Irresistible

TEN

"Bye guys, thanks for coming!" Brooke's words echo as Brendan and his friends shuffle out of the dorm.

I watch as Brooke closes the door, her movements slightly unsteady, undoubtedly due to her drunken state.

Collapsing onto her bed, she seems to meld with the sheets. Now, it's just Elijah, Brooke, Sage, and me left in the room.

Talk about awkward.

"You guys can crash if you want," Brooke's voice is muffled by the pillow she's buried her face in.

"I'm going to head home, but thanks for inviting me, Cookie. I had a lot of fun," Sage says, flashing a smile, waiting for Brooke's annoyed reaction at the nickname.

Brooke groans dramatically into the pillow, too tired to argue with her sister.

The room descends into an awkward silence, and I can tell Elijah senses something is going on between Sage and I.

"Yeah, Lils and I are going to head out," Elijah speaks for us both, but Brooke just waves goodbye before flopping her hand back onto the bed tiredly.

Elijah mentions needing to use the bathroom before we leave, so I quickly bury my head in my phone, avoiding eye contact with Sage. I can sense her noticing the shift in my body language as she approaches me.

"Are you okay?" I hear her ask.

I just hum in response, keeping my gaze fixed on my phone screen. I know if I meet her eyes, it'll only make things more awkward, and I won't know what to say.

Suddenly, Sage snatches my phone from my hands, and I reluctantly lift my head to meet her gaze, finding her staring at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Give me my phone," I reach for it, but Sage holds it out of my reach, towering over me with her height.

"Tell me what's wrong," Sage counters, her tone gentle but insistent.

"Nothing's wrong," I insist, crossing my arms and glancing over at Brooke, who's dead asleep with her mouth open.

"Is that so? Then why aren't you looking at me?" Sage questions, closing the distance between us.

I scoff, feeling defensive. "Why are you so bothered that I'm not looking at you?"

Sage leans in closer, a playful smirk on her lips. "Because usually, you can't resist looking at me. Did I suddenly lose my charm?" she teases, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Please spare me your ego trip," I retort, frustration creeping into my tone. "I just... I don't know, Sage. Can we not do this? I don't have the energy to deal with your games right now," I say, my voice coming out harsher than intended. My mind is swimming with too many thoughts from tonight, and I'm trying to make sense of them.

Sage's expression shifts to confusion for a moment before it turns blank, making it impossible for me to read her emotions. "Fine," she says quietly, handing back the phone. "Sorry to bother you with my games. Not like I wasn't concerned about you," she adds with a light scoff before turning away.

As Sage turns away and begins gathering her things to leave, I watch her with a pang of guilt instantly washing over me, she was just looking out for me. I'm such a bitch.

"Wait," I say as Sage turns to leave, her eyebrows raised in question. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come off that way. It's just... this is a lot, you know... whatever this is," I gesture between us, struggling to find the right words.

Sage's features soften at my apology, and she takes her hand off the door handle, walking closer to me.

Sage walks up to me and holds her hand out, clearly asking for my phone.

"I don't know if I should give you this. Are you going to snatch it again?" I laugh, looking up at Sage's unamused expression.

"Pass it over, Lily," Sage insists, her tone firm but laced with a hint of amusement.

I audibly laugh at that nickname. "Take that back right now," I tease.

"Take what back?" Sage smirks.

I shake my head, still chuckling softly. "You know what," I reply, unable to suppress my laughter.

Sage's grin softens slightly, her gaze holding mine with warmth. "Fine, fine, I take it back. Now, phone please?" she requests.

I hand over my phone finally. "Just don't go snooping through my messages, okay?" I playfully warn Sage, trying to sound serious but obviously failing.

Sage takes the phone, pretending to contemplate my request, a mischievous glint dancing in her eyes. "Well, I can't make any promises," she teases, her lips quirking up in a playful smirk. "I'm kidding, I won't snoop. Trust me," she reassures quickly, her expression turning sincere.

I roll my eyes playfully, a grin spreading across my face. "Better not," I retort, watching as Sage unlocks the phone and taps on a few things. After a moment, she hands it back with a toothy smile.

I take the phone back and notice that Sage has added her contact to my phone. The contact name reads, "The fine ass blonde I'm obsessed with." Well, she's not wrong.

I can't help but giggle at that. "You're ridiculous, you know that?" I tease, shaking my head in amusement.

"Guilty as charged. But hey, at least now you'll never forget who's texting you." Sage grins, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

I scoff playfully. "I have plenty of 'fine ass blondes' in my phone actually," I reply matter-of-factly.

Sage raises an eyebrow teasingly. "Is that so? Should I be worried about the competition?" she teases back, her tone light-hearted.

I nod, my smile widening. "Oh, absolutely. It's a tough game, but you're holding your own, I guess," I remark, playfully acknowledging Sage's charm.

Sage gasps dramatically, her blonde hair falling in perfectly messy waves around her. "Fair enough. Just don't go replacing me with any other 'fine ass blondes,' alright?" she teases, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"I make no promises. You'll just have to keep impressing me," I reply, a playful glint in my eyes, enjoying our banter.

Sage chuckles, leaning in a little closer and tucking a stray hair behind my ear with a gentle touch. "Oh, I plan to," she says with a wink before pulling away. "Anyway, I should probably get going. Text me later, yeah?"

I nod, feeling a warmth spread through me at her closeness. "Take care, Sage," I reply, a smile lingering on my lips.

"You too, Lily!" Sage says teasingly as she closes the door, prompting an eye roll from me.

I turn around, and my jaw drops as I catch sight of Elijah leaning casually against the doorframe of the bathroom, his intense gaze fixed on me, arms crossed over his chest.

In that moment, it's like the world narrows down to just the two of us, and I realize I had completely forgotten he was even in the room.

"Um," I start, my jaw closing and opening as we stare at each other, silence stretching between us.

"You are telling me everything," Elijah asserts firmly, his voice cutting through the tense silence. His expression serious as he shakes his head in disbelief.

With that, he pushes off the doorway and leaves, leaving me standing there, still trying to process what just happened.

I gulp nervously as I follow Elijah out of the dorm, feeling like a scolded child with my tail tucked between my legs. I watch silently as he locks the door back up on the keypad, the sound of the mechanism clicking into place echoing in the hallway.

We start walking down the corridor in silence, the tension palpable in the air. I brace myself for the inevitable conversation that's about to unfold.

"How long has this been going on?" Elijah finally breaks the silence, his voice calm but carrying an underlying intensity that makes my heart sink.

Oh god. The weight of his question hangs heavy in the air, and I know there's no escaping the truth now.