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THIRTY-ONE
the night of nights
pt. 2
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ELECTRICITY BUZZED BETWEEN the two men, the tension searing to the touch. Keegan's easy-going smile reeked of insincerity, and the arrogant posture of his stance no doubt made Isaiah feel on edge. That much was evident in the tight grip he held on my waist, his muscles taut and his jaw rigid. In that very moment, we were the only three people in the club--and if this situation went the way I feared it would, shit was going to hit the fan.
"You aren't going to introduce me, Sienna?" Keegan asked, cocking his head to the side. He used the tone he always did, condescending and leaving no room for protest.
Ever since our "relationship" became public, he tried his best to force me into submission. My knees bent for nobody except myself, and that was a mantra I had always stood by. But Keegan had always stuffed ultimatums into black letters, and he derived pleasure from dangling them in my face so I'd have no choice to fall beneath him.
I ground my teeth together. "Isaiah, this is a friend from home, Keegan—Keegan, Isaiah. There, let's go."
The introduction was surely not polite, but it was more than enough for me. I tugged on Isaiah's arm to pull him away, but he was firmly grounded when Keegan began to speak.
"That's it? Sienna, you've always been too modest." His lips curled back to bare his teeth. "Keegan Allen," he said, sticking his hand out for Isaiah to shake it, "Sienna's boyfriend."
I visibly stiffened, all color draining out of my body.
Keegan was smiling, but beneath the shiny exterior lurked sinister intentions.
Our situationship was never explained to Isaiah—not because I was hiding anything, but because I didn't think I had to. The Cove and Virginia were worlds apart, and I preferred them that way. My circumstances were different back home, and for that reason I tried my best to keep my lives separate. Now? My carefully built divide had begun to blur.
Isaiah didn't share. He was far too prideful, far too confident in his assets. What was his was not for anyone else. Especially not for the douchebag in front of him who was threatening his relationship. Not only would the fact that Keegan had the audacity to claim me as his girlfriend set Isaiah on fire, he would surely question the reasoning behind such audacity. The fingers were going to end up pointing at me, and before he turned to point fingers he would make sure that Keegan's jaw was taught a full-semester lesson.
