Finding You (By You #3) (6 page)

"Are you good?" she said.

Sarah took another moment to gather herself, then she tilted her head nodding.

Billie considered her one more time before finally letting her go. Sarah didn't want to look around the room. Everyone's eyes were on her by then, they'd all heard her outburst. They probably thought she was some crazy person who'd forgotten to take her meds. She just wanted to shrink into herself until she disappeared.

"Get her out of here before she makes a bigger fool of herself," Huck called out.

The anger in Sarah's stomach flamed anew, but she didn't get the chance to respond.

Billie swung around and, in two giant steps, closed the distance between her and Huck. She didn't stop until their faces were inches apart, and the hushed voice she used was loud enough to be heard by everyone around them.

"Listen here, Cupcake. You may think you can bully her around, but that shit ain't going to work on me. If you
ever
event talk to her again, if you ever
look
at her again, if I even suspect you're
thinking
about it, I will
end
you."

The stare she gave him was cold enough to freeze water. The hard look in Huck's face twitched and then melted away.
 

"Who the hell are
you
?" he said, his voice unsteady.

Billie considered him for a second with the same icy glare. Then, slowly, her mouth turned into the sweetest and most terrifying smile Sarah had ever seen. She leaned in even closer to Huck, until she was almost whispering in his ear.
 

"Just try me, farm boy. I swear to God, no one will
ever
find your body."

When she finally pulled back from him, her smile widened even more, and she gave him a clap on the shoulder.

"Now, why don't you go running along, mmkay, Cupcake?"

The music was still thumping throughout the house, but everyone was standing still. All eyes were on Billie. Huck stood fixed in place for what felt like an hour, until the girl he was with tugged at his arm and said she wanted to leave.

Billie watched them with that chilling glare until they'd made their way back to the front door. When she turned back to Sarah, she seemed to notice everyone staring at her for the first time.

"What are you all looking at?" she said. She jittered a hand at everyone. "Go get drunk or something."

Sarah stared at her for a long time, unsure of what to say.

"Billie, I..." she started, but Billie shook her head, cutting her off.

They regarded one another for a long time before Oz clapped his hands together and put a huge smile on his face.

"Who needs another drink?" he said.

Sarah gave him a sideways look, a pained smile.

"I do," she said. "And keep 'em coming."

Jeremy watched as Sarah threw back another drink. She had downed two other beers since everything had happened with Huck, and she looked like she was starting to feel it. He was surprised she'd been able to handle her liquor so well--most girls couldn't, especially not when they were as tiny as her.

"You better take it easy there, or I'm going to be carrying you home," he said as she peered into the bottom of the empty cup.

"Promise?" she said, cocking an eyebrow.

He couldn't take it when she said things like that to him. They put thoughts in his mind that he wasn't sure he was ready to deal with, thoughts he shouldn't be having.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you get home safe," he said, winking. The corner of her lip turned up into a tiny smirk. "Looks like your roommate and Oz disappeared again."

She shrugged. "Good--I don't want her giving me judgmental looks all night long."

"She doesn't seem so bad. She really had your back, earlier."

Sarah shook her head. "That's not what I mean," she said. Sarah leaned in closer to him, and Jeremy could barely keep himself from imagining what she might look like in bed. "I mean, I don't want her playing
Mom
all night long. I'm an adult, I can make my own decisions."

"And what kinds of decisions are you trying to make?" he asked. His voice felt lower, like it was someone else talking.

The corner of her lip turned up even further. "About you," she said.

Something flashed behind her eyes, something he hadn't seen in her before, though he didn't know what it meant. Sarah leaned in even closer, and every muscle in his body went rigid. It was like she was holding him in place with some magical force, keeping him from doing what he knew was right.

But before she could get any closer, before she could do anything else, there was a loud banging from the front of the house. Everyone heard it over the sound of the music, and everyone in the room looked down the front hall.

"
Police!
" someone cried out.

In an instant, the party turned into mass confusion as everyone started running in every direction. Jeremy grabbed Sarah and pulled her close so she wouldn't get run over by anyone. It was bedlam.

"What's happening?" Sarah said.

"Shit," he said. "We gotta get out of here."

Without thinking, he grabbed her by the arm and started leading her toward the back of the house--the opposite direction everyone else was going.

"Where are you taking me?" She stumbled, but Jeremy grabbed her and lifted her back to her feet.

"We can't go out front," he said, coolly.

The last thing he needed was for her to get cited for under aged drinking at the party he'd invited her to. That wasn't exactly the romantic signal he was trying to send.

As they broke into the backyard, there were others scrambling over the gray, brick wall. That was their way out! He pulled her to the wall, and looked at her expectantly.

"You want me to climb over that?" Sarah said, disbelievingly.

"It'll be easy," he said. "Here, use my hand." Jeremy locked his fingers together and formed a little foothold for her. She gave him another uncertain look. "Come on--we have to hurry."

She gave him another uncertain look, then nodded. She set her foot in his hands, then grabbed the top of the wall to pull herself up. He lifted her, gently, until she was high enough to throw her leg over to the other side. Looking up at her from that angle, he couldn't help but notice the way her jeans clung tight to her hips--and her ass.

He blew out a sharp breath, feeling bad about staring at her like that. But, he was only human.

"Be careful," he said. "Lower yourself slowly."

"I got this," she said, trying to swing her other leg over the wall. Then she let out a startled scream as she slipped off and fell to the other side.

"Sarah? Are you okay?" he yelled. He didn't wait for an answer. In one fluid motion he grabbed the top of the wall and pulled himself up while jumping with his legs. The muscles in his forearms and chest tightened and strained as he kicked his legs over the top and dropped down next to her. "Are you alright?" he asked again, giving her a worried look.

Sarah looked around, dazed for a moment, and then went into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. He stared at her, confused, until he started laughing, too.

"Did you see me?" she said, still giggling. "I'm as graceful as a deer walking on ice."

He fell silent as her beautiful eyes met his. She still hiccuped cute little giggles, but she didn't look away.

God, she's beautiful
.

He could feel himself getting closer to her, his head dipping down to hers. He knew he was doing it, but he was powerless to stop it. It was only the blaring of a police siren that snapped him back into the moment, reminding him where he was.

"We've got to get going," he said, looking around. A police officer had wandered around to the side of the frat house, and was shining a flashlight up and down the street. "Come on," he said, quietly.

Sarah didn't protest as he hooked his hands beneath her arms and lifted her to her feet. She didn't look away from him, either.
 

"Let's get out of here."

Jeremy grabbed her by the hand and led her away from the house where the police were. They were going to have to take the scenic route back to her dorm, which suited him, just fine. He couldn't imagine leaving her side so soon, and he wasn't in a rush to get anywhere.

They walked at a brisk pace until he couldn't hear the whooping of the police sirens, anymore. Sarah stumbled a few times, still drunk from all of the beer, but Jeremy didn't complain about her clinging to his arm when she did. They wandered out to the northern edge of campus, and the downtown skyline lit up the eastern sky. It was a beautiful night, but the only thing Jeremy could think about was the fact that Sarah didn't pull away from him now that they were safe.

"It's gorgeous out here," she said, a silly grin on her face.

He smiled down at her, admiringly. "Yeah, it really is."

They walked for a while, with no real destination in mind. He knew he had to get her back to her dorm, eventually. But he was going to enjoy every second of his time with her until then.

"So tonight was kind of a disaster, wasn't it?" he said.

"Why do you think that?"

"Everything that happened," he said, waving a hand. "It wasn't exactly what I had planned."

"And what exactly was it that you planned?" She leaned into him when she said it. The feel of her body against his like that made him think those thoughts he was trying to stay away from.

"Well, the police were definitely a surprise." He looked at her, uncertain. "Not to mention your ex."

She gave him a pinched, nervous smile. "Yeah, sorry about that. You probably think I'm a complete crazy person."

He shook his head. "Not at all. We all have our baggage."

She nudged him with her arm. "Does that mean you have a crazy ex that's going to show up and start yelling at me?"

His stomach twisted in knots as she gave him that playful, buzzed grin, only this time it was because of what she said and not because of how attractive he found her. He shook his head.
 

"No, nothing like that."

His voice trailed off and he looked away. They walked on a bit further in silence. He had left the past in the past for a reason. What was done was done, and he didn't want to spend any more time thinking about it. At least not tonight. Not with her.

Eventually, they found themselves in front of her dorm. Jeremy walked her up the steps to the entrance, but stopped well short of the door. Sarah gave him a questioning look.

"Are you coming up?" she asked.

Jeremy's heart raced just from the thought of it. He knew it was a mistake, but he still wasn't ready to leave her side. Not quite yet.

"Just to make sure you get back to your room safe," he said.

That goofy, little smile appeared on her face again, and Jeremy's chest buzzed even more. Inside, the dorm felt empty. Probably because it was Thursday night and everyone was out partying, which suited him just fine. He didn't want to be around a lot of people, he just wanted to be with her.

When the doors opened on the fourth floor, Jeremy realized his fingers were suddenly cold. Sarah was still tucked under his arm, and he followed her lead, but with each step they took, a nervous energy filled him. And when they finally reached the end of the hall, and she stopped in front of a door, he wasn't sure he could take another step forward if he'd had to.

Sarah took her time unlocking the door, and when it cracked open, she turned to face him, giving him a soft smile.

"Safe and sound," she said. She lingered there, a curious look on her face, not in a rush to get anywhere. Maybe it was because she wasn't leaning against him anymore, but he noticed she was swaying back and forth while she looked at him.

"Sorry again, for the way everything happened tonight," he said, giving her a tight smile.

She took a step closer, the corner of her lip turning into a half smile.

"You shouldn't be. I had a great time."

He grinned. He'd had a really good time, too, and he honestly wasn't sure how the night could have been much better--minus all the drama, of course.

"I have a bit of a confession," he said. Her brow scrunched together as she looked up at him. "Earlier at the coffee shop, when I invited you out tonight, I might have told a little white lie about something." The concerned look on her face was a stark change to the playful smiles she'd been giving him all night, and he rushed to tell her the truth. "I mean, it wasn't anything too big. It's just...When I invited you to the party, there wasn't actually a party planned, at the time."

The look of concern turned into one of confusion, and she shook her head.

"I don't understand."

He gave her a nervous smile.

"I mean that I invited you to a party that wasn't happening. Oz pulled everything together last minute for me as a favor."

Her eyes went wide as she realized what he was saying. "You mean you threw that big of a party at the last minute for me?"

He nodded. He felt his face turn crimson, and he hoped the lights in the hallway were dim enough for her not to notice.

"But, why did you invite me to a party that wasn't happening?" she asked, her face still confused.

He shrugged, considering it. "It's like I said earlier. It sounded like you needed to blow off a little steam." He gave her a little smile, then let out a sigh. "And...I wanted to see you, but I didn't want it to be a big deal or anything."

Finally, the confused faded away, and she smiled up at him while tucking some of her blonde hair behind her ear. He couldn't help but notice the curves of her neck. He wondered what it might be like to kiss her neck right there, he wondered how soft would feel snuggled up against him.

"That's sweet," she said, leaning a little closer to him. "But, you didn't have to go through all of that trouble for me."

She was so close now that he was having a hard time focusing his thoughts, having a hard time thinking about anything but what it might feel like to hold her in his arms.

"Next time you want to see me," she continued, "you can just ask me out. You don't need an excuse."