Begin Again (Again #1)(11)

“No, thanks,” I said. Noticing her disappointment, I added, “Beer isn’t my thing.”

“Ah. Let’s see what we have here. I think Spencer brought some of his dad’s expensive wine.”

“Wine would be great,” I said.

I thanked her and sipped the wine. On the fly I could name the type, even guess the vintage, thanks to my dad. For the past few years, I’d started to feel like my father was only proud of me when I was talking about a rare vintage with his business friends. Even though, strictly speaking, Dad was breaking the law, since I wasn’t twenty-one yet. Nevertheless, I’d developed an extensive knowledge of wine.

“Allie, you’re still awake!”

I turned toward Spencer’s voice. He was sitting on one of the high stools at the bar and waving me over.

“Yeah, I guess so,” I mumbled into my glass. I looked at Monica; she laughed, grabbed my hand and pulled me over to Spencer. She immediately began to report on Ethan’s impressive foray into my room, and Spencer spat out his water, he was laughing so hard.

“So, Allie, what brought you to Woodshill?” asked Monica finally, after we’d rescued Spencer from choking.

I leaned against the bar.

“I just wanted to see something else.” That was my standard answer. I had rehearsed it, and the shrug that went with it, to perfection.

“Same for me,” added Monica, lifting her beer bottle toward me. We toasted and I took another sip of wine. I was thawing out. It wasn’t bad at all—I was a normal girl at a normal party talking to normal people. No one here knew me. I could make a new impression. Maybe it had been really worth it to get out of bed.

“I’m only here because I wasn’t accepted in Portland,” sighed Spencer.

Monica wanted to punch him, but he ducked and grinned.

“Woodshill would not have been my first choice, but I won’t say more,” he added, throwing her a bone.

“I’m outraged!” Monica looked hurt. “We have so much to offer here! The scenery is beautiful and there are great sightseeing attractions. There’s the cabaret, the Museum of Art and Archeology, the city center and the fantastic campus with the statue of Shakespeare … ”

Woodshill’s attractions seemed to be a favorite topic of Monica’s, so Spencer and I took pains to nod enthusiastically.

“I really like it here,” I said. “The landscape was one of the reasons why I picked Woodshill. I’ve gotten so much fresh air since I arrived that my body must be completely detoxified.”

Monica smiled blissfully. “I think everyone coming from a big city feels that way.”

Ethan came up from behind and wrapped his arm around her. “Is she giving that speech again about why Woodshill is the best city to study in?”

“She’s trying to win over Allie.” Spencer nodded toward me. “Although she already lives here.”

“Hey! You’re the girl from my room,” Ethan said, turning to me. “I mean, of course it’s not my room. As of now it’s your empire, with everything that means.”

I had to smile at how he clung to his girlfriend in order to stand up straight. “Thanks for the shelf and desk, Ethan.”

“Thanks for taking all that stuff. You saved us the trouble of moving it,” he replied, digging his face into Monica’s neck. She broke out into giggles.

An adorable couple.

My gaze wandered on its own past the two of them, toward the couch.

I froze.

Kaden’s dark eyes were fixed directly on me.

That girl wasn’t on his lap anymore, but sitting next to him. He had put his arm over her shoulder and she was murmuring something in his ear. Now I knew why she looked so familiar—she was the girl who was leaving just before I’d come in to view the apartment.

I thought about Kaden’s rules. To stare at him while he was getting it on with someone would be pretty high on the list of things that were absolutely no-go. So I looked away and focused on Monica.

“I like your colorful streaks,” I said to her. “I don’t think I would have dared.”

“Sometimes I honestly wish I were a little less bold,” she replied, with a resigned look. “I never think things over enough when it comes to change. I’m too impulsive and can’t decide—so for example I don’t pick out one hair color but take all of the ones I like at the moment.”

“I like it. The biggest change I made was this one.” I indicated my short hair.

Monica frowned. “So how did you look before?”

“My hair was honey blonde,” I answered. “And went down over my chest.”

Her eyes widened. “But you don’t look like a blondie.”

“Oh, I was. I looked kind of like … ” My eyes wandered through the room until they rested on Kaden’s companion. “Like her, but a bit darker.”

Monica turned to look. “You looked like Sawyer?” She blurted out in surprise—and loudly.

The girl next to Kaden whirled around and stared at Monica. Then she narrowed her eyes to slits and stood.

“Oh no,” mumbled Monica, suddenly looking somewhat smaller.

As Sawyer walked toward us, I took the chance to study her up close. She was very pretty and had a great figure, with curves in all the right places and a neckline that would make any woman jealous.