BY THE TIME I LET myself into my dormitory the next afternoon, totally spent from hours of mind-numbing lectures, all I wanted to do was collapse into a heap on my bed and dive-bomb into the tub of chocolate-chip ice cream I'd been saving in the mini-fridge. I swear, it was calling my name.

        Instead, I'd had no choice but to look through all my clothes and wrestle with the dilemma of what to wear to Levi's party tonight. After much deliberation, I settled on a fitted off-the-shoulder top and my favorite denim skirt.

        I was fixin' to re-apply my makeup, mostly to kill time while I waited for a text from Jace, when I heard a soft rap on my door. My heart sped up. I wasn't expecting him to collect me for another fifteen minutes, or for him to come up to my dorm room, which was looking more and more like Monica's secret closet from Friends. Oops.

        The bed was unmade, the comforter still rumpled and strewn on the floor from my mad dash to class this morning. Worst of all, there were clothes scattered everywhere, indicating just how much effort I'd put into selecting this outfit—I think I'd changed at least eight times. The wooden desk underneath the small window was the only organized area of my room, storing all my textbooks and school supplies.

        Dread fell heavy as I opened the door, not wanting Jace to see my dorm room while I was still in the very, very early stages of moving in. I was mildly relieved to find that it was only Piper, grinning back at me.

        "Hey, I didn't mean to intrude but—damn girl, you look hot!" Her eyes raked over me appreciatively.

        I returned a smile in answer. 

        If it were Amelia, I probably would've done a little self-indulging spin, but this was one of Jace's best friends. The last thing I wanted to do was make a fool of myself. 

        My belly twisted nervously. It was ingrained in me to want her approval. "So do you," I enthused. 

        Her auburn-colored hair was half pinned back and the loose curls framed her heart-shaped face. She was wearing a jersey playsuit, a studded biker jacket, and a pair of heels I could only dream of wearing, let alone making it five meters in.

        "Jace's phone is either having a meltdown or it's dead. It won't switch on, and he's saying he charged it, but that's up for debate." She laughed dryly. "In other words, I'm here to escort you to his truck."

        Jace held the title for being the most forgetful person I'd ever met, so I wasn't all that surprised. I swung the door open further and gestured for her to come inside. "Sure. I'll just be a sec."

        Piper brushed past me, stepping into my cramped, single room. She surveyed her surroundings briefly, and I was thankful her eyes didn't loiter on the mess or the stacks of cardboard boxes. Needless to say, I had no motivation left to unpack the last of my stuff from back home.

        "Sorry," I said, embarrassed. "I wasn't expecting company."

        "It's fine." She waved me off. "Believe it or not, I consider this clean. You literally can't even see my roommate and mine's floor." Piper shuddered good-naturedly, like even the mental image was bad enough.

        I smiled. "I won't lie, that makes me feel a tiny bit better."

        Piper sunk down on the edge of my bed, giggling as she watched me struggle to tug on my lace-up Doc Martens. "Is it too early to ask how you're liking UGA?"

        "So far so good." I nodded, then scrunched up my nose. "Actually, wait. Yeah, maybe you should ask me that next week. I might change my mind when I'm drowning up to my eyeballs in assignments."

        "Ugh, don't even go there," she groaned, burying her head in her hands. "My body is so not ready for this semester."

        I could totally relate. Particularly because the idea of sitting next to Jace in class each week made me dizzy. A small kernel of anticipation bounced around in my chest.

        Pushing thoughts of him from my mind, I cleared my throat. "What are you studying again?" I asked her, realizing that although I knew she was in Concepts in Design with us, I knew little else about her.

        "Art Education," Piper replied, flipping absently through one of the interior design magazines that were on my bedside table. "I'm really passionate about art, and I've always loved children, so I figured it was a no-brainer."

        "That's awesome," I said, glancing back at her as I swiped some strawberry Chapstick over my lips. Teaching was a good, stable career, but I'd never considered anything other than interior design. I was fortunate enough to find my passion early in life.

        Once I'd hooked in some earrings and located my shoulder bag, I grabbed my keys and took a deep breath. Not giving myself a chance to talk myself out of going, I announced, "All right, let's do this."

        For the last hour, I'd been giving myself a much-needed pep talk. Tonight wasn't going to be a repeat of the last party I'd attended with Jace. Tonight was, however, going to be fun and normal. It also happened to be the perfect chance to put the past behind us, once and for all—to convince him that I really was trying to move on.

        But my composure took a nosedive when I spotted Jace behind the wheel of his pickup truck outside McWhorter Hall, parked at the curve. He looked incredible. While I could only see his top half, I knew keeping my hands off him tonight was going to prove to be a challenge, particularly paired with liquid confidence.

        His hair was styled back in an artfully messy look, and he was wearing a faded gray shirt that made his eyes look even smokier. My lips parted on an inhale.

        "You good?" Piper eyed me.

        Oh crap.

        I'd completely forgotten that she was standing there, undoubtedly witnessing me turn to mush.

        "I'm great." I scraped my long hair to the side and smiled at her as convincingly as I could.

        Ignoring the way my heart thumped its way into my esophagus, I strode up to the passenger-side door as Piper climbed into the bench seat.

        "You could've come inside, you know," I heard her mutter to Jace in a lowered voice.

        Following her lead, I inelegantly hoisted myself up into the seat, trying to keep my skirt from scaling up any higher. It'd been so long since I'd been inside his two-door truck, and I was sealed against Piper's side, Jace's big body taking up most of the room.

        Buckling myself in, I glanced up in time to catch the pointed look he directed at her.

        "Hey," he said to me, a flicker of heat sparking in his gaze. "You look amazing." He stared for a pause longer than necessary, and those penetrating eyes smoldered, making my stomach pitch.

        I sucked in a breath. "Thank you."

        Then he told Piper to type an address into the navigator on her phone, and I sagged against the seat, relieved. His attention made me squirm, and I prayed that he didn't notice how on edge I was.

        I glanced out the passenger-side window, waiting for the familiar rev of Jace's Chevy when it rumbled to life.

        "Is Owen still coming?" Piper asked him as she fiddled with the radio, flipping the station back to country music. Keith Urban crooned through the stereo, and she turned the volume up, which I appreciated immensely. Music made all social encounters easier to navigate.

        "When isn't Owen mooching beer at one of these parties?" Jace chuckled, accelerating the rattling engine. "He's probably already there." Piper leaned forward, digging around for something in her bag, and Jace's eyes sought mine again. A series of chills shot straight through me. It was ridiculous the way he made me feel. "You ready to go, Hayles?"

        Yep. If I wasn't already, now I was officially doomed tonight. 

*

        I WAS SITTING AT THE bottom of the stairs in an old farmhouse with Jace, elbows propped up on my knees, when Piper discovered us. A plastic red cup dangled from her fingers, and her brows were knitted together in confusion, as if she couldn't comprehend why we'd convened away from everyone else.

        That was mostly because Levi's party was in full swing now, and I could barely hear myself think. Music vibrated the thin walls, and the stench of alcohol thickly laced the air. Sweaty bodies had congregated in the living room, spectating a nail-biting match of beer pong, if the thunderous roaring and shouts of support were any indication.

        "Y'all look like you could use a drink," Piper suggested in a hurry. "Is the keg empty, Owen?" 

        When he didn't answer, she jerked her head back toward where he was standing. Owen was leaned against the doorway of the living room, eyes glued to the game unfolding in front of him.

        "Owen?" Piper raised her voice to compete with the Florida Georgia Line song that was blaring from the speakers. "Earth to Owen?" Eventually, she stomped over to him, waving her hand in front of his face. It was only then that she was able to capture his full attention. 

        The lopsided grin remained. "Yeah. You'll have to grab a beer from the cooler in the kitchen," he told her, jabbing a thumb toward the room at the end of the hallway.

        "Want me to grab you one?" Piper asked, her gaze closing on me.

        "If you don't mind." I smiled. "Thanks."

        Jace touched his car keys in his front pocket, informing us for the tenth time, "I'm not drinking tonight."

        Even though he was the designated driver, Piper nudged him with her elbow and tried to persuade him otherwise. 

        "But we could sleep in the truck bed," she said without acknowledging his unwillingness. Her eyes widened with fervor. "Tell me that wouldn't be awesome. I've always wanted to do that."

        "Could be fun," he deadpanned. "Maybe when I don't have class at eight-thirty the next morning."

        Piper's eyebrows twitched. "You're such a party pooper," she mumbled, glaring at him in disappointment as she moved away from us, heading to scope out the alcohol supply.

        I shifted my attention back to Jace, holding an easygoing smile in place, even though, beneath the surface, my pulse was pounding wildly in my ears. 

        He leaned into me, invading my personal space, and something I couldn't identify glinted in the depths of his eyes. He was so close now I could have counted every one of his long, dark lashes.         

        "So... any chance you're willing to talk to me, now?" My expression must have told him I didn't understand, so he clarified with a frustrated sigh. "I want to talk to you about that night, Hayley."

       The moment his words registered, it was like the ground shifted under my feet and nervousness overtook me. Was I ready to have this conversation with him? Unless he returned my feelings—which I highly doubted—this wasn't going to play out in my favor. 

        I opened my mouth and then closed it, at a complete loss for words. Flustered didn't even begin to explain how I felt.

        In the end, it didn't even matter. As I tried to think of an excuse to leave, to shut down this conversation we were having, Owen called out, "Yo, Hammond! I'm up this round, you better be watching."

        Within seconds, the swell of fear I'd experienced retreated. Reluctantly, I drew back, and Jace pulled away. The little bubble we'd built together was broken. 

        Gripping the staircase railing, he hoisted himself up off the rickety bottom step. A thin smile flashed across his handsome face as he glanced down at me. "We're going to continue this conversation later," Jace said, voice rough. 

        Then I watched him as he slowly turned away, following Owen into the living room, leaving me sitting alone. 

        My stomach dipped. I wasn't sure how long my lack of social skills could keep me from floundering at my first college party.

        Luckily, Piper returned not even ten seconds later. She sat down beside me, passing me a bottle of chilled beer. I took a long swig. I didn't really like the taste, but it did a good job of quenching my thirst.

        We sat there, chatting and exchanging funny memories we'd both shared with Jace over the years. She told me about how they'd first met in freshman year—she had tripped over his legs as he'd been sprawled out underneath the tall oak tree on campus. While she'd initially thought he was a pretentious dick, she'd quickly realized the same thing I had when I'd been old enough to recognize it for what it was—Jace was an amazing guy. A really amazing guy, in fact. He could be prickly and standoffish, but once you got close enough to glimpse past that rough, abrupt exterior, it wasn't hard to see that he had a heart of gold.

        Piper regaled me with stories about Jace I hadn't heard; adventures they'd had since becoming best friends. Her energy and enthusiasm were contagious, and I felt any residual awkwardness between us start to fade. 

        It was also really interesting to hear how Jace acted around her—basically the same as he did with Amelia. The teasing and taunting, check. His honesty and protectiveness, check.

        He was like that with me, too, but there were times I couldn't quite figure out the nature of our relationship. He wasn't my brother and he wasn't my best friend. We had been friends once, but ever since last year, we hadn't kept in touch. I didn't know where that left us now.

        Piper nudged me with her foot after I'd gone silent for a while. "Tell me something. How long have you had feelings for Jace?"

        The question knocked me for a loop, and I nearly dropped my drink. For a few confused, horrible moments, I was rendered speechless.

        "Uh..." I blinked slowly. I wracked my brain for something to say—anything that would erase the suspicions she had. After coming up short, I sighed at the sad reality. "God, is it that obvious?"

        "No, not at all. I promise," she reassured me. "I only picked up on it because, well, Jace told me what happened between the two of you last year."

        Air snagged in my throat. "He did? What did he say?"

        "You know I can't tell you that," she said, tucking an unruly curl behind her ear. "It's not my place. Hey, are you going to finish that?" Piper gestured to my half-empty bottle of beer. After I told her no, she tipped the rest of the liquid into her plastic cup.

        Jace was indifferent to me, I decided. He had to be. There was a year's worth of lost opportunity between us now, and his silence spoke a thousand words. So then why had he felt the need to confide in Piper about it? Until moving here, I'd thought he'd wanted to forget that night ever happened.

        Twenty minutes later, when I'd finally worked up the nerve to track Jace down again, I was devastated to find that a brunette had swooped in on him like a vulture.

        They were huddled in the corner of the jam-packed living room. She was perched on the arm of a chair, and he was smiling down at her. Although her back was to me, she looked oddly familiar, and something awful squeezed inside my chest. 

        I felt a queasy rush roll over me as I pushed my way through the crowd, narrowly avoiding becoming a punching bag as people knocked into me with pointy elbows and other body parts I didn't even want to envisage.

        As I sidled up to them, I gave myself major props for managing to secure a smile on my face. There was nothing to see here, folks. I was one cool customer.

        Jace cleared his throat. "Hayley, you remember Zoe, don't you?"

        Zoe?

        As in his ex-girlfriend of three years?

        My worst fears came true when she turned to face me.

        The beer in my belly heaved and threatened to come back up. Zoe was here. Just like that night last year.

        There was no other reason why she would be at this random college party, aside from wanting to see Jace, was there? I recalled Amelia telling me they'd cut off all contact after the breakup, which hadn't been hard considering she attended a college in Statesboro.

        Confusion ate away at me along with the alcohol.

        Zoe pushed her bangs out of her eyes, grinning up at me. I couldn't resist cataloging everything about her. She'd always been gorgeous. Her long, black hair was gathered in a side braid, her olive skin flawless and smooth with a slight dusting of freckles, and her short black dress was held up by boobs twice the size of mine. She was practically every male's walking fantasy.

        "Of course, it's been a while." My voice sounded so small, and I hated it, but not as much as I hated myself for automatically crawling back into my shell. Old insecurities seeped in, threatening my newfound happiness.

        "I know, I barely even recognized you!" Zoe said, squeezing my arm affectionately. "You look really, really good."

        I groaned internally. Life would be so much easier if Jace's ex-girlfriend was some evil wretch, but Zoe had always been lovely. Amelia and I had joked that she was the type of girl that could kill with kindness.

        Jace and Zoe had been high school sweethearts, and by the time I was seventeen, I'd resigned myself to the inevitable. They would get married, have a couple of kids, and be the perfect white-picket-fence family. I'd thought for sure that the idea of being with Jace one day was nothing more than a mere pipe dream.

        So, when I'd discovered they'd actually broken up last year, it had rocked me to the core and provided me with the smallest glimmer of hope.

        And now that said hope was being snubbed out again.

        Zoe showing up here had to be an omen. A reason not to ask Jace, point-blank, how he felt about me. I had my answer now. He definitely wasn't interested. Never had been. Never would be. Everything unraveling exactly the same way it had a year ago.

        Oh God. I felt itchy all over. Coming over here probably hadn't been the best idea.

        I shifted from one foot to another, glancing over my shoulder. As I looked around the room, I was busily planning my exit. 

        "Hayley? You okay?" It was Jace. Softness crept into his voice and his stare.

        "What?" I rasped. I looked back in his direction, but it was hard to focus on anything. "Oh yeah, fine. I'm just going to... uh, it was nice catching up, Zoe." The words came out in a choked whisper, the pain in my chest making it hard to breathe.

        With that, I disappeared back into the throng of dancers and made my way toward the kitchen, acting like the iron-fist that crushed my heart wasn't tightening with every step.

        Suddenly overcome with the urge to get stupidly drunk, I plucked out another bottle of beer from the slush of melting ice in the cooler.

        I was rummaging through the countertop drawers, trying to locate a bottle opener, when I sensed someone's presence looming behind me.

        Spinning around, I saw that an incredibly attractive guy had closed in on me, and I tried not to gape at him. Choppy black hair tumbled over half of his face, concealing his eyes, and tattoos laced up his tanned, wiry arms. They flexed as he folded them across his broad chest.

        "What are you looking for?" He arched a dark, pierced eyebrow. "This is my place."

        I flushed, feeling like I'd encroached on his territory, but also because, when he'd angled his head up and his hair had fallen aside, eyes that were snake green had slid up and down my body.

        "A bottle opener," I said, finding my voice and gesturing to the sealed beer in my hand. His intense stare elicited a flurry of jitters.

        "Here." He grabbed the drink from me before I could protest, taking the top of the bottle into his mouth. Intrigued, I watched him, and then I heard a distinct pop! He spat the lid out into the nearby trashcan.

        "Impressive," I commented as he handed me my drink back.

        "I know," he said, like a cocky asshole. His eyes continued to simmer from under his thick lashes, deadly and hypnotic. "I'm Levi."

        "Hayley," I offered and took a swig of beer, savoring the crispness that coated my tongue before I swallowed.

        "So, you go to UGA?"

        "Uh-huh," I told him. "I actually just moved here the other day."

        "No wonder I've never seen you at one of these parties before." He was inching closer to me, and I instinctively stepped back, the corner of the countertop jutting into my spine. 

        There was no denying that Levi was hot, and while I'd been talking to him, I hadn't been thinking about Jace, which was a small victory in itself, but there was something about him—something about the way he almost leered at me—that stirred a horrible, twisty feeling in my stomach.

        "Where's your bathroom?" I blurted out. I didn't really need it, not as much as I needed a reason to get away, but he didn't know that.

        Levi tilted his chin toward the door, but his eyes never left mine. There was a strange coldness behind them, and I fought off a shiver. "Just down the end of the hall."

        "Right," I said, unnerved as he continued to look at me. "Thanks."

        "You can leave your beer here." His lips curled into a barely-there smirk. "I mean, only if you want."

        "Uh." I blinked back at him. Was this guy for real? "I think I'll take my beer with me."

        Trying to keep up appearances, I started in the direction he'd told me to go, as though I'd actually needed the bathroom. I shook my head incredulously, replaying Levi's strange proposition over and over—everyone knew you should never leave your drink unattended to.

        Just recalling the dangerous curve to his smile caused the hairs on the nape of my neck to stand up, but then Jace was sauntering up to me, slinging one arm around my shoulder, and my encounter with the green-eyed boy was immediately forgotten. 

        "You having fun?" His warm breath tickled my collarbone. When he drew back, he flashed a grin that made his dimples pop out and my heart race way more than it should. God, I was so screwed.

        "It's great," I insisted, even though I'd safely pick a night in with Netflix over a rager any day. "Fun times."

        Silence. 

        Jace eyed me, brows pinched with concern.

        And to be honest, I felt wobbly and off-balance. The party atmosphere was verging on smothering. 

        He grumbled something under his breath that I didn't catch as he reached for me, and I let him. He grabbed me by the elbow and pulled me into his chest. That was all it took. My whole body tingled, even though I was fully aware that Zoe was probably waiting for him in the other room. But then his hand slipped around my waist, steadying me, and I couldn't think much about anything else.

        "Why are you down here all by yourself, then?" he tested, disbelief engraved all over his face.

        "Well, the bathroom was actually my avenue of escape," I admitted with a shrug. "A guy was kind of hassling me, and I needed an excuse to get away from him."

        Jace went rigid. "Do I know him?" His features darkened as he stared down at me.

        Even through the haze of alcohol, I remembered how he'd reacted yesterday morning when he'd heard Levi's name in class. His eyes had flashed and he'd ground his teeth so hard I'd been surprised he hadn't cracked his molars.

        Figuring if I said anything it would only add fuel to the flames, I settled for a lie. "No, I don't think so."

        At that point, we'd reached the end of the hallway, and I ducked into the bathroom, grateful to evade any other questions Jace may have wanted to ask.

        I rested my bottle on the corner of the sink and took several breaths in order to calm down. I glanced at my reflection in the small, dusty mirror. My dark hair spilled past my shoulders in long, silky waves, and I blinked back the tears that threatened to fill my blue eyes.

        I was tipsy and sad, which had the potential to be an unholy mess. I didn't know what Zoe being back here meant. Was it just a coincidence? Or were they, like, actually getting back together this time?

        Either way, her timing was terrible. She was always popping up at the worst possible time, and I didn't even want to consider what would happen if they started dating again. All I knew was that masking my misery would be a lot harder than before. I was at UGA now, and there was no way I could dodge Jace unless I dropped the class we shared.

        Unable to shut myself away with my spiraling thoughts any longer, I ventured back out into the corridor. I saw Jace leaning against the wall, waiting for me. When he looked up and our gazes clashed together, his careful expression didn't go anywhere.

        I rested against the wall beside him, the tension dragging out between us until I couldn't take the silence anymore. "Zoe's back," I stated so evenly, so matter-of-fact. "That was unexpected."

        "For me, too." His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. "She told me she's staying in town for a couple of days."

        "Oh?" I raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised. "Is she back to... you know, see you?"

        I'd only had two drinks, and yet the buzz of alcohol was making me ask dumb questions already.

        "Hayley," he said my name like a warning.

        Hell, I realized I didn't even want to know the answer to that. I balked at the thought of Jace trampling all over my heart, but as I went to leave, he clamped a hand down on my wrist. 

        "Don't go." He exhaled. "It's not what you think."