Taylor

For the next few days, I couldn't help looking out for glimpses of Sin everywhere I went on the college campus, but I didn't see him at all.

I was looking for my phone in my bag. I knew if my brother phoned me again and I missed the call, he would do what he'd threatened to. Unable to find it in my bag, I turned abruptly to head back to my dorm to go and get it before Connor called when I bumped into someone. Hands reached out and gripped my arms to steady me. I looked up to see the guy who had caught me sneaking out of the house after the night I spent with Sin.

"Shouldn't you be looking where you're going?" he asked me with a grin as he released my arms.

"Yeah, sorry, I was a bit distracted," I replied quickly. I made a move to walk past him, but he grabbed my wrist.

"Aren't you the girl who came to see Sin?" he asked. He cocked his head to the side and studied me for a moment. There was no getting away from the guy.

"Yeah," I answered. There was no point in lying. He grinned at me.

"How about we swap names so the next time we bump into each other I won't refer to you as 'the girl I caught sneaking out of the house after a night with Sin' and you won't have to refer to me as 'the guy who caught you sneaking out of the house'?"

I couldn't help smiling.

"Sure, my name is Taylor," I replied.

"I'm Slater," he said. It was a nice name. Then I remembered why I'd bumped into him. I needed get back to my dorm room to get my phone before my brother called.

"Well, I gotta go," I said to Slater as I moved past him.

"My company that bad?" he teased. I stopped and turned to face him.

"No, I just forgot something I need to get before my next class," I explained, shaking my head.

"Fine. Listen, we're having a party at the house on Friday. Why don't you come?" he asked out of the blue.

His request took me by surprise. I wasn't sure why he was asking me to come, but did it really matter? If the party was at their house, then there was a good chance Sin would be there, and I didn't think that was a good idea at all.

"I don't think that is such a good idea. I think it might be a little awkward," I admitted to him, trying to turn him down gently.

"It won't be awkward. Once Sin is done with a girl, he doesn't go back, so he won't care whether you're there or not," he explained with a shrug of his shoulders.

The truth was Sin never had me; in fact, he'd turned me down. Maybe this would be another way to show him that I was over his rejection, even if it was a lie. I contemplated for a moment while Slater watched me. I'd also agreed to go out with Caleb in a week, but we weren't really dating so I could still do what I wanted.

"Okay," I replied. "Can I bring a friend?"

I would feel a lot less nervous if I could drag Jordan along with me.

"Of course you can. The more, the merrier," he replied.

"Great," I said, feeling confident in the decision I'd made.

"I'll see you then, Taylor," he said with one last flash of a smile as he turned and walked away.

I'd forgotten about my phone. I rushed as fast as I could back to my dorm room to get it. Thankfully there were no missed calls when I found it on my bed.

*************

For the rest of the week, I didn't see Slater again, but I did see Sin briefly. This time he ignored me totally, his attention fixed on another pretty girl. It reinforced that my presence didn't affect him at all so going to the party wouldn't be a problem.

Later that day when I was talking to Jordan in our dorm room, I told her about Slater and the invitation to the party.

"Slater invited you to the party?" she asked, looking at me suspiciously, like there was more to the story than I was telling her.

"Yes," I confirmed.

"Does Sin know you're going?" she asked. It felt like I was being interrogated.

"I don't know," I sighed. "This isn't about Sin. This is about a guy inviting us to his party."

"I don't know if Slater's reputation is any better than Sin's," she muttered.

"Come on, don't be like that," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "We're just going to his party, it's not like he's asking me to date him."

"He doesn't date, he's the same as Sin," she retorted.

I let out a heavy sigh.

"I'm not interested in dating anyone either, so let's go and see what happens," I replied. I felt a little guilty because I had made plans to go out with Caleb the following week, but it wasn't like one plan to meet up meant we were dating.

This whole dating thing could get quite confusing with what was considered a date, or what was considered just hanging out. Then you got people who dated exclusively and then there were couples who didn't. Finding someone I think was hard enough; throwing in all that stuff just made the whole process more complicated.

"Okay," she relented. "I'm sorry for giving you a hard time about it. It's just that I don't want you to get hurt."

"I get it, I'm not looking to get hurt, I just want to live a little. Is that so bad?" I replied.

"No, it isn't."

*********

When Friday night arrived, I began to feel a little nervous about the party. I kept telling myself that I didn't care that Sin would be there probably draped over some random girl. It was time to forget about him and his rejection. I needed to move on.

Jordan and I spent a couple of hours getting ready. I was getting better at putting on my own makeup.

"Yeah, that's much better," Jordan commented as she surveyed my made-up face.

This time I surprised myself by going for a skirt. Granted, it wasn't as short as the one Jordan had made me wear the first time I'd met Sin. This one was short enough for me to show off my slender legs and not make me feel like I was going to be flashing my panties if I wasn't careful. I was dressing to make myself feel more confident, and I wanted to look beautiful. I wanted to go to this party tonight, maybe have a few drinks, and have a good time. It was time to forget about Sin and his rejection.

By the time we made it to the party, the house was packed. This time I entered first with Jordan following behind me. My eyes scanned the living room for any signs of Slater, but I couldn't see him.

Deciding he might be in the kitchen, I began to push my way with the crowd that was dancing to the beat of the blaring music. As I got closer to the kitchen, I saw Sin. My heart skipped a beat as I watched him chat up some girl. She was pretty, and it made me feel a little deflated.

I reminded myself that coming to this party had nothing to do with Sin, and I needed to forget about him. I was at this party to act my age and to have fun. I was about to look away when he looked up, and our eyes met. The impact of his gaze was unmistakable on me as I felt my stomach flutter. He looked surprised and then I saw his lips press together as he continued to look at me.

I pulled my gaze away from his and continued my way to the kitchen. I felt the heat of Sin's gaze as my heart still hammered inside of my chest. Thankfully Slater was in the kitchen when I entered.

"You made it," he said. He actually sounded surprised to see me although I'd told him I was coming.

"Yeah. This is my friend Jordan," I said, introducing him to Jordan.

"Nice to meet you. You have pretty friends," he bluntly said, and I swear I saw Jordan blush. The thing about Slater was he was a charmer. He knew exactly what to say to get a girl to do whatever he wanted.

I shook my head at him as I smiled.

"Do you want a drink?" he asked, surveying the different bottles of alcohol that covered the kitchen counter.

"Yes, I do."

I was determined to have fun tonight, no matter what.

**********

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