He gave me a look that encompassed everything. Yes, it was a stupid question. ‘Right, well, I’m okay. Nothing to speak of unless you want to talk about the giant black mountain that’s suddenly appeared out of nowhere.’
He hummed, but didn’t push. Then, he gestured towards my suitcases. ‘Where are you going?’
‘Dean Winters asked grad students who teach at the middle school to move into the youth dorms while they investigate what’s going on. With the older staff preoccupied, they need more eyes on the kids.’
He frowned. ‘Just the student teachers?’
‘Yeah. They don’t want us on the front lines since we’re still technically students ourselves, but since we’ve already got one degree under our belts and we’re officially employed as staff, I guess the dean figured it was best to position us away from any potential danger while still protecting the youngsters.’
‘Do you have any idea what’s going on?’ he asked, concern etching deep grooves into his face.
I shook my head. ‘No. Not a clue.’
‘I have a weird feeling about this,’ he admitted, the words even more ominous coming from him. ‘Whatever this is, it’s big, and it’s not over.’
‘I agree,’ I said grimly, my gaze drifting to the window where the giant dark mass loomed over the academy. ‘It’s far from over.’
‘Let me at least help you carry your bags to your new room. Help you get settled,’ he offered.
I shrugged and hauled the heaviest one to him. ‘Be my guest.’
Enid’s head snapped up from where she’d been not-so-sneakily snooping, eagerly running over to take my suitcase from Thorne. ‘I can help, too.’
Thorne and I shared a look that spoke volumes about how annoying she was if she was getting on his nerves now, too. He had the patience of a damn saint, so it took a lot to push him over the edge. I smirked when he shrugged and let her take the luggage, and he raised a single brow when she began to heave it out of the room.
‘I’ve got it if it’s too heavy for you, Enid,’ he offered, and I wanted to face-palm. He needed to stop coddling the woman and let her go already.
‘No,’ she huffed. ‘It’s fine,’ she grunted. ‘I’ve got it!’
We waited until she’d dragged the suitcase further down the hallway, stopping and starting as she caught her breath before we spoke again.
‘Why her, man?’ I complained.
He lifted a shoulder, unbothered by the question or the answer. ‘I know she’s changed a lot since we were kids, but she’s not as bad as you think.’
‘She wants to take things beyond friends-with-benefits,’ I told him. ‘She’s not looking to be a fuck buddy forever. She wants commitment.Yourcommitment.’
‘She knows the score. We’re friends first, Oz. Everything else is just a bonus. I’m not stopping her from finding a boyfriend, and I’m not leading her on. She knows it’s just sex.’
‘Does she, though? She might have accepted that before, but it’s clear she wants more.’
‘She hasn’t pushed me for anything,’ he tried to assure me, but it fell flat when she swayed her hips and not-so-surreptitiously glanced back to check if he was looking. Her face dropped when she realised he wasn’t paying attention, and she stalked further down the hallway with a huff of frustrated dejection.
Somehow, he didn’t notice any of it, and he kept talking while I tried to keep my reactions off my face. ‘If she does, I’ll put a stop to it, but until then, I don’t see how it’s any of your business,’ he gave me a pointed look that told me to shut up and keep my nose out of it.
I winced. ‘I just care, man. You can do so much better than her.’
‘I don’t care about that,’ he waved off my concern, but the corners of his mouth tilted down. ‘Sex is just sex, and we all know my heart is already taken.’
I sighed, not wanting to continue this argument. I knew he was hearing me, but I didn’t think he fully understood the lengths Enid would go to secure him as her husband.
Not on my watch.
Conversation over, I grabbed one suitcase while he grabbed the other, and we followed Enid, not bothering to lock my door behind me. I didn’t know when I’d be back, but I wasn’t going to miss it. It wasn’t home, and there was nothing of value for anyone to steal.
Enid had just called the elevator when we caught up, her face red and bloated from the strain of hauling my heaviest bag. I sighed as I watched her almost hyperventilate from the effort of dragging it, and quickly switched hers with mine. It wasn’t that I was being nice. If I wanted to get settled into my new room sometime today, I didn’t want to have to wait for her just because she insisted on helping. This way, she could carry my underwear while I carried my research. The latter were more important to me anyway.
‘What the fuck do you even have in there?’ she panted.
