39. Miss Me

39

Miss Me

Violet

"I can't believe all three of you are leaving me this summer." Mila frowns.

She lines our shot glasses up and pours down the line until they're spilling over the top.

"Trying to get us drunk?" I ask.

"Trying to forget how mind-numbingly boring it's going to be around here with all three of you ditching me in a few months."

She's already four drinks in and slurring from trying to drown her problems away.

"I'll keep you company." Teal shrugs. "It's not like I'm going anywhere."

"We all know you'll get into the summer art program in Paris. Don't try to make me feel better by doubting yourself." Mila's glare cuts in Teal's direction before she downs her shot and starts pouring a fifth for herself. "Stop being such a pessimist and drink."

Teal rolls her eyes but doesn't argue. She's only doubting herself because Patience and I were already notified about our summer programs, and she's yet to hear back from the art department.

She says it's not bothering her, but she's been quieter the past few days while she pretends nothing affects her.

The tension will lift soon enough. There's no way Teal isn't going to get it. She has the kind of artistic talent that you're either born with or aren't. It can't be taught. I have no doubt she'll get into the program, and it's probably just the administration slowing down the notification process.

"I'm sure you'll keep busy without us." Patience frowns at Mila, likely thinking she's being overdramatic because Mila doesn't do anything quietly. "After all, if there's one thing you're incapable of, it's being boring."

Mila takes a shot, slamming the glass back to the counter after she drains it.

"Boring is for the dead." Mila grins, ignoring the undercurrent of annoyance in Patience's comment.

She flips her hair over her shoulder and, like Teal, is pretending nothing gets to her. But as she turns to the sink to grab a glass of water, I don't miss the unease that flashes in her gaze.

Patience doesn't seem to notice, shaking her head at Mila. She doesn't like that Mila's been spending time with Marco at Sigma House, and that was only heightened when I started seeing Kole .

She isn't happy her friends are associating with the fraternity responsible for what happened to her brother, and I don't blame her. If she knew as much as I do about the sick initiation ritual that caused it, she'd probably hate them even more.

At least Patience has been trying to keep it to herself. She avoids me when I'm with Kole and refuses to attend any more Sigma House parties for the time being. But she stopped fighting Mila and me on this, knowing we're going to do our own thing.

"Speaking of summer activities. How did Kole take the news that you're going to be spending the summer in LA?" Mila leans forward on the counter, grinning at me.

I shrug. "Fine."

"Just fine?" She glares. "You two are attached at the fucking hip lately. I'm surprised he isn't here right now, glued to your side. I swear that man is always watching you."

She's not wrong about that.

But she also doesn't realize he doesn't need to be stuck to my side to do it. Kole watches me whether he's here or not.

My eyes dart up to the corners of the ceiling, knowing he probably has his eyes on me now. It should make me uneasy, but it doesn't.

"Kole was happy for me," I say, still not sure what to make of the fact that he doesn't mind I'll be leaving for two months. "He even asked someone to submit a letter of recommendation on my behalf. "

"Wow." Mila's eyes widen as she pulls back. "That's surprising."

I don't like how she seems shocked by it. Like she might be thinking it's his way of getting rid of me. Or that could be my insecurity bubbling to the surface.

I try to ignore it, forcing a smile. "It's thoughtful of him."

"Thoughtful, exactly. That's what I'm saying." She pulls her chestnut hair up in a bun and hops up onto the kitchen counter. "Sigma Sin guys aren't known for being thoughtful , Violet."

That's true, but I'm starting to understand there's more to Kole than just Sigma House.

"He's Kole." I shrug. "He does his own thing."

"You guys sound serious." Teal sets her phone down, surprising me by joining the conversation. "Like more serious than you ever were with Liam serious, and you haven't been seeing Kole nearly as long."

"I guess." I tease my lower lip with my teeth. "It's different with Kole. He's actually around, and he wants to be a part of my life. I don't know what Liam and I were, but it wasn't this."

"And you don't think it's all moving a little fast?" Teal quirks an eyebrow up. "Especially considering what's going on with Liam. Kole was his best friend."

"I know." And I wish I could explain to them why that's not the issue, but I skate around the truth instead. "They were friends. But I'm not the only person Liam left. And I'm finding out Liam had a lot of secrets. So maybe Kole and I are bonding over what's lost. But it doesn't really matter. He's been there for me, and Liam wasn't. "

Glancing around the room, I face my friends and wait for them to weigh my decisions. For them to tell me to be careful or lecture me because they're right. We are moving fast.

But we've also been through more together than they realize. I don't want to slow things down, and I get the impression he doesn't want to either.

"Besides, who cares how fast we're moving," I decide. "I know you guys are worried, but I'm good. Kole gives me what I need."

In ways my friends will never understand. If they knew a fraction of the things Kole does to me, they'd be looking at me with even more fear than his mother did.

"Well, just for the record. I'm not judging," Mila says, kicking her heels against the counter. "Besides, Kole is hot. He's got that whole dark, broody, dangerous vibe going for him with that scar and those eyes. So long as he's good to our girl, then we want you to have fun. And clearly, you are…"

"Meaning?"

"Oh, come on, Vi. We've all heard the screaming." Mila rolls her eyes, and Teal chuckles while Patience shakes her head. "There's only so many times I'm going to believe you're just watching a scary movie."

I tense. "That obvious?"

"Yes, Violet. That fucking obvious. So, how is he…?" Mila winks, biting her lip. "You know…"

"We are not talking about my sex life." I grab the shot that's been sitting there and slam it .

It's one thing to talk to the girls about my relationship, but there's no way I can divulge anything about sex with Kole without terrifying them.

"You are no fun." Mila rolls her eyes.

"Seriously," Teal grumbles.

"You too?"

Teal just shrugs, going back to skimming through her phone. "Just curious."

"Well, I'm jealous." Mila kicks her feet against the counter as her eyes flit up, and her imagination trails off. "If I don't get some good dick soon, I'm going to lose my mind. My grades are way too good right now; it's disappointing how much time I have to study."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Patience sips her drink.

"It's terrible. Vi gets it, don't you?" Mila hops down. "There's nothing like a little naked stress relief to balance you out."

Just the thought of what Kole does to me has my cheeks warming, and Mila's grin says she doesn't miss it.

"Marco not doing it for you anymore?" Patience pours another drink, pretending to care, when her tone is laced with irritation.

"He sank that ship." Mila scowls. "I'm not sloppy seconds. If he wanted to screw me, he should have left Ophelia alone."

"If he wanted to ?" My eyebrows pinch. "I thought you two were already a thing."

Mila hangs out with Marco every time we're at Sigma House. I assumed they'd already done the deed .

She shrugs. "I was taking it slow."

"That's new for you." Patience snorts.

Mila glares at her. "I can take it slow."

Even Teal looks up at that comment, all three of us pin Mila with our stares. While Mila doesn't date around, she doesn't take things slowly either. When she has her sights on a guy, she's all in.

"Fine." Mila grunts. "But I don't know, I thought this was different. I was trying to do it right with Marco. I guess this is what I get for thinking that if a guy cared about me, he'd wait."

"This isn't your fault, Mila." Patience slides her a shot. "Marco's an idiot. And he's a member of Sigma Sin, which says it all."

Mila glances at me for backup, but I just shrug.

I've been around that house and seen what those guys do. Kole might be obsessively loyal to me, but that's not how the rest of them operate. At least, not as far as I can tell.

"Sorry." I frown.

"It's fine." Mila picks up her shot glass and holds it in the air to cheers the rest of us. "Here's to not giving a shit, just like they do. Friendship is more important anyway."

"Now that, I'll cheers to." Patience lifts her shot glass, and Teal and I follow.

We all clink glasses, downing them except for Teal, who only takes a sip. She doesn't drink often, if at all, and tonight is no different.

The shot burns my throat and settles in my stomach. It's only my second one, but my head is fuzzy .

Teal scowls at her screen the second she sets her shot glass down, and Patience and Mila start harassing her about how she's always on her phone.

And I can't help but smile. Because as ridiculous as they are sometimes, it's a nice break listening to them talk about nothing with all that's been weighing me down lately.

I've been spending all my free time with Kole, and even if that's how I prefer it, I needed a girls' night right now.

So long as he does what he says and sneaks in later so I still get to see him.

Almost as if Kole senses me thinking about him, a buzz from my pocket pulls my attention. I fight the smile desperate to get out over the fact that I know he wanted to see me tonight, and it's already torturing him that he's having to wait.

Pulling my phone out, I turn my back on the group and open the text, expecting to see Kole's name on the screen. But my heart stops when I read the words that light up my phone.

Liam : Miss me?