He Turned Me Down, So I Dated His Best Friend Instead Chapter 09

He Turned Me Down, So I Dated His Best Friend Instead Chapter 09

By the time the party ended, it was dark.

Rain was coming down.

My roommates and I stood under the awning for ages, unable to get a rideshare.

Just then,

Mia spotted Julian coming out. Her eyes lit up, and she nudged me.

“Julian drove here, right? Should we ask him to take us back to campus?”

I shifted uncomfortably.

Mia had no idea what had happened between Julian and me. She could also be oblivious to awkward situations, so the suggestion didn’t surprise me.

But I would’ve rather walked home in the rain than gotten into his car.

I took a reflexive step back. “Let’s not. We can wait a little longer.”

But Mia was tired of waiting. She walked over on her own.

A moment later,

I heard Julian reply, cool and distant.

“Sorry. Not tonight.”

Mia came back looking crestfallen. “He said no.”

Rain sprayed beneath the awning.

The wind blew my hair across my face.

I was about to comfort her

when a car rolled to a stop beside us.

The driver’s window lowered.

Through the rain, the man behind the wheel looked straight at me. He was handsome, with an easy, slightly reckless swagger.

His eyes curved at the corners, giving him the look of someone always on the verge of smiling.

Even his voice carried a smile.

“Claire Bennett?”

I froze.

One hand rested on the steering wheel. He tapped it lightly twice, then said,

“It’s me. Mason Wilder. I told you I’d come find you.”

I stared at him for a moment before managing an awkward, “Hi.”

He smiled at me.

“Get in. I’ll take all of you home.”

Before I could answer,

Mia nodded eagerly. She and my other two roommates pulled me into the car. “You are officially a

lifesaver.”

I sat in the back, awkward and unsure what to do with myself.

“Thanks.”

He lifted a brow. “No problem.”

He was about to pull away when he noticed Julian nearby. Mason looked out through the open

window. “Rhodes.”

“What are the odds? You’re here too.”

In the darkness, Julian seemed to have been watching us for a long time. When he finally spoke, his

tone was impossible to read. “You’re certainly going all out.”

“But what if she likes someone else?”

I stiffened.

I didn’t dare lift my head.

But a second later, Mason answered, as easygoing as ever.

“So what?”

“We’re heading out. Catch you next time, Rhodes.”