Page 166 of Sweet Venom

33

VIOLET

“What are you even doing here?” Dahlia asks with a hand hitched on her hip while glaring down at Preston.

He merely picks up a few grapes and stuffs his face full of them, then searches his surroundings. “You talking to me, Dakota?”

“It’s Dahlia! You’re obviously doing this on purpose, prick! And scoot away. This was supposed to be a cute little picnic for Vi and me.”

“Nah, it’s me and Vee. You go climb Kane as if he’s a tree.”

Her face reddens, but she attempts to kick him, and he rolls away on the blanket after snatching a sandwich. I don’t think it’s okay or even easy to eat while rolling, but Preston seems to do it completely fine.

“She’s my sister, and I have priority,” Dahlia mutters, flopping down beside me.

“Finders keepers, ya know.” He rolls back close to us, propping himself up on his elbows and grinning.

He looks a bit different today, though I can’t quite place why. He’s dressed in jeans, a white shirt, and his Vipers jacket. His hair is more floppy, but his eyes are a bit dimmed.

Dahlia and I opted to have a picnic in the local park,considering the beautiful weather, and Preston decided to join as usual. It’s still a bit cold, though, so we’ll probably have to pack up and leave in a while.

Since it’s the weekend, the place is full of people walking, running, or playing tennis on the courts down the hill.

But from our position, we get a nice view of the town center and its centuries-old institutions.

The beauty of the setting and the pretty food I made for this picnic doesn’t seem to ease the tightening in my chest.

It’s been a week and a half since I last saw Jude in person.

I know I should take the ghosting as a sign. I’ve experienced that before with some guys, and it never bothered me. If anything, I was glad I didn’t have to talk to them and was relieved they chose to leave me alone.

So why the hell are those emotions completely absent now?

“You’re such a parasite,” Dahlia tells Preston as he munches on a piece of mango.

He narrows his eyes. “You seem to have stopped being scared of me, Delilah. Want a reminder that I can crush you?”

She gulps as if recalling something, and I stare at him. “Don’t threaten her again, Preston. I don’t like it.”

His serious expression morphs into a grin. “Okay! But she should stop talking shit if she can’t take it. Just saying!”

“That’s because you’re a?—”

“Dahlia,” I say pleadingly. “Can you just stop fighting?”

“Fiiine, but he shouldn’t be here like an intruder.”

“I’m here for Vee, not you. Look.” He points at the patch on his jacket with his number, 13, and last name on it. “She made this for me and didn’t make anything for you.”

“Did too. Vi’s made me countless embroideries. Who do you think she gave her first piece to?” Dahlia points at herself smugly. “That’s right, me.”

His lips lift in a snarl, but then he smiles again. “Anyway, can you come to the next game, Vee? I’m pretty sure we lost the other day because you weren’t there. The jinx is real.”

My fingers tighten around the sandwich, and I audibly swallow the contents in my mouth. “I’m sure you’ll do great whether or not I’m there.”

“Nonsense. Jude was like a rogue wild beast.”

“Right!” Dahlia snaps her fingers. “He spent more time in the penalty box than on the rink. Kane doesn’t like to talk shit about him, but he’s totally the reason the Vipers got knocked to second place in the league.”