Page 8 of When We Ignite

And then there was Sebastian. I didn’t know him well enough to make an informed guess, but his laughs, like his smiles, were controlled. He seemed to design every laugh specifically for each person and situation. I didn’t know what his real laugh sounded like.

“She’s probably asked Char about the carats in hers by now,” he said, handing back my vape after another drag. “Do you have a girlfriend, Ethan?”

“Nah. I just started college; it seems like a bad idea.”

“It is. Enjoy your youth. Mess around. Then get tied down,” he advised me.

Henry didn’t seem like the type to want to commit. He was attractive enough to keep getting away with his bad breakups, which were constantly being reported, at least according to Maya.

“Is that your plan?”

“I guess if I find the right one. I mean, what they have is nice, isn’t it?” He nodded toward the house. “It’s just hard to sift through the gold diggers. Oli’s lucky he found your sister. It’s not easy to date.” He sounded more serious than I had ever heard him.

I hadn’t thought about that.

People were always after their name or their money. It must have been a pain to date as a Langley. There wasn’t much personal information shared about them other than their dating lives. The Langley brothers were tight-knit, and not much got through their defenses.

“Is that why your brother won’t settle down?” Immediate regret washed over me as the catlike smirk grew on his face.

“No, Ash is just a lost cause.”

He kept staring.

My cheeks burned as I tried to look disinterested. “What?”

“Why are you asking me about Ash?”

I pressed my lips together. “I’m not asking you about him. It was just one question,” I clarified, but his smile didn’t waver.

“You better be careful around him, young Ethan. Ash has a way of pulling people in, even when they don’t want to be,” he warned.

My eyes dropped to my lap.

“He asked me about you tonight.”

I glanced back up and Henry chuckled.

I knew it was bait, but I couldn’t help it. “Why?” I thought he’d forgotten I existed by now.

“He asked me if you were here.”

I bit my lip, knowing he wanted me to keep pushing. “He’s not coming?” I asked, noticing his satisfied grin as he shook his head.

“Workaholic.” He widened his eyes. “Don’t you want to know what else he said?”

“It looks like you’re the one dying to tell me, so...” I made a “carry on” gesture.

“He said I could give you his number if you asked about him.” He lowered his voice and leaned closer, even though we were alone. “I promise I won’t tell the happy couple.”

I understood why he did it. It felt like something that should be said in hushed tones. The fact that Sebastian was interested in me was beyond scandalous.

I took another drag. “You already have my number. You could have just given it to him,” I pointed out.

“Yeah, but he said it doesn’t count that way,” Henry replied.

I shook my head. It felt like falling into a game I didn’t want to play. “I don’t mind if he has my number.”

He laughed again. “I knew it.” Henry pulled out his phone and my stomach dropped. Was he going to do it right now?