‘Thank you. I live at number 40 in the Theresa Apartment Blocks,’ I listed off my address and his brow furrowed. He stopped walking and I turned to look back at his confused face.
‘But that’s where Hunter lives.’
It was my turn to frown. ‘Yeah?’
‘Well, isn’t he going to take you?’
I shook my head frantically. ‘Definitely not, I can’t stand the guy.’
He chuckled, continuing to walk beside me. ‘Good, I’ll be there at half-four.’
I said goodbye and stood by the doors, waiting for Kenzi. I still had a seminar to go to and she was in the same one as me, so we didn’t have to wait to meet up before going home to get ready.
Kenzi eventually joined me and we walked to the seminar together, talking about our classes. I filled her in about my ride to the party, and she told me about a girl called Zoe. Apparently, she was the girl that was in our new dance troop and she wasn’t exactly Kenzi’s biggest fan.
‘Honestly, she was a complete bitch,’ she complained as we walked through the doors to the seminar room. I noticed Zoe almost immediately for three reasons. One, she had bright red hair, which is really hard to miss. Two, she was glaring at both of us. Three, while she was glaring, she was eating Hunter’s face.
‘And a slag,’ I added, not even sparing Zoe and Hunter a glance as we walked to the front of the room to sit with Kyle.
***
It turned out Kyle was in the same seminar so I discussed dance times with him while Kenzi chatted animatedly to the girl next to her. We would be doing a few dance offs with other troops in the near future and gigs at some clubs. It reminded me of old times; when we used to dance at rough nightclubs to get some extra money.
The seminar went slowly. We just basically collected some textbooks and talked about expectations. After that, we all went home to prepare for the party.
‘I’m not dropping you off at the party.’ Hunter walked into my bedroom without a knock, catching me mid changing. I was about to grab my blanket and swear at him, but then I remembered my challenge. I put my hands on my hips and his eyes trailed down my body before meeting my eyes. I swallowed the lump in my throat and fought the urge to grab the blanket again. The only person to have seen me like this was Marco - and Kenzi if we ever got ready at the dance gigs together.
‘I don’t want you to drop me off. I already have a ride,’ I stated. Hunter wasn’t wearing much either, just his jeans. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of checking him out so I kept my eyes trained on his smug grin.
‘Really, who?’ he asked, leaning on my doorframe.
I sighed, throwing my head back in exasperation. ‘Do you have to pry constantly?’ I asked. He merely shrugged. ‘If you don’t mind, I’m getting ready,’ I replied flatly as I gestured down my body which was only clad in my bra and jeans.
‘You seem to be lacking in clothing,’ he said, skimming over my chest with his sea green eyes, and I glared, storming towards him to slam the door in his face. Before I could get anywhere, he grabbed my wrists and pressed them against his bare chest. My breath hitched in my throat when I tried to yank my hands back, only for them to be kept against his muscled chest, rippling under my hands.
I scrunched my nose up, kicking his shin. To be honest, I reckoned that it hurt my toes more than it did his shin, but I shook my head and pulled my hands free, acutely aware of my bare torso.
‘You’re an arse,’ I accused before shutting the door and continuing to get ready.
***
Kyle came for me at exactly half-past four and I walked into the front room in my black dress and heels. Hunter was wearing a tighter black button down shirt with dark jeans. I gave him a once over before grabbing my bag.
‘Stay away from Seb,’ he said calmly, approaching me, but not getting close enough to touch me.
‘Stop telling me what to do. Hopefully, I won’t encounter you or your brother tonight,’ I growled before walking out.
‘Are you alright?’ Kyle asked when I hopped in his car. I smiled at him and nodded. He was wearing the same as Hunter, only white. Although he didn’t look quite as good, he still looked like he’d be getting attention from the girls.
‘Fine, thanks. Hunter’s being a prick,’ I added, slipping the seatbelt over my lap.
‘Nothing new there then.’ He smirked and didn’t ask for any more details; just put the car into drive.
The party was happening at a large house, the thumping sound of the music beat through my chest when Kyle first drove onto the street.
‘Is this your house?’ I asked and he nodded with a slight grin.
‘Yep,’ he muttered under his breath, pulling up outside the house and dragging me out of the car.
Kyle greeted a few guests as he walked inside, telling us to help ourselves to drinks and just to enjoy the night. I didn’t see Hunter for the first few hours and spent most of my time on the dance floor with Kenzi.
The music seemed to be getting louder as time went on so I went outside for some fresh air. Everyone’s sweaty bodies and the smell of alcohol was making me feel a bit dizzy.
The garden was even bigger than the house. A vast lawn was separated by a large outside pool and garden shed. Sitting down on the bench, I put my drink down and breathed in the evening air. Parties tended to go a bit overboard and you ended up with no breathing space or wiggle room, so the break was welcome.
‘So, you’re Andy.’ I glanced over to my left to see Zoe standing by the door. I inwardly groaned and rolled my eyes, dealing with her was the last thing that I wanted to do.
‘Yep,’ I answered, looking back towards the pool. I heard her heels click on the patio floor and she was soon sitting down on the bench next to me.
‘And you live with Hunter,’ she muttered.
‘Yep.’ She sighed, not saying a word as I tapped my fingers against my bare thigh, listening to the music thumping from inside the building.
‘Does he talk about me?’ she asked, looking at me.
I shrugged. ‘We don’t really talk, if I’m honest,’ I mumbled and she grunted.
‘Well, keep your hands off, okay?’
That set my temper off. ‘Look, I don’t like being told what to do and I’m not interested in Hunter.’ My answer couldn’t have pleased her too much as she flipped her hair over her shoulder and got up.
‘We have a history, okay? Don’t ruin it.’ I rolled my eyes, not even bothering to answer. When she realised that she couldn’t bait me into reacting, she sauntered back inside.
Grunting under my breath, I brought my drink to my lips before hearing someone else come outside.
‘Hello, gorgeous,’ a voice slurred. Suddenly, the idea of staying with Zoe didn’t seem so bad. I looked over to see a guy undressing me with his eyes. My brain screamed at me to get up and get out of this situation, so I swallowed my gulp and got to my feet. I could feel my heart skip a beat when he grabbed my wrist, preventing me from going inside.
‘Not so fast, baby,’ he cooed, pushing me back and away from the door. I stumbled over my heels and was about to call out loud but he put his hand over my mouth.
‘Shut up,’ he ordered. There was no hesitation in him shoving me back against the wall. My heart started to hammer and every hair on my skin stood on edge. I tried to squirm and attack him but he pressed the length of his body against me. When I attempted to bring my knee up, he harshly gripped my leg, shoving it back down. Scratching at his arms, I tried to yell against his hand but barely any