To Know More

34 | gushing red

I could see her eyes lit up, almost instantly. "...Really?"

"Yeah, Zoe," I nudged her further, encouraging her to go to him. "He wants to see you, trust me."

I could see her thoughts conflicting inside her brain, but an additional nod from Leila seemed to be the final edge she needed to will her feet to move.

Leila and I chuckled as we saw her walk unsurely into the crowd before being pulled into a bear hug by a smiling Chase, who seemed like he had been waiting the entire time just for her to come to him.

"They're so cute," I smiled, watching the way Zoey's body seemed to melt into his arms, relaxing immediately yet still a bit hesitant to fully let go. I wondered aloud, "I hope they figure things out."

"You know if it's hugs you need, I'll always be there to provide."

In a second, I was pulled back into someone's tight hold, my back landing neatly against their chest.

My eyes widened as my hands flew to cover their grip on my waist, panic instantly kicking into gear. What the hell?

"Calm down, princess, it's just me."

There was little that was calming about that voice.

"Calvin, let me go," I tilted my head back in contempt, trying to get a look at him. "What are you even doing?"

I heard his chuckle from behind me. "Just giving you a hug, that's- HEY!"

A yelp escaped his throat when Leila immediately grasped my arm and pulled me towards her, sending a dirty snarl his way.

"Sorry, cheaters can't be keepers."

I suppressed the inner urge to chuckle at her statement and smiled instead. That's my girl. "Damn right."

Contrary to the anger I had expected from him, Calvin simply pursed his lips into a frown and stared at me, almost...apologetically, mumbling words underneath his breath. "I didn't cheat, you know?"

Before I could respond with a dismissal of my own, Leila stepped in for me, scoffing, "Yeah, you just bet on her and then slept with a random girl as a cherry on top, no biggie."

I lowered my head, yet I could still sense his apprehension - it was apparent in the way he blew air out of his nose as a way to calm himself down.

"I didn't mean to do that..."

Another scoff from Leila. "Yeah, righ-"

"No use talking about it now, guys," I waved my hand like a white flag between the two of them, sensing the growing tension and wanting to end this conversation as soon as was feasible. "It happened a long while ago, you know, I'm over it."

Surprisingly, an almost inaudible, dry chuckle came from Calvin before he sighed. "God, when you say stuff like that..." He seemed to be talking partly to himself and partly to me, lost in his own thoughts. "It just pains so much more..."

My unease increased with each word that he let out. What in the world was that supposed to mean? The prospect of anything that I said causing pain to Calvin seemed far-fetched to say the least.