Page 4 of Sweet Temptation

Bailey's eyes widen. "Australia? I've always wanted to go there, but my father had to move here for a job," she answers, swinging out onto the highway.

I smile to myself and stare out the window. The first person in this country to actually speak to me like I'm a human being, not a bloody charity case. I might like being around her. Might! I still don't like people. "So, any plans for today?" she asks as she drives down the road. I shrug and stare out the window again. "Wanna come to my apartment? I share it with another girl, but she's not so bad."

I suck my bottom lip into my mouth and glance over at her. "My gramz… She might be upset if I…" I look down at my feet and avoid Bailey's eyes.

"Just for one hour." She smiles, and I sigh slowly before agreeing.

This is going to end badly. Why the fuck did I just agree to this?

In no time, the car is parked outside an apartment building and we're walking in. My nerves haven't shut up and I can't function. I never agree to being at someone's house; I never have. Why the fuck did I this time? Only because she's nice to me, the quiet voice in my head pipes up. A sigh threatens to fall past my lips at the sound of the voice before I swallow it.

Bailey unlocks her apartment and we make our way inside. "Kayla!" Bailey calls as she throws her keys down and pulls off her tall boots. I jump at the sudden raise in her voice before I quickly compose myself.

A short redhead girl appears from the kitchen and studies me, tilting her head before her eyes connect with Bailey. Jesus. "I said you could live with me, not the entire freshman class." Kayla snorts, shoving a cookie into her mouth. Bailey rolls her eyes and leads me to the hallway, completely ignoring her roommate.

"She's visiting!" Bailey yells over her shoulder as she leads me into her bedroom. My eyes flick around the small room as I stand awkwardly by the door. She likes red, I have caught that. "You can sit down, I don't mind." Bailey smiles at me as she neatly sets her textbooks on the dresser. Shuffling awkwardly, I take a seat on the bed and gaze around.

"Don't mind Kayla. Her girlfriend broke up with her a few days ago, so she's bitchy and hates everyone," Bailey says as she pulls a hoodie over her head.

My eyes scan the oversized hoodie and I look up at my new friend. "Do you have a boyfriend?" I ask softly, wishing I didn't ask at all. Praying she didn’t catch it. Bailey's cheeks turn pink, and she bites her lip before nodding. Busted. Closing my eyes, I open them and refocus on her. It's not that I'm into girls, because I'm not; it's the fact that I babble whenever I'm nervous.

"He's actually friends with Damon Saint—the guy Lexi wants you to stay away from or she'll cut you," Bailey replies. I widen my eyes and stare at her. "I was in a stall when those girls harassed you in the bathroom." I nod and stare at the blood-red-painted walls of the bedroom.

"What's his name?" I ask her, my eyes finding her pretty face again.

"His name is Alexander; he's the sweetest." She smiles as she plays with her blonde hair. I glance at her closely. I don't think he's sweet… If he was, then her hand wouldn't be shaking when she mentioned him.

I smile, then frown instantly. "Damon Saint, the boy, um… Lexi is with," I whisper softly. Bailey sits on her beanbag chair and watches me closely as a slight frown touches her lips. "He stared at me the entire time we had creative writing together this morning. I don't get it; he's dating Lexi."

Bailey giggles and covers her mouth. I tilt my head as I watch her. "He doesn't date. He's not dating Lexi; he never will. She's just possessive over someone who doesn't want to be claimed, but no, he's only ever had one girlfriend, and he's never dated anyone else. I've been in America since the first year of high school, and I had heard about his girlfriend—he only had one. So yeah, he doesn't date, other than the one girl." By the time she's finished, my eyes are wider than ever. As if she didn’t mean to slip up.

"Who is she?" I ask nervously.

Bailey's face pales and she shuffles uncomfortably. I bite my lip and watch her silently. "Emily Freeman. She, um… she drowned in the river her senior year," Bailey mumbles. Oh fuck.

"Can I ask how that happened?" God, I need to learn to shut up. I feel like I've known her my whole life, but that's not the point. I shouldn't ask, it isn't my business. She's such a sweet person, and I feel like I can trust her. But can she trust me? my subconscious whispers.

"I… I…" Bailey pauses and closes her eyes.

I bite my lip when her words slip out, wishing I just didn’t open my mouth. Bailey recovers and settles herself before she begins to speak. "I actually have no idea how it came to that, because I didn’t know her, but she was found in a river and her lungs were filled with water." Bailey opens her eyes and breathes out softly. That… isn't what I expected.

"I'm sorry," I whisper.

Bailey smiles at me, then returns to neutral. "Damon hasn't been the same. I met them my freshman year of university and apparently, according to Layla, Emily's best friend, he hasn't spoken to anyone about it since it happened, and his brothers? Well, they scare me. Damien gives off serial killer vibes, and Soren could only be described as worse," Bailey whispers.

It feels like my lungs give out. No wonder he has those angry eyes… He lost the one person who actually meant something to him only a year or two ago. Not like if I mention it to him, he'll snap or anything; we definitely don't know anything about if he would. Why do you care? I shake my head and clear the thought from my mind.

Bailey recovers and smiles at me. "Pizza?" she asks with a grin. A soft smile appears on my lips and I nod. This bouncing sunshine blonde could be my friend. We could have a friendship like from books.

And I won’t give up on trying to secure that.

Bailey jumps to her feet and dials the pizza place, rambling off our order before hanging up and smiling at me. "Let's go see if Kayla made us some cookies," Bailey says softly, pulling me to my feet.

We make our way to the kitchen, only to see the redhead fully making out with, who do you know… Damon Saint. I squeeze my eyes shut because, after everything I was just told, I can't even look at him. Not that I want to, not after what happened outside the bathroom.

"Damon! Out!" Bailey barks. I open my eyes slowly and my eyes find him. Kayla snorts angrily and climbs off the six-foot-two handsome man, glaring at her roommate before walking into her bedroom.

"Your friends with the weirdo? Funny, since you're probably the same way now," Damon growls. I don't understand until I realise Lexi told him what she saw… what I did…