Beautiful. He said beautiful. I’m choosing to believe he meant the apartment.
I watch Erik turn red.
I didn’t even know he could do that.
Gunnar is grinning and I’m not going to have an apartment left at this rate.
“It’s just one night,” I hear myself say.
In their defense.
Out loud.
Because I’m trying to save my things… That’s it.
He doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t need to. He just got me to do it for him.
Fucker.
Brock, who could help, is admiring my bookshelf. He has one of my books in his hand now. I can’t see which one from here.
Please be Sarah J. Maas.
It’s not going to be Sarah J. Maas.
“Okay. Nope.” Both hands up. I’m out. “You know what? I don’t care. Stay. Go. Do both. Pick one and then do the other one, I genuinely could not care less. Sleep here. Sleep at Erik’s. Sleep upside down off the ceiling like a colony of bats. I’m going to bed.”
It is, I am fairly certain, the only sane decision I have made all night.
I turn for the hall.
“Sweet dreams.”
Rayner.
The first thing he’s said to me. The only thing. All night.
Two words and everything in me stops at once.
Because it isn’t the words. People say the words. It’s that he says them like he knows exactly where I’m going. Like he knows what’s waiting in there. Like he’s already been, going soft at the edges, telling me to stay—
I don’t turn around. If I turn around I have to look at those eyes, and I am not ready. I am nowhere near ready for that.
Behind me it’s so quiet I can’t even hear them breathing. Even Gunnar managed to shut up.
I make myself walk.
I don’t answer him.
I don’t look back.
I close my bedroom door with the extreme care of a person holding herself together with both hands and a roll of tape.
I last about three seconds.
Then I’ve got my phone.
I open Ashley and type—
