Page 30 of Dirty Hot Valentine
And by the way they’re looking at me—the boys and the girlfriends—I know Viktor hasn’t just lied about the party. They don’t hate me or think I’m a threat to the band. Their eyes and smiles are more than welcoming.
Maybe he wanted to tell me about the way he felt but panicked. Maybe he wanted to test my reaction to the girlfriend word. I don’t know.
What I know is that this whole night is a setup. An ambush.
Viktor’s romantic way to woo me over and make me his.
Fuck.
7. MAGGIE
I stay at the bar and order some vodka shots. The bartender smiles at my top.
“Yeah, yeah.” My eyes roll.
Viktor holds my gaze from the stage as he sits behind his drums. The crowd goes wild, and the lead singer takes the microphone.
“We have a new song written specially for tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Dirty Beats.”
Loud cheers fill the place. Viktor hits his sticks together, giving the band a count, and the song starts.
You don’t see me
But my heart isn’t blind
I slowly go insane
Every time I call you mine
Barefoot dancing on my veins
Possessing me one step at a time
All my tears and my heartbreaks
Are the dirty beats you’re dancing to tonight
OMG. There are way too many hearts in this intro; anything more than zero is too many. Blood rushes from my veins as I listen. My breathing labors in my chest. I down three shots in a row, a distraction from the panic about to attack.
I glance at him as he slams the bridge, and he doesn’t take his eyes off me.
Love scares you
But I know I’m not afraid
To say I love you
Even though my heart might break
No. No. NO! I gasp. Loudly.
This is way worse than I’ve thought. Viktor doesn’t just like me or wants me to be his girlfriend.
He is in…
I can’t even finish the sentence.
Here we go. The sharp pain in my chest. The racing breaths. The shivering. The fucking panic attack.
