing the curve of my hip. “I’ve got you, Lily,” he whispered.

In that moment, with the music thumping and my head spinning, I didn’t want him to let go. I wanted his hands to roam again. To touch me like he did before. To claim every inch of my body the way he said he craved.

But even drunk, a small voice in the back of my mind whispered: Mia will destroy you but I tend to ignore that right now.

Lucian…I breathe calling his name almost sounding like a moan