Page 47 of Ravaged By Lust

“I’m always hearing you from my room.”

“You’re planning to do the audition too, right? That’s what Bishop’s told me.”

Bishop. What has he said? That we’ve talked? Is he flying too close to the sun? That cocky bastard…

“Why would you hear that from Bishop?” I ask, faking innocence.

Axel waves his hand dismissively. “I think he said he heard it from one of the girls at school.”

“Right. Well, yeah, he’s heard it correctly. I am considering doing the audition.”

Axel’s face lights up. “That would be sick. Imagine us two together in a band. It would be so cool.”

I gulp. I can’t put it off any longer.

“There’s something I got to tell you,” I say, my voice breaking.

“What is it?”

“It’s going to sound bad at first, so I don’t want you to have a bad reaction.”

Axel goes quiet. He knows when I’m no longer joking around and when I’m serious. “Okay…”

“Promise me you won’t get mad.”

“I can’t make that promise.”

“Please, Axel.”

“Fine. I promise I won’t go mad.”

I close my eyes.

And then I say it.

“Bishop and I have been seeing each other.”

Axel snorts.

“What do you mean, seeing?”

“Like, dating. Secretly.”

He laughs. “You’re joking, aren’t you?”

“I’m not.”

“Because that’ll be a weird-ass thing to joke about, Chloe, especially coming out of the blue. You and Bishop? Seriously?”

I stare at him solemnly. “I’m not joking, Axel. We’ve been seeing each other.”

Silence.

“For how long?” he asks me, his voice already hardening.

Please don’t react bad. Please don’t react bad. Please don’t react bad.

“A few months.”