Page 24 of Forbidden Heart

He nods and hits send. Then he takes my hand, and we cross the street and disappear into the park. A park that is blissfully Silas-free.

The feeling of being watched slowly goes away, replaced by peace. The park is filled with students. They’re scattered across the grass, some lying down, others sitting up, some studying, others listening to music, singing, or even dancing. There’s even a group of drama students rehearsing for a play, reminding me that I’m not at just some regular college. This is LUV Academy.

“I like it here,” I tell Tate as a jogger dressed all in neon—bright yellow shorts, bright pink top, bright orange sneakers—races past.

“I do, too,” he says absently, but he’s not paying any attention to our surroundings. He’s still lost in thought, like he was earlier, but now he’s also frowning. And that frown puts me on edge, because in all the time I’ve been here, I don’t think I’ve seen Prince Charming look this upset.

Did he find out I’m not allowed back at the dorms? Is that why he wanted to go for coffee? So he could tell me I had to leave?

“Tate...” I say his name hesitantly, almost too scared to breathe.

“Yeah?” he asks, finally looking at me.

“J-just say it...” I whisper. Might as well get it over with and rip off the metaphorical bandage. I’ve ripped off enough real ones to know that there’s no point drawing it out.

“Say what?” Tate asks uncertainly.

“Whatever’s on your mind.” I give his hand a squeeze, hoping my palm isn’t as damp as it suddenly feels.

Tate opens his mouth, like he’s on board with getting it over with, too, but then he closes it. “Oh, it’s nothing.” He shoots me a grin—a fake grin that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“It’s not nothing.” It can’t be nothing. The worry on his face and in his voice is obvious, as is the fact that he’s trying to force that grin so hard the muscles in his jaw are starting to twitch.

Is he worried I’ll get mad? That I’ll blame him? That I’ll start crying and cause a scene?

“Tate, I won’t be upset, no matter what you tell me. I promise.” Because after everything he’s done for me, he deserves better.

Tate hesitates for another few seconds, and then he nods resolutely. “It’s my sister.”

“Your sister?” I stumble—not that there’s anything to stumble over considering that we’re walking on an even path.

“Yeah, my sister.” Tate tightens his grip on my arm to keep me from falling and nods.

“I didn’t know you had a sister.” In all the time we’ve spent together, he never once mentioned having siblings before. Especially not ones he was worried about.

It suddenly hits me that I don’t know too much about any of the guys. I’ve been so afraid to ask them personal questions in case they’d see it as an invitation to ask about me, that I’ve avoided any and all conversations that weren’t about simple things: a cappella, food, and the occasional movie.

“Does she go to LUV Academy?” I ask, though I’m pretty sure if she did, Tate would have introduced us. Or would he?

“No. She’s still in high school.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I’ve been worried about her, but I’m probably overreacting. I’m sure she’s fine.”

He shoots me another one of those grins that’s so Tate that it warms my heart, until I realize that it’s fake. He’s erecting walls around his emotions like a kingdom erects stone around a castle. But every castle has a gate, and hopefully my Prince Charming might be willing to open his and let me in.

“Why are you worried about her?” I give his hand a gentle squeeze.

“You really want to know?” Tate asks in surprise.

“Of course!”

“My parents...” he trails off and looks at me. Searching my face for something, though I have no idea what. Whatever it is, he seems to find it. “My parents work really hard. Always have, since my sister and I were little kids.”

“What do they do?” I ask, picturing them both in a factory, stacking boxes or...

“They run several multi-million dollar corporations,” Tate says.

“Oh.” I suddenly feel very, very stupid. Obviously, Tate didn’t mean they work hard physically in manual labor. Not when he didn’t even bat an eye about giving me a brand-new, super expensive laptop. Not when he always orders expensive food and pays for things like massages I don’t actually use.

Tate sighs. “They love what they do, but they’re always busy... and stressed. So whenever they have time for my sister and me... they’re usually exhausted.”