Chapter 17 His Attempt

• Kade POV
• I tear my gaze away from Rook and throw back a long sip of my drink, letting the alcohol burn its way down. The conversation around me keeps flowing, my teammates laughing, talking about the game, chirping me for the fight like it was the highlight of the night. I force myself to engage, nodding along, throwing in the occasional smirk or smart-ass comment, but my focus keeps slipping.
• I should be having fun. I should be relaxing, letting the buzz settle over me and drown out everything, Nikolai, the thrown game, Rook. But I can still feel him watching me. Even when I don’t look, I know he hasn’t stopped. It’s like a weight pressing against my chest, a pull that I don’t want to acknowledge.