Free Crazy About Love: An All About Love Novel by Cassie Mae

though, ’cause Rian doesn’t hear. Or if she does, she doesn’t say anything.
    Without another thought, I race toward where I think the door is. I’ve gotta get out of the darkness—get away from where I can hear her so clearly in my head that she’s
here
. And if she’s here, I can’t do what I’m supposed to do.
    “Whoa!” Rian laughs behind me as I drag us through. I bump people out of my way, push us through, get us into an opening where I don’t feel or hear much of anyone, then—
    Bam!
    The front door flies open from the force of my face. A throbbing pain shoots through my nose, making my eyes tear up, but I push that back immediately. Rian swivels around on my waist as I bring my hands up.
    “You
almost
had me thinking you had night vision goggles hidden in your pocket.” She tentatively taps the back of my knuckles. “How’s the damage?”
    I drop my hand, and she doesn’t look too rattled by what she sees.
    “Am I broken?”
    “Not on the outside.” She winks, then takes out her phone. “I think it’s time for some TLC.”
    I prod at the bridge of my nose while she talks to someone named Jackson. It’s not a long conversation, but I notice that there’s a different tone in her voice when she says, “I’ll…see you soon.”
    She breathes in deep as she hangs up, then puts on a wide smile when she looks at me.
    “Uh, you ditching me already?” I ask.
    She slowly shakes her head, giving me that mysterious and slightly evil grin I’ve seen several times tonight already. I like that, usually; it’s confident and sexy. But I’m missing it on the set of lips I’m used to seeing it on.
    She places her hand on my arm and turns me toward the corner of the street. “Wait for it,” she says.
    Three seconds later a guy stumbles around the corner and pukes in the gutter. I give Rian a highly arched eyebrow.
    “Not that.” She laughs, then nods at the corner.
“That.”

17 MONTHS, 29 DAYS AGO: 8:59 P.M.
    I’ve gotta hand it to her—Theresa sure knows how to pull a party out of thin air. My only job is to keep my mouth shut about it all day while Lizzie’s at work, and trust me, it’s not that difficult. I think even if I do let something slip, Lizzie wouldn’t notice. She’s off kissing broom handles and falling on top of the display mattresses and lost in some newly-engaged-girl world every time she stares at her hand. After I catch her using a Sharpie to graffiti the boxes in the back, I send her home with a laugh and close up shop myself.
    When I walk through the club doors, I’m not expecting to be immediately bombarded by the girl who unknowingly shattered my heart, but I am. And all I can see is the shiny white of her teeth and her glowing bracelet that says O VER 21 .
    “Hey!” Theresa says like I haven’t been ignoring her for over a week, then throws her arms around my shoulders. I breathe in and can’t help the sudden takeoff in my chest from her scent. My arms and fingers twitch, and again, I just can’t help the way they glide over her upper back, squeezing with gentle pressure to feel all of her toned and not-so-toned skin just under this thin piece of fabric. It’s an aching reminder of how much I love this girl, and how much she
doesn’t
love me. I jerk back as if my gut has been punched by an iron fist.
    “So, I’ve got an extra shirt if you need it.” She grins when she pulls away. “Wasn’t sure if you got my text about it being a paint party, since you
never responded
.” She laughs like it’s not a big deal, and the fact that it isn’t a big deal sends that iron fist hurling back into my stomach.
    “I’m good,” I tell her, then scan the club for something, some
one
, other than her. The room is full of painted bodies and tangled couples. Jace is over at the bar, and I nod like an idiot, pretending he’s waving me over. “I’ll catch you later.”
    Her eyebrows pull together slightly, but she shakes it off as more people float in.
    I ignore her.