One
An enigmaโthe black knight. The kind of man who sees everyone while obscured in shadow.
But she saw him.
At first, heโd been just another face at the inaugural college parties. Someone new and nameless like all the rest. Night after night, she began to notice how he stood in the background rather than drawing attention his way. Heโd flirt with girls but didnโt lead them onto the dance floor. Didnโt make a move to take them upstairs. Only scanned the crowd as if danger lurked within the frat housesโ patched, dirty walls.
Maybe it did. Whatever heโd been watching for, whatever he searched out, it mustโve meant somethingโbecause he hadnโt seemed to care about anything else.
A certain melancholy hung about him like a cloak. It emanated from his grim expression, etched itself into the faint trace of honey-brown stubble at his jaw and the long hair he tied in a bun. Darkness clung to the leather jacket on his shoulders and the ripped jeans snug around his hips.
The shadows he possessed didnโt oppress, rather accentuated his presence with a low, menacing snarl.A warning to those who might get too close.
Sheโd never been good at making the first move and certainly didnโt know how to explain what she felt from his presence. An emotion that tugged at her from deep within. Empathy, perhaps.
Or something darker.
As much as he captivated her, and as willing as she might be to let him lead her down a path of passion, she knew that wasnโt what he needed. Had anyone else noticed the look in his eyes? That emptiness?
Despite her hesitation, Ivory watched him as vigilantly as he did their surroundings. The gaze from his eyes, molten and warm to their core, wound around her like fine threads of goldโthen passed over her every time.
He hadnโt seen her. Not then, nor any time after.
โงโงโง
A disappointed sigh fell from her lips as the strobe of a blacklight flashed across yet another disheveled living room. Sheโd wasted enough energy on searching for the man in the shadows, her only discovery being new piles of plastic cups on the floor and more discarded costumes sprouting from the couch cushions.
He wasnโt at this party, either.
Macabre skeletons swathed in fake webbing hung from the ceiling and bloody masks on the walls stared into the throng with empty eye sockets, indifferent to the raucous laughter and cheers for another round of shots. Maybe heโd only been a visitor for those first few weeks of the semester, the kind that hops from one party to the next and disappears as soon as students remember their noses are better off in textbooks than looking down cups of beer.
Maybe he found whatever heโd been looking for or had simply given up.
Still, the subtle lack of his presence bothered her almost as much as her inability to do anything about it. Heโd become familiar, like a landmark on the horizon or the detail that set one dorm apart from another. Something about him enraptured her. He gave off the impression that he wasnโt like the other guys here whose aim landed no further than the nearest available girl.
She also kept an eye out for Jace, the only one who still cared about their unfortunate fall from grace a few weeks ago. Probably because out of the two of them, he had been far less inebriated than she thought, and even though he wouldnโt outright mention the details of their drunken fling, the cold, degrading look in his eyes said enough.
So far, heโd been too busy dancing with her friends Avril and Serenaโpeople who actually wanted his attention. They could keep him busy for the rest of the night. Being president of Beta Rho, the fraternity hosting the Halloween party, meant Jace should have plenty to do. Not to mention heโd been surrounded by a crowd of admirers ever since he got a dragon shaved into his newly buzzed hair.
If he liked being the cool guy so much, he could soak up the spotlight all he wanted and forget about her.
Ivory turned and caught sight of a petite redheadโor one who was usually a redhead, but tonight donned the persona of Aphrodite the Greek goddess, complete with a wig of dark tumbling curls. A smile quirked the corners of Ivoryโs mouth, and pride overtook her dismay at seeing Nia let off some steam.
โOh heyyy,โ Ivory called, waving over the top of nearby halos and horns. In a show of theatrics, she tipped her witchโs hat to the side. The attempt at a cackle slurred as it left her lips, transforming into a giggle.
Darn it. The whole badass-dark witch look just wasnโt working. Didnโt mean she would stop trying.
โWhatchu been up to?โ she asked as Nia came close enough to hear over the vibrating bass. Her friend swayed, a little tipsier than expected since it was the first party Nia had come to. She looked gorgeous nonetheless, with smoky cat eyes and a golden rope cinched around her tan hourglass waist.
โNothin impourtant.โ Niaโs words strung together as a jumbled mix of syllables, and her face faltered.
Ivory frowned. That wasnโt the goal, not at all. โAwww that makes me saaad. How can I cheer you up?โ
During their first week, Nia set a new record of introversion, but Ivory slowly got her to open up, and now watched her friend in full bloom. She wanted nothing more than to share the same shy, genuine bookworm sheโd gotten to know with the rest of the world. And if she had anything to do about it, that good-for-nothing college playboy who broke Niaโs heart had something headed his way.
โAlready better,โ Nia mumbled, leaning on Ivory and humming along with the music. โAnd I think Iโm getting a hang of navergating when the room does songโsomersaults.โ
โOh dear,โ Ivory giggled. That would be an issue. This roomโlike most after a few drinksโhad a nasty habit of turning and flipping when it shouldnโt. โYou sound like you need a glass of water.โ
Grabbing Niaโs hand, she led them through the horde of grinding ghouls and ghoulettes. Strips of her purple, hand-crafted witchโs robe sashayed around her back and legs and dispersed some of the stifling body heat, but not nearly enough. โI know just the thing. Orโโ She giggled again. โMaybe itโs more for me than you.โ
It was about time she had some fun at this party, too. Tonight was supposed to be her break. One evening when she didnโt have to worry about acing tests and finding her place in college as a quiet freshman.
Another cup of the house specialโtropical margarita mix with a heavy dose of tequilaโwas just what she needed to take her mind off the disappearance of her shadow man.
He wasnโt coming back anyโ
Oh. No.
She froze mid-step. Scratch that. He was here.
Right here, in fact.
One glimpse of the long auburn hair and black leather jacket on the man rummaging through the fridge brought her to a screeching halt.
Nia smashed into her back with a groan. Stammering out an apology, Ivory dragged them both into a corner before he could look in their direction.
โOh my gosh, I didnโt mean to shove you.โ Ivory fumbled with the brim of her witchโs hat as it contended with the wall in a losing battle. โI wasnโt expectingโฆhe hasnโt beenโฆโ Words rushed out as she pressed a hand over her chest, attempting to contain the panic coursing through her system.
He hadnโt been around in an entire month. He wasnโt supposed to come back. At this point, it wouldโve been better if heโd simply been a figment of her imagination.
Now he stood mere feet away, and with the main light on in the kitchen, there was no way he wouldnโt see her if they went in there.
โWhat?โ Nia asked, lost to the extent of their predicament. โWho?โ
โThe guyโฆโ Ivory mumbled, eyes darting behind them to the open doorway, where white light filtered through the haze that had settled throughout the rest of the house.
Nia grabbed her shoulders and gave a light shake. โWho?โ
The question shocked Ivory back into focus. โFrom before.โ
Nia had been the only person who knew sheโd even noticed him, and even though her friend was too good of a student to go to any other parties, Nia had listened to her secret confession of developing a slight crush.
Okay, maybe more than slight. Didnโt help that he was stupidly handsome. Stunningly beautiful. Spectacularly out of her league.
โThe guy?โ Nia asked to confirm.
She nodded vigorously. โThe guy.โ
โAre you scared of him?โ Nia asked, looking concerned. โOr just nervous?โ
Multiple answers came to mindโhe might look intimidating, but sheโd never gotten the impression heโd hurt someone for no reasonโand yes, she was nervous. Sinking into a pit of quicksand would be better than attempting to be nonchalant with the man sheโd spent entirely too much time watching months ago and still remembered every detail.
โMaybe both?โ She giggled to cover her nerves. โIโm scared Iโll sound like an idiot.โ She glanced over Niaโs shoulder again. โHas he left yet?โ
Nia sighed and pursed her lips.
Please say yes. There was still time to try and forget with the power of margarita mix.
But at this critical moment, what did Miss I-Didnโt-Come-To-College-To-Fall-In-Love do? Her loyal friend, not to mention the introvert of the century, decided this was the opportune time to throw the worldโs most wicked curveball.
Still reeling from shock, Ivory found herself being dragged into the kitchen as Nia declared resolutely, โCome on.โ
