"You're a nut. Come on." I thread my arm through his and turn toward where I think my building is, but just before I spin, I find him watching us.
Our eyes hold for a beat, the tension cracks so violently between us it feels like a physical blow to my body.
Luca notices my hesitation and follows my eyeline but he's too late, Kane's slipped into the shadows.
"You're in a dorm with West and Brax?" Luca asks as we approach the main door.
"Yeah. Please don't tell me they're bad guys," I beg as we walk into an almost empty communal area.
Micah is the only one sitting at the dining table with his laptop open.
"Afternoon," he says to me before doing a double-take at Luca.
"Christ, don't let Ella know he's here or she'll be clawing at your door like a cat in heat," he says in a disgruntled tone as I lead Luca to my room.
Luca snorts as if it's a totally normal thing to say to him.
"You didn't see us, okay?"
"Sure thing, Princess."
My steps falter at his use of that nickname for me.
"W-what did you call me?"
"P-princess? Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. It's just, he's the king and… it was meant to be a joke. Forget I even said anything."
"I'm sorry," I say quickly feeling bad for assuming anything ill of him. Micah is good people. All the guys here are. I need to not let Kane get inside my head and force me to start questioning everyone. He's the only twisted motherfucker around here.
He looks a little sheepish behind his laptop.
"I'm just not a fan of the nickname. Queen suits me better."
Luca snorts a laugh behind me and thankfully, Micah smiles before I unlock my door and gesture for Luca to step inside.
He whistles as he takes in the small room.
"Momma Hunter did good scoring this place at the last minute."
"Right? I have no idea how she did it. I'm not complaining though. I'm loving not having to share a bathroom."
"It's pretty sweet. You know where is better though?"
"No," I say suspiciously, narrowing my eyes at him, as I drop down onto my bed while Luca takes the chair at my desk.
"We've got a spare room at our place. If you'd have—"
"No," I say cutting him off. "I need to do this myself. I can't live under your shadow for the next few years. Plus, I refuse to live with sweaty, smelly football players."
He pretends to be offended by my words but he knows just how smelly they can be.
"It's not just football players. A couple of girlfriends live with us too."
"Which I am not."
He stares at me for a beat too long. The teenage girl inside me starts jumping to conclusions but I quickly shove her back down. So much time has passed and so much has happened since she had her all-consuming crush on her best friend. It's too late for all that now.
"Maybe not but—"
"No, Luc. I appreciate the offer, I really do. But after—" I cut myself off, not wanting to start down a path I have no intention on continuing with. "I just need my space. I need to start over myself."
"You've had space, Let. You've been gone for two years. I…" He drags his eyes away from mine and stares down at his feet for a beat. “I missed you.”
I gasp when his green eyes find mine once more.
My heart aches for the vulnerable boy I see hiding behind the king of football persona that everyone else sees.
“You were my best friend, Let, and… and…"
"And I left," I finish for him.
He laughs to himself. "Shit, that sounds like I blame you for chasing your dream. That's not what I meant at all."
"I know, Luc. I get what you mean. We lost touch. I'm sorry."
"Me too," he says sadly, standing from the chair and coming to sit beside me on the bed.
He reaches for my hand and threads our fingers together, staring down at them.
"What happened earlier, Let? What aren't you telling me?"
He looks up at me, his green eyes darkening around the edges in concern as he begs me to open up to him.
"N-nothing." It's not a lie, nothing did happen other than I freaked out and then he spent the entire class trying to get a rise out of me. He was right, it was just like high school all over again.
I let out a sigh. I thought all that shit was over the day we drove out of Harrow Creek in favor of Rosewood all those years ago. It seems fate had other ideas.
"Don't lie to me, Letty," Luca snaps, a hard edge to his voice. "You ran out of there terrified. What did that motherfucker do to you? Is he trying to get to me through you?"
I pull my hand from his and push from the bed so I can pace back and forth as I try to decide how much I'm willing to share right now. I already know I can't go the whole way because I fear it might send me straight back into the black hole that I've only recently managed to claw my way out of.
"I never… um…" Fuck.
I lift my hands to my hair and push it back from my face as I continue with my inner battle.
If Luca knows the kind of shit Kane has pulled over the years then he'll go after him, and I don't want to make the war that's already brewing between them any worse.
"Letty, just tell me."
I glance at my best friend as he rests his elbows on his knees, his dark hair falling down into his eyes, his teeth already deep into his bottom lip as he chews it while waiting for me.
Fuck it.
"I never told you everything about my time at Harrow Creek."
"Go on," he encourages, still watching my every move.
"Kane, he…" Out of the corner of my eye, I see Luca's entire body tense just at the mention of his name. "He hates me."
Luca's lips part to say something but only air rushes out.
He's silent for a few seconds as my words sink in.
"As in he avoided you at all costs, hates you, or he made your life hell, hates you."
I come to a stop in front of him.
"What do you think?"
"Fucking hell, Letty. Why didn't you ever tell me this? I'd have flattened the motherfucker for ever hurting you."
"That," I say, pointing at him. "That is the exact reason why I never told you."
"So I wouldn't hurt him?" His brows draw together in confusion. "That's fucked up, Let."
"No, you idiot. I don't give a shit about protecting him. I was protecting you."
"What?" He jumps up and reaches for me, stopping me from wearing the floor out and forces me to stop in front of him.
He's a whole foot taller than me at six-four and he stoops down so he can look into my eyes.
"How badly do I need to hurt him?"
"No, Luc. No." I throw my hands up in exasperation. "I don't want you in the middle of this. That's the whole point. You need to focus on the game, on your future."
"Fuck that, Let. I'm not letting him get away with hurting you. That's bullshit."
"He hasn't hurt me." Not for eighteen months anyway.
Luca's brows rise in suspicion.
"Please, Luc. Just stay out of it. It's not your fight."