Page 23 of Loving the Tormentor

Nyx

Hit Sale – Therapie TAXI, Roméo Elvis

"Nyx, have you met Achilles before?" Alex asks in such a sweet voice I want to take her in my arms.

"Briefly," I answer with a dry throat as I turn around.

I'm no small girl, but I still have to tilt my head back to face him. He doesn’t offer me anything other than his comment, and even that wasn't really aimed at me, just about me.

"Hi, Nyx. I'm Wren. We met before, but it was really quick," the guy next to him says politely, and I do remember him, but I didn’t remember his name. "I heard you're a musician. What instrument do you play?"

I feel my cheeks heat as my eyes flick to Achilles again. Can I even call myself a musician next to him? His piercing gray eyes stay glued to me, a smirk challenging me to call myself a violinist when I'm in the presence of the genius that is Achilles Duval.

"The violin," I rasp.

"Sweet," he says with a huge smile. "Same as Achilles, then." He slaps his friend's shoulder.

He's clearly trying to force civility out of him, but I couldn't make myself smaller if I tried.

"I mean," I squeak. "I wouldn't— I'm not at his level." God, when did I lose the ability to speak in front of people?

Achilles pouts slightly, his unrealistically red lips making him sexier than anyone I've ever seen. He tilts his head as he puts a hand on my shoulder. There's a smoking cigarette between his fingers, and the proximity to my face makes me cough. For a second, I think he's going to offer me some reassuring words.

"No one's at my level."

My mouth drops open as he releases me to give Chris a drink he brought for him.

"Ignore him, Nyx," Peach chimes in. "He's a dick, and an arrogant one too." She shoos the guys with her hand. "Go pester some other people. We want to be just us girls."

That gets her a laugh from her friends, and Xi seems to hold Alex closer in return. They exchange a few words, but I don't catch them because I'm too focused on Wren, who looks like such a nice guy, wrapping Peach's long hair around his fist and tugging until she's forced to look up at him from her tiny height. The way he captures her lips makes me turn away, and instead, I fall face-to-face with Achilles, who’s already looking at me.

He doesn't look away when I catch him. Doesn't budge. Doesn't evenblink. No, his smirk widens as I feel my cheeks redden. And the more awkward I get, the more satisfied he appears.

"Do people on your side of town never make out, scholarship?"

I narrow my gaze at him, riled up by the nickname he chose for me. "Maybe we're not into PDA."

He observes me, moving half a step closer. "Hm, no. Looks more like you're desperate for that kind of kiss."

My eyes flick to his lips and away when I catch myself.

"I haven’t even had one drink yet. I'm far from kissing an entitled asshole tonight."

Licking his lips, he lowers his head slightly so he can look me straight in the eye. "I don't remember offering."

My eyes go as wide as saucers, heart tripping over itself. "I-I know," I rush out. "I have a boyfriend anyway."

Nowthatseems to take him by surprise. Probably because the only times I met him, I completely lost composure and looked like I would fall head over heels at his feet. But the surprise quickly turns into a glint of challenge in his eyes.

"You heard the girl." Peach's voice has a raspiness to it when she comes back to reality. She grabs my hand, pulling me away from her friend. "She's got a boyfriend. Sorry, oh, big musical prodigy. Go grab a groupie of yours tonight."

Despite Peach having told them to go away, their boyfriends don't go anywhere, and neither does Achilles. Instead, they grab more seats, and we all settle around the pit. This time, the girls gather around me, Ella sitting on Peach's knees, as we huddle on three chairs for four. Achilles is on the complete opposite side, and I can only see him through the flames, so I feel comfortable talking about him.

"Is he always that intense?" I ask quietly.

Ella gives me her solo cup with a mischievous smile. "If you want an introduction to SFU, you're going to need this."

Her gaze moves all around the circle, and that's when I notice the eyes on us. So many people are walking past our spot, observing me.