Page 4

Emmie

We’re laughing hysterically as the song ends and Noah wipes his sweaty face on his jumper sleeve.“I didn’t think it through when I picked that one,” he pants.“I think N-Trance - Set You Free is liberating,” I say.“If you’re fifty,” Zara cuts in, and we all dissolve into fresh laughter.

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten your song,” Landon warns, his eyes locked on mine.My smile falters. “No,” I say firmly as he taps away on the iPad hooked up to the speaker system.The bass drops.“Oh God,” I groan as the opening bars of Can’t Get You Out of My Head fill the room.

“Pact’s a pact,” Zara sing-songs, shoving me gently forward.“I can’t dance to this!”“You should’ve thought about that,” she grins.

Landon climbs onto the kitchen island and offers me his hand. “Madam,” he says in a terrible French accent. “May I have this dance?”I can’t help it; I giggle as I place my hand in his and he pulls me up.

People are watching now, but for once, I don’t shrink from it.

I’m not feeling judged, in fact, as I glance around the room, I see everyone is smiling, with a few dancing to the beat.Landon starts robot dancing and I match him, laughing until my cheeks ache.

He twirls me beneath his arm, and I spin, light-headed and giddy.Voices around us start to sing along, hands clapping in time, but I only hear the pounding in my chest and the music vibrating in my bones as I lose myself to this moment.

As the song nears the end, Landon grabs my waist and dips me. I tip my head back, one leg kicking in the air. Everything flips upside down, the ceiling, the lights, the crowd –

And then I see him.

Kai Banks.

And he’s staring straight at me.

The breath rushes from my lungs. For a second, all I can hear is my own heartbeat.Then Landon pulls me upright and plants a kiss on my cheek.

“Stunning,” he says in that ridiculous accent.

But I barely hear it.I blink. My mouth is open, stuck between words that won’t come.

I turn back, but the space where Kai was standing is empty.

And for one strange second, I wonder if I imagined him altogether.

I climb down and Zara frowns, “Are you okay?” she asks as my eyes continue to dart around the room.

“Erm, yeah, I just – never mind,” I mutter, giving my head a shake. “Drink?” She nods and I grab two beers from the ice bucket, handing her one. “I’m gonna go and find the bathroom,” I add, placing mine down again. “Be right back.”

I push through the crowd, looking frantically.

It had to be him.

But it couldn’t be. Could it?

I move through the house, scanning every unfamiliar face. A girl laughs in a hallway. A couple makes out against a wall. A group is passing a bottle around on the stairs. None of them are him.

I open a random door but it’s just a coat cupboard.

I try another and find the bathroom. I lock the door behind me and grip the edge of the sink, staring at myself in the mirror.

My cheeks are flushed, and my mascara is slightly smudged from all the dancing.

My heart is still racing, my head swimming from the drink.

Was it him?Did I really see Kai Banks standing there? Or was it just my mind playing tricks on me. Some cruel, twisted side effect of too much dancing, too much alcohol, too many unresolved feelings?

He wouldn’t be here. He couldn’t be.

I take a long breath in through my nose, hold it, then let it out slowly. I splash some cold water on my face and pat it dry with a hand towel.

It wasn’t him, I tell myself.It couldn’t have been.Besides, even if it was, now he’s seen me, he’ll probably avoid me at all costs. Right?

I push open the door and head back to the party, telling myself to forget it, telling myself it was just the drink and the lights and the heat.

But something in my chest is still vibrating wildly.

The morning air is crisp as I walk across campus with a coffee in one hand and my sunglasses firmly in place, shielding my eyes from a sun that feels too loud. My head is still a little fuzzy from last night, and I didn’t get a wink of sleep.

I pull out my phone and tap Mum’s name before I can talk myself out of it. She answers on the second ring. “Morning, love. You’re up early?”

“First lecture, remember?”

“Of course. It’s a bit cruel having early lectures for first years,” she says.

I laugh. “Yeah, I think everyone would agree with you today.” There’s a pause, and then I say it. Casual. Like it doesn’t mean anything. “Have you spoken to Joel recently?”

“Joel?” she repeats. “Not in a while. Why?”

“No reason. Just wondered if you knew whether Kai ended up going to Uni or not.”

There’s a beat of silence on her end. I sip my coffee like I don’t care about the answer.

“I doubt it,” she says. “Joel mentioned a while back that Kai didn’t really have a plan. Something about taking a year out, maybe working.”

“Oh. Okay.” I force a little shrug, even though she can’t see it. “Just curious.”

Mum makes a small sound. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” I say quickly. “Just heading to class now. I’ll text you later.”

We hang up and I drop my phone into my bag, pretending the conversation didn’t just make everything worse.

Because if Kai didn’t go to Uni. Then who the hell did I see last night? Am I going mad?

Kai

I wake up to a dry mouth, a headache, and someone breathing against my shoulder.

For a second, I don’t move. I just stare up at the unfamiliar ceiling, trying to piece together where the hell I am. The smell of weed still clings to the air, mixing with stale whiskey and the faint trace of someone’s coconut shampoo. Alex.

I glance down. Her blonde hair is a tangled mess on the pillow next to me, her arm draped lazily across my stomach. One leg’s half over mine, and the duvet’s kicked down around our ankles.

Right.

Bits of the night drift back. The music, the bottle, the dares, the kiss. The way she climbed onto my lap like she belonged there. I didn’t stop her. I didn’t even hesitate. And now, I’m in one of the spare bedrooms. Which means even in my subconscious, I knew I didn’t want her in my bed.

I gently lift Alex’s arm and slide out from under her, careful not to wake her. She stirs but doesn’t open her eyes. I grab my hoodie off the back of a chair and tug it over my head, then slip my shorts on as I head for the kitchen.

The flat is a mess with plastic cups on every surface, a bottle of Jack Daniels tipped over on the counter, a half-eaten pizza box on the floor. Someone’s passed out on the sofa, snoring softly.

I pour myself a glass of water and lean against the counter, trying to shake the haze.

It’s not guilt. Not really. Alex is hot. Fun. She doesn’t ask questions. Doesn’t look at me like she expects anything deeper.

And yet, that one moment last night, that weird flash – a girl in the middle of the room. Dancing. Spinning. Laughing like she meant it.

Emmie.

It couldn’t have been. No way. Wrong city. Wrong crowd.

But I’d have sworn –

I press the cool glass to my forehead and close my eyes. I don’t need this. I don’t need her in my head again.

I drain the water and grab my phone, scrolling through until I find her name. Little Rebel. My thumb hovers over the call button, my heart hammering in my chest. And then I shove it away again, groaning in irritation.

It wasn’t her. Emmie is gone. Done. And I’m here, surrounded by girls that want me. Why the fuck am I even wasting my time thinking about her?

She made her choice. And I’m making mine.

I make it to my first class with a minute to spare, sliding into a seat near the back like I’ve done this a hundred times before. My head’s still a little foggy, but I can fake alertness well enough.

The room fills up slowly with hungover students dragging themselves in, coffee cups in hand, backpacks hanging off one shoulder. I scroll idly through my phone until someone drops into the seat beside me.

She’s got long dark hair, gold hoops, and a notebook already open, pen tapping against the page impatiently. She glances over, catching me watching her, and lifts an eyebrow.

“What?” she asks, amused.

I grin. “Nothing. Just wondering how you’re already more organised than me and it’s barely ten.”

She shrugs one shoulder. “Some of us came here to study.”

“Ouch,” I say, pressing a hand to my chest like she’s wounded me. “You always this savage before coffee?”

She cracks a smile despite herself. “Only with people who stare.”

I offer my hand. “Kai.”

She takes it, firm handshake. “Rhea.”

“Nice to meet you, Rhea-who-came-here-to-study.”

She huffs a quiet laugh, flipping open her laptop. “Nice to meet you, Kai-who-clearly-did-not.”

I lean back in my seat, arms folded. I’m not trying hard. I don’t have to. The conversation just happens. It always does.

The lecturer finally starts speaking, and Rhea’s already typing like a machine, focused and efficient. I glance sideways, smirk still on my lips.

After class, I stretch and sling my backpack over one shoulder. Rhea has already packed up, with her earbuds in. She gives me a nod and a half-smile on her way out. We haven’t exchanged numbers, at least, not yet. I figure I’ll see her again.

The hallway is buzzing. Students spilling out of classrooms, lounging against lockers like we’re back in college. I cut through a group gathered around the vending machine, heading for the courtyard. I need food and caffeine, in that order.

I’m halfway through my sandwich on the campus green when it starts again.

“Hey, you’re Kai, right?”

I glance up. Blonde, oversized hoodie, knee-high socks. The kind of girl who always has someone carrying her books. She’s smiling, already sitting before I invite her to.

“Yeah,” I say, chewing. “And you are?”

“Lana. You live with Seb, don’t you? He’s in my art seminar.”

I give a vague nod. “Flatmate, yeah.”

She twirls a strand of hair around her finger and leans in like we’ve been friends for years. “He said you’re from London. Bet there’s way more going on there than there is here.”

I smirk. “Depends on what you’re into.”

Her laugh is too loud. “Well, if I ever want a tour, maybe you could –”

“Lana, right?” Another voice cuts in, a brunette, short bob, high cheekbones. “We’ve got the group meeting in ten.”

Lana rolls her eyes but stands. “Catch you later, Kai.”

I nod again, lips twitching. “Looking forward to it.”

They disappear, and no sooner do I lean back, soaking in a rare bit of sun, than two more girls approach. This time they’re holding coffees. One hands me an extra. “In case you didn’t have one.”

I raise my brows. “Thanks. Do I know you?”

“Nope,” she grins, already turning away. “You just looked like you needed one.”

They’re gone before I can answer, leaving me holding a flat white I didn’t ask for and honestly, kind of appreciate.

I take a sip and close my eyes. If it’s always gonna be like this, I’m never leaving. Yet, every time I close my eyes, I see her . Twisting under flashing lights, laughing in that carefree way she’s got. I groan dramatically and a few girls sitting nearby giggle as I flop back.

Damn Emmie Carter.