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"𝐖𝐞 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐈𝐭 𝐋𝐨𝐰𝐤𝐞𝐲"

I hadn't seen Roman for the remainder of the week.

He had dropped me home after I rested for a while, I gave him my number by discreetly snatching his phone and locking my contact in.

Surprisingly, the boy has no password, knowing who he was, it was surprising he didn't have one.

It was a Friday afternoon, and the sun had begun to set and clouds had started to swarm the sky. I was sitting in my art studio, wearing nothing but a huge white shirt and clutching paintbrushes in my hands.

My foot thumping on the wooden floorboards as I stroked my brush across the canvas, and I hummed to the tune playing in my ears.

Usually, when I paint, I have no idea what I'm going to create, so I allow my body movements to guide me and my mind roam. I found myself gathering darker blue, black, and white paints today. On the palate, I'm mixing different blues and greys, lightening and darkening them.

I sat staring at a painting of the night sky filled with stars as thick and thin brushes swept through my fingertips. A girl's silhouette on a roof ledge, her eyes staring up into the starry sky.

I looked at the canvas with a smile on my face, analysing it and scanning the area for any further details that needed to be adjusted.

My body jolted upwards when I felt a tap on my shoulder, I turned to see a smiling Kara next to me. I shook my head at her and took out the blasting music.

"Hi," I say softly.

"Your work never fails to amaze me," She sighs as she gazes lovingly at the canvas.

I flush and thank her, her hand reaches out and grabs mine, beaming at me.

"We're heading to a party at one of the frat houses tonight!"

I grimaced; parties were not generally my thing, even in high school, but I agreed to go because dancing and getting drunk seemed like a good enough reason.

With an enthusiastic bounce in her step, Kara grasped my hand and led us to my room.

We chose our outfits, mine quite simple but fitting for a regular house party. I chose a black lace corset bustier top and a short pleated white skirt that reached just above mid-thigh.

Kara wore a mid-thigh-length baby blue satin dress that complemented her complexing flawless dark skin.

I put on a pair of black-tie leg stiletto heels and a small clutch purse, which I filled with my phone and lip gloss. I'd also hidden my backup blade beneath my skirt, in case anyone got a little too excited.

The boys were already waiting for us outside, so we all piled into Aydan's black jeep.

The guys sat in the front, while Kara and I sat in the back, blasting music as we made our way to the frat house.

I was a little excited about it; being with my friends was the most enjoyable part, even if half of us didn't wind up in the same car at the end of the night.

The ride took a little longer because we were going to the city, but we made it eventually. The streets were full of different cars, and you could see lingering people, red cups of booze, and multicoloured lights flashing through the open windows.

We secured a parking spot and all left the car to head towards the bustling party. Kara wrapped her arm through mine, our feet were only a few steps ahead of the boys behind us.

We stepped into the scattered lawn, students lingered around the house with cups and smokes.

Entering into the house, the music greeted us with some upbeat RNB, and with the boys high on our tails, guarding us, as they always were.

We all came to a halt within the room set aside for all the drinks. Glasses, ice buckets, and alcohol bottles were strewn across the wide counter, and Nicolo staggered over to grab four cups and pour drinks for us all.

He knew exactly what I wanted, bitter but sweet, and he always made sure the alcohol was strong enough for me but the taste was masked by the sweetness.

Aydan assisted him by collecting ice and Vodka. Kara and I stood side by side, pointing out those we recognised and those we didn't. Besides a group of females from one of our classes, no one seemed to be very familiar.

But, yet again, our college was enormous, with a large number of students, and there would undoubtedly be multiple parties hosted tonight.

We all talked for a while before moving across the house and eventually ended up sitting on some sofas, where Aydan offered me my cup and Nicolo handed Kara hers. We were directly behind the dance floor where everyone was dancing behind us.

"So, how has it been with blondie?" I ask Kara, sipping my drink.

She smiles and shrugs half-heartedly, "It's been good, we agreed on strictly sex, for now."

I giggle and shake my head, I'm sure she has plans on making him fall for her, but I had a feeling it would be the opposite.

"I invited him to come tonight,"

I nod my head as I scan the crowd in front of us.

"And, I might have told him to bring Roman too." I choked on my drink. Literally.

Because right when she said that, he walked in.

I blush, without really knowing why and I turn to face Kara, a cheeky smile on her lips.

"Girl, you need to fuck him." She sighs.

When blondie makes eye contact with me and waves, my eyes widen and my heart accelerates, leading Roman to look over as well. Grey and amber collide, and I find myself staring into his stunning, piercing eyes.

I offer him a modest smile and raise my hand to wave at him; his lips tug at the sides, a smirk-like smile on his lips, and he looks away, walking over with Theo to the beverage table.

"The tension is really high, like seriously, even I can feel it." My attention goes back to Kara and I roll my eyes at her.

"I'm not going to fuck him straight away. Were friends." My words amused her, and she burst out laughing, causing some people passing to stare at us strangely.

She grasps my arm lightly and shakes her head.

"That's absurd, Bella. Clearly, y'all can't just be friends, the way you look at each other is just..." She trails off staring into space as if trying to find a word for it, her eyes light up and they go back to mine. "It's just, love."

It was then my turn to laugh, god this girl really came up with such ideas.

"Kara, I hardly know him and he hardly knows me, and he's technically my father's business partner. How could it possibly be love?"

She just smiles and brings her cup to her lips, "Maybe not yet, but it will be, trust me."

I sigh dejectedly and finish the last of my drink. Nicolo and Aydan had taken off without noticing it until now.

"Just don't tell the others about it," I tell her, and she nods giving me a serious stare.

"You know I wouldn't, it'll be strictly between us." She smiles pats my arm.

I smile back gratefully and look around the room.

"I'm going to look around," I tell Kara.

She nods and goes into conversing with some guy, I stand and move around the couches and down into another room.

A hand grips my arm, causing me to stiffen up as I turn to face the person, only to be greeted by Cain, my former sex buddy.

Blue eyes that mirrored the crystal ocean water, black dishevelled hair, and a stunning smile that only I could resist.

"Cain," I smile as he pulls me into a hug.

He stood six feet tall and was lean and muscular, yet he was nothing compared to-

Kara's prior remarks lingered in my memory and I came to a halt before finishing my sentence.

He backs away, his hand resting on the side of my waist.

"How have you been, beautiful?" He asks, his eyes twinkling in the dim light.

"Pretty well, yourself?"

He smiles and runs a hand through his hair, "Same as you,"

His eyes observe me for a few moments before he pulls me towards him, both hands on my waist, and my own hands go around his neck impulsively.

"You look really good right now, Arabella," His breath brushes against my lips, and I instinctively lick my own.

I return my gaze to him, but the attraction I felt for him previously was fading because, after all, I seemed to desire someone else's arms around me rather than his.

"You wanna go back to mine tonight?" He asks, leaning in close to me, his lips inches from mine and his gaze fixed on them.

I bit my lower lip and shook my head, "Not tonight,"

He nods understandingly and pecks the side of my cheek and let's go. He hangs out with me for a bit, having short discussions about college.

My gaze had been drawn from behind him to Roman, or rather, to the person in front of him.

Although I couldn't see her face, I had a rough sense of who she was. Her head tilted to meet his, blonde hair streaming down her back, and a hand on his shoulder.

The desire to tear the hand off his shoulder struck me with a powerful agony.

It was ridiculous of me to even be envious, even though he seemed to not give a fuck about the girl, I blamed it on the ounce of alcohol in me. He wasn't even staring at her; instead, his eyes briefly roamed the area as if he were searching for someone.

When his cold eyes met mine, my breath caught in my throat; he stared blankly at me for a moment, then switched his sight to the Cain in front of me, his jaw clenching before returning his gaze to me.

He gave a short nod towards a nearby room, and I nodded in agreement.

I informed Cain I needed to use the restroom, he stated he was going to leave and go talk to a few guys.

As I proceeded through the crowd, I passed by Roman, who gave me a sidelong glance, causing the blonde girl, whom I guessed to be Haley, to frown. I didn't meet her stare as I turned and walked into the concealed hall.

Soon after, I heard faint footsteps approaching from behind me. I strolled into a dark room, leaving the door open, and stood against the wall, knowing it was Roman.

The room had one light, a faint red light, a queen-sized bed, and a large open window that looked out onto the side of the big house.

The door clicked shut, and my gaze returned to it.

Roman stood in front of the locked door, his complexion red from the illumination and his eyes darkened. I wouldn't be surprised if I jumped his bones right now, due to him looking so fucking tempting.

He strolled over to me, each step carrying a sense of power over me as if he were the predator and I was the prey. He scanned my body with his stare as if I were an art piece in a museum he admired.

I bit my bottom lip and propped my left foot against the wall behind me, allowing his body to come between my legs.

His hand came under my chin, raising it so I could face him properly, our bodies nearly pushed together.

I watched the curls on his head fall over his forehead, the red light highlighting each aspect of his features. I was staring intently at his lips, so lush and full, the need to press them against my own, to taste him urged me.

"I don't like his hands on you," He says, voice cold and dark.

When I raised my eyes to his amber ones, they stared straight through mine, without wavering once.

"I don't like hers on you, either," I replied, meaning every word.

"Hm," He hums, pushing my chin higher and a little smile graced his plump lips, "It appears we can't be friends after all?"

"I did ask whether you wanted to..." I say barely above a whisper, his touch was sending me to all sorts of places.

I felt his toned abs against me, my breasts briefly touching his chest, and his lips an inch away from mine as he leant closer, his body pushed completely against mine now.

"I suppose I'd prefer something else," His minty breath caressing my lips, our eyes were still locked, and I could see the passion and yearning behind them.

My chest surged upwards, my hands gliding up his arms and over his shoulders, my movements luring.

"If we do this," I say, tracing my hands up his shoulders and behind his neck, leaning in close enough to touch but not press his lips, "we keep it lowkey."

Hands reach for my waist, lightly grabbing my sides and pressing my body against him. He licked his lips, his tongue barely brushing against my lips, causing a whimper begging to escape but I held it in, instead, thrills shot up my arms.

"Okay, we keep it lowkey."

That's all I needed to know before I pressed my lips on his.

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Authors Note ~

I just wanted to say, I know it's going a lil fast but this is what I wanted with them, sort of to just get to the point. This is just what I planned. So, pls don't hate :) If you don't like it, then you're more than welcome to leave <3

Let me know your thoughts about the book so far as well :))

Love always,

- Lei