Page 49 of Embrace

“I have a milestone.”

I glance back at Kian just as Scott steps away to wheel the boxes of alcohol to the back. “You do?”

“We did it!” he shouts. “I got a B minus on my assignment!”

I gasp. One instant both of my feet are on the ground, and in the next, Kian’s lifting me in his arms, spinning me around.

“That’s amazing, Kian!”

“I know. Thanks to you.” He still has his arms around me. “No way I could’ve done it without you.”

“No, it was all you. You’re way smarter than you give yourself credit for,” I say, and then for good measure, “nerd.”

He barks out a laugh. “I totally am a nerd now, aren’t I? We should celebrate.”

“Do you know what nerds do when they get a good grade?” I ask him.

“Get drunk and eat bottomless wings at Porter’s?”

“They study to get an even better grade next time.”

Kian groans. “I’m trying to pass the course, not be an honor student. Come on, Scar, you gotta celebrate with me. Tonight? One drink, one order of wings. It’ll be quick.”

“You just said the wings are bottomless,” I say, taking my laptop and heading over to my quiet study room. “Besides, don’t you want to celebrate with your actual friends?”

His brows pinch together. “You are my friend.”

It’s juvenile, but the way that sentence spills into my chest like warm milk makes me want to blow off class and do whatever he wants.

“How about we study for an hour and then we celebrate? My treat,” he says.

He’s got that look again. Man, it’s gotta be some sort of kryptonite. “One whole hour, andI’lltreatyouto wings. You deserve it.”

Kian pulls out his phone, checking the time. Then he turns to his textbook, and when he opens it, a paper falls out.

“Oh, I almost forgot. This is yours.” He picks up the envelope from the floor and holds it out to me.

I recognize the slightly ripped and yellowing paper immediately,and the smile drops off my face. My heart thumps in a slow, nearly lifeless rhythm.

The purposely misspelled opener,Deer Dadin my handwriting, peeks out of the top of the envelope. I snatch it out of his hand so quickly, Kian startles at the sudden movement.

“Y-you…how long did you have this?” I can’t stop my chest from heaving or my breaths from growing shallow.

Two slow blinks before he says, “Since our second session, I think? I didn’t realize I had it until I was studying and it was wedged into my textbook.”

Okay. That’s fine. Not like he stole it. It was a mistake.

“Thanks,” I mutter, a little harsher than I intend as I shove it into my bag.

I try to calm my breathing, hoping he didn’t notice the way my chest started to heave. My mouth is dry and my throat feels tight and parched all at once. It’s like having your entire life on display by opening up your every thought for the world to see. No one should see that, and it feels like a near miss that I somehow avoided it. I’ve spent four years in this school without a single soul finding out about my biological dad being in prison. That isn’t the kind of story I want to follow me around.

“If you ever wanted to talk about it, I’m here, you know.” Kian’s gaze hasn’t left mine, silently watching the spiral I’d just been going down. And then his words hit me.

No.No. That look on his face, sympathetic and soft like he finally understands, feels all wrong. He’s supposed to be grinning, those eyes sparkling, untouchable and careless. Not this. And certainly not directed at me.

I feign indifference. “What do you mean?”

“About your dad. If you need someone—”