partying pretty hard. He had a swarm of girls around him.”
I let out a hollow-sounding chuckle. “That’s nothing new.”
And still, it hurts like a bitch.
Our food comes, and I focus on eating half the sandwich even though my appetite has been missing in action since the fall out with Jase.
Chapter 9
JASE
I’ve been walking around like a bear with a sore tooth ever since I saw Mila having lunch with Justin on Monday. It’s been one hell of a long week, and with the exam tomorrow looming over my fucking head, I haven’t been able to study.
When I stalk into the suite after my last class, Hunter’s eyes fly to me from where he’s making coffee in the kitchen.
“What’s wrong?”
“Everything,” I snap.
I go to stand by him, leaning back against the counter and crossing my arms.
Hunter raises an eyebrow at me. “Are you finally going to tell me what’s been eating at you since last week?”
I let out a sigh and admit, “I got into a fight with Mila.”
Hunter finishes stirring the caramel liquid, then leans against the counter opposite from me, and says, “I know. Wanna tell me what it was about?”
My eyes lock on my best friend. “She was upset because of all the flirting, and then I kissed her.”
Hunter chokes on the sip he just took, and I move forward. Patting his back, I stay next to him as I explain, “There’s a spark between us, but damn, after talking with my grandfather, I’m even more reluctant to start anything with her. I can’t risk pissing off Mila’s father.”
Hunter stares at me as he clears his throat. “Do you care about her?”
I give him a don’t-ask-me-a-stupid-question look. “Of course.”
“No, I mean, are you in love with her, or do you care for her as a friend?”
The million-dollar question.
Or, in my case, billions.
“I’m still trying to figure that out.”
Hunter nods and takes a sip of his coffee before he asks, “And Mila?”
I shake my head. Even though we don’t keep secrets from each other, I’m not about to betray Mila’s trust by telling Hunter she loves me. That’s between her and me. Instead, I say, “There’s a mutual attraction.”
“But you’re not going to act on it?” Hunter’s gaze sharpens on me.
“Not at the moment. I first need to figure out how I feel about her. I won’t play with Mila’s emotions.”
“Good, because I won’t be able to stop Jade when she kicks your ass if you mess with her cousin.”
I frown and ask, “How did you know you loved Jade enough to risk your friendship with her?”
“Our friendship was nothing like yours and Mila’s.”
I give him a look. “Still, how did you know?”
“I just knew,” Hunter answers. He stares at his coffee then adds, “I couldn’t give up on her or lose her. I think that’s when I realized. Not having Jade in my life is not an option.”
“Yeah, but you’d fucking die without me as well,” I argue.
Hunter lets out a chuckle. “Fucking arrogant ass.” He places his hand on my shoulder. “It’s different with Jade. I sure as fuck don’t want to see you naked.”
I shove his hand away. “Don’t even joke about shit like that.”
“Okay, seriously, though,” Hunter comes to stand in front of me and locks his gaze with mine, “You’ll know she’s the one when you can’t go a day without thinking of her. She’s the one who’s more important than anyone else.” He gives me a grin. “Yeah, you’ve been downgraded to number two.”
“Fuck you.” I let out a chuckle then say, “I understand, though.” I give Hunter a grateful smile. “I need to go study, or I’m failing tomorrow’s exam.”
“Are we still going to Studio 9 tomorrow for Nate’s party?” Hunter calls after me.
“Yeah.” I walk into my room and get settled behind my laptop. I begin to read over the work, but every couple of seconds, my thoughts drift off, and I catch myself thinking of what Hunter said.
You’ll know she’s the one when you can’t go a day without thinking of her. She’s the one who’s more important than anyone else.
Mila’s been on my mind twenty-four-seven, that’s for fucking sure.
Is she more important than Hunter, though?
Can I imagine her not being a part of my life?
I shake my head and focus on my laptop screen. I only manage a couple of minutes before I get distracted by my thoughts.
Fuck, at this rate, I’m going to fail.
Focus, Jase.
After another thirty minutes of struggling through the study material, I throw my head