Definitely, Maybe in Love(6)

"Didn't see you standing there, dear," Lilah's acidy voice apologized.  One of her thin arms was looped through Knightly's as she perched  herself at her brother's side. She combed her fingers through her ashy  hair and prattled on about some band she'd seen over the summer.

Knightly stood silent, his dark eyes staring down at his cell. For  ignoring Lilah, I gave him two points. With no one willing to add  anything to Lilah's line of conversation, she flung herself toward my  guy, asking him about ten questions in a row.

"Yep, LA's my home," Alex answered, after she'd asked where he was from. "The sun, the beach, the babes. Home sweet home."

"Well, isn't this so cozy," Lilah said over the music, applying another  layer of red lipstick. "We should hang out together like this all  night."

No one replied.

"Right?" She turned her chin over her shoulder. "Henry?"

From the slight jerk in his jaw, I could tell her date heard but didn't  reply, his eyes still stuck on his phone. I mentally gave him another  two points.

"Henry?" Jeez. Lilah would not give up.

Upon hearing his name repeated, he lowered his phone and took a step in  our direction, then he froze. "Parks," he muttered, although his parted  lips had barely moved.

I looked from him to Alex, who was mid-way through asking Lilah to  dance. They were gone before I had the chance to take another breath.

Knightly remained frozen right where he was, watching them leave. Behind  him, Julia and Dart had missed the subtle yet tense exchange between he  and Alex.

When I shifted my weight, Knightly's eyes shot in my direction. A  mixture of shock and indignity stared back at me, like he'd caught me  listening in on a private conversation. The way his deep brown eyes  weighed me down made my knees feel like they might buckle.

A moment later, his eyes snapped shut, and a little notch of stress  appeared between them. When they opened again, they were right on me, as  steady as before. He took a step toward me, his mouth opening.

"We're going out again," Dart called in our direction, cutting off whatever Knightly was about to say.

I turned to see Julia and Dart heading toward the other dancers. Alex  and Lilah were along the outskirts. I could even make out the back of  Mel's head, her brown curls bobbing as she boogied. By the time I turned  back, I was alone.





Chapter 4

"I'll be … " I pointed off to the far side of the street.

After getting the A-Okay overhead wave from Mel, I headed through the  crowd toward the curb. I weaved around a row of portable tables set off  to the side where various card games and chess matches were going on  under large lamps. Despite the dozen or so people gathered around those  tables, it was the only semi-quiet corner of the street party. I slid  between two tables, sat on the curb, and pulled out my cell to check  messages.                       
       
           



       

There were two emails and one voicemail. I checked the emails first.  They were both from econ majors blowing me off. Crap. Before playing the  voicemail, I braced myself for more bad news. A couple hours ago, I'd  emailed Professor Masen a few pages of notes, figuring that would tide  him over while I kept searching for a source. I took in a deep breath,  then pressed my hand over my free ear, listening to the voicemail. It  was some guy from Statistics wanting to form a study group. I saved the  message and exhaled in relief.

Not ready to return to the center of the action, I stayed where I was,  practically hidden under the last card table where three guys were  playing poker. Between their heads, I could make out the top halves of  party-goers as they walked by. This view was temporarily obscured when a  couple stopped directly over me to make out.

"Hello!" I yelped when the guy stepped on my foot.

Without bothering to remove his tongue from his partner's throat, he leered at me in acknowledgement, then they stumbled away.

Maybe my location was a little too secluded. If there was a mass  evacuation, would I be trampled and left for dead under a table  surrounded by chess pieces? Just as I was about to stand up and find  Mel, a glimpse of some tousled light hair came into view.

"You can take off, but I'm not ready."

Through the poker players, I watched Dart Charleston reach into a red  tub and pull out an icy can. I could see him pretty well. I could hear  him perfectly.

"That's obvious."

The guy dealing cards blocked my view of who Dart was with. Whoever it was waved off the drink Dart offered.

"She's amazing, man." Dart's back was to me now, his words less audible. "We're hanging out tomorrow."

"She's clearly into you." Henry Knightly's head came into view. He  leaned against the card table. I looked to my right where two girls  suddenly appeared, watching something on an iPad. To my left was a line  of five or six guys wearing nothing but towels around their waists. I  was pretty much trapped in place for the time being. Eavesdropping by  default.

"Convenient that she lives across the street," Knightly continued.

I grinned when I realized they were talking about Julia. It wasn't  surprising, but it made me happy that Dart was already smitten.

"What about you?" Dart said. "You've met a dozen women tonight and you're ready to bolt."

Knightly shook his head. "No one I care to see again."

Guy-talk was so uninteresting. At least I could report back to Julia that she had a fan in Dart.

Curving myself into a crouched position, I balanced on the balls of my feet, hands gripping my knees, ready to hobble away.

"No one?" Dart said, sounding surprised. "What about Julia's roommate?"

I froze, staring down at the sidewalk.

"What about her?"

Still concealed behind the card table, I turned to peek in their  direction. The sliver of Dart's face that I could see was grinning. "I  don't have to tell you this, but dude, she's hot."

I couldn't help smiling. Despite my mindset of brains over beauty, it  was nice to be thought of as hot. I approved of this Dart guy more and  more.

"I don't remember meeting anyone hot," Knightly said.

I rolled my eyes, trying not to be insulted.

Dart chuckled good-naturedly. "Whatever, man."

"If you're talking about the blond," Knightly said, crossing his arms, "she's not my type."

Lucky me. My legs wobbled, straining from holding a tight crouch.

"The gorgeous type?" Dart asked. "She seems fun and damn smart. You're saying that's not your type?"

"Someone like her is not anyone's type." Knightly pulled out his phone. "Obviously."

My mouth fell open.

"I think she's studying biology," Dart said. "You'd like-"

"She's a tree-hugging feminist."

Wow. How very unoriginal. The comment barely fazed me. Over the past  year, I'd been called much worse than the antiquated "tree-hugger."  Coming from someone like Henry Knightly, the slur was practically a  compliment. Sure, it was a little weird squatting there, listening to a  stranger pick me apart, but nothing he said should matter.

"Your sister gave me an earful the other night," Knightly said. He  stared down at his phone, so I couldn't hear very clearly, but I swore I  heard the words "liberal" and "attention," maybe even "phony."

I ground my teeth. What had Lilah been saying to him? And what poison was this guy passing around?                       
       
           



       

Dart shrugged and took a drink. "Her hair is wicked cool. Those braids."

Knightly muttered something about ridiculous and dirt, ending with "snakes."

Oh, no, he didn't. Say what you will about my politics, but leave my hair out of it.

"Hopeless," Dart said. As he turned in the direction of the crowd, his  expression brightened. "Here comes Julia. I gotta go. Sure you won't  stay?"

"I'm leaving now. See you tomorrow."

I watched as Dart tossed his can in the trash, attempted to smooth down his unruly hair, then disappeared.

Leaving Knightly standing alone.

He leaned back against the card table, making it wobble. He probably was  oblivious to the card game he was disturbing. He was definitely  oblivious to the girl five feet away whom he'd managed to insult from  head to toe in two minutes flat.

I couldn't stop myself from replaying his words, his harsh, ugly words.  The more they ran through my head, the angrier and more irrational I  grew. Phony? Snakes? How dare he? He's the one who drove a damn Viper.

My lungs started to squeeze, and each breath I pulled in was heavier and  faster. My legs really shook now, cutting off circulation to my feet.

Almost out of obligation, I stood.

When he saw me, Henry Knightly's expression barely changed. There was a  hint of mild surprise in his eyes, but otherwise, he seemed unfazed.