Page 16

Why is this even happening to me? I don’t even want to be here. Does he hate that my mom married his father? Or maybe Xayden just hates that he has to be related to me by marriage now?
Taking my phone out of my back pocket, I shoot Addy a quick message that I went back to the dorm and not to worry about me. That I would text her when I got inside.
As I make my way toward the dorms, a voice calls out my name.
“Hey! Rory! Wait up.”
I turn and see the redhead heartthrob jogging my way.
“Go away.” I turn back and keep walking.
“Stop, please,” he says as he reaches me. “Hey. Wait, just stop.”
“What, come back to make more jokes? Think of something else after I left?” I stop and pivot toward him. Even at night, his golden eyes shimmer in the moonlight. Damn him for being one of the beautiful people.
He lets out a sigh. “Okay, that’s probably what you should think. But that’s not why I came out here.” He holds out his hand to me. “My name is Seven. Seven Reed.”
My brows pull together in confusion. Is he … introducing himself?
“What are you doing?” I demand.
His lips curve up into a smile. “Well, I’m holding out my hand and trying to introduce myself. Usually, that would mean you would take my hand and shake it. Here, let me show you.” He grabs my hand and places it in his.
The warmth of his touch shocks me. My breath hitches the instant our hands touch. I hurriedly pull back from him.
“Okay, well, now you can go back to the hyenas and the other two assholes.”
He lets out a laugh and hooks his fingers in his belt loops on his jeans. “Look, they may be assholes, but I’m not.”
“Birds of a feather …” I shrug.
“True, but I’m a gentleman.”
Now it’s my turn to laugh. “That’s extremely hard to believe.”
“Would a gentleman let you walk home alone? Let’s go.” He nods toward the campus. “I’ll walk you back. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t make sure you got back okay.”
“Whatever.” I turn and storm off. Seven quickly catches up to me. “What’s with your name?”
“My name?” he repeats.
“Yeah. Seven. It’s an unusual name.”
“I was born on July seventh.” He shrugs. “At seven in the morning. So my mother thought that was a sign that my name needed to be Seven.”
I pause. “Okay, that’s actually … interesting.”
“What about you? Aurora. Where did that come from?”
“That’s kinda personal.”
“Well, I told you mine …”
“What are we, in kindergarten? You show me yours and I show you mine?”
Seven’s hand flies to his chest. “I would never! I’m a gentleman, remember?” he teases.
I shake my head at him and sigh. “My mom has always been fascinated by the Aurora Borealis. My father, when they were just dating, had to go to Iceland. Something to do with work out there.” I take a deep, shuddering breath. “He brought my mother out there. And one night, he took her to where the Northern Lights were strongest. And then he asked her to marry him, right under the light of the sky.”