Chapter 3

Preston's hand freezes mid-air.

His eyes flick away for a second. Then his tone turns matter-of-fact again.

"Been busy lately. It slipped my mind."

Not slipped. Never stored.

I don't bother correcting him. I keep eating.

After dinner, someone suggests moving to the private lounge next door to keep the night going.

I still haven't found my moment to say the words. So I say nothing and follow.

At the card table, Preston sits to Sabrina's left. I sit to his.

Sabrina pouts. "Ugh, my hand's terrible. If only I had a Queen of Hearts."

I glance down. I'm missing a Queen of Hearts too.

A second later, Preston tosses one across the table to her.

She sticks her tongue out. "I knew Pres was the best."

My stomach twists.

It acts up again, right on cue. It always does after I eat.

I press a hand to my side. Preston notices and slides his palm over my stomach, rubbing.

"Cramping again? You know your stomach's a mess. Why'd you eat so much?"

I fight the urge to pull away. Just make a small sound. I'm not going to make this ugly in front of everyone.

For the next hour, Preston keeps slipping Sabrina the best cards.

He is the only one who keeps losing.

The guys start hooting. "Loser pays up, Pres. Pull a dare card."

He draws one lazily and hands it off.

Kiss the person on your right. Refuse, and they take a shot.

The room goes electric.

Sabrina's on his right.

Every eye swings to me. They're all waiting for me to lose it, like I always do.

I laugh, light. Calm.

"It's a game. Kiss her if you want. Don't factor me in."

Preston goes still. His chest rises hard, once.

Sabrina's lashes flutter. She hesitates.

"Pres, don't. You've got so much pressure right now. If you kiss me, Lena's going to give you hell all night."

"I don't want to be the thing between you two. I don't want to make this hard for you. I'll just take the shot — I only get hives if I drink. That's nothing compared to Lena being upset."

She flashes a brave little smile and reaches for the glass.

Preston catches her wrist immediately.

"Stop. You can't drink, period. It's just a dare. I lost — I pay."

He stands up. Tilts her chin up. Kisses her hard.

Sabrina's eyes flick to me mid-kiss. The corner of her mouth lifts.

I watch them tangled together and wait for the pain to hit.

Nothing.

Just a wave of nausea rolling through my gut.

"Preston. Let's break up."