Page 92 of Colton

I nod, and don’t press further. After all, ignorance is bliss in this situation, and I did tell him I want no involvement with the illegal aspect of whatever it is he’s doing. Instead, I make some space between us to watch him.

“Artemis apologized to me.”

That slapped him awake rather quickly. His brows shoot up to his hairline, and he blinks, almost in confusion.

“I didn’t know that word was even in her vocabulary,” he says, and I snort. “Why did she apologize?”

“She doesn’t want to be on your bad side.”

“She’s almost always on my bad side,” he deadpans. “But if it means she won’t be bothering you anymore, I’ll take it.”

“That’s what I thought, too.”

“Now while you’re here,” Colton murmurs, running his fingers up and down my forearm. “How busy are you this Friday morning?”

It takes me a moment to think about my schedule, then respond.

“Not too busy,” I smile. “I don’t have the first two classes. Why?”

“I want to take you out to the city.”

My brows narrow. “Which one?”

“Not Saint Valley.” he rolls his eyes. “It’s too far. But the next town over has a beautiful lake view if you’d like to go.”

“That’s where a lot of people from here go during their days off. Do you think someone will see us?”

“That early in the morning?” He pauses. “No. And even if they do, we can always say we just ran into each other while we were doing errands.”

“Okay, then,” I beam. “It’s a date.”

35

It’s too cold to go outside. If it weren’t for the date Colton had planned for us, I wouldn’t even leave the bed until it was time for classes. I’m wearing a long skirt, with a blouse tucked in, and a coat that still seems too thin.

When I step outside of the dorms, no one’s there. Not even people who are usually in charge of the upkeep of the premises — everyone’s either inside or asleep. It’s barely seven in the morning, and I don’t know what Colton could’ve possibly planned for us this early in the morning.

My feet are carrying me towards the gates, and my heart is beating rapidly in my chest. Realistically, I know that we’ve been getting careless, and that it’s only a matter of time before someone spots us, but I can’t help myself. The man means too much to me, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to let go of this.

Once I’m out of the gates, I sigh out deeply in relief. Colton’s waiting with his car a bit further down the road, and when he spots me, a small smile tugs at the corner of his lips. I’m not surprised he’s dressed in a suit; I don’t think the man owns anything else.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” he kisses my forehead, and something in me melts.

“Good morning,” I smile.

Colton opens the door for me, and I take a seat as he buckles me in. All of it takes him less than a minute, and then he walks over to the driver’s seat. And yet, my heart is pounding. I’m too scared someone will find out about us, and I’m scared of what the consequences will be.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“First, we’ll go get breakfast,” he says as he turns the engine on, then starts to drive off. “Afterward, we could take a walk. Is there anything you need?”

I roll my eyes. “Didn’t you buy me enough things in Saint Valley?”

“In my eyes, it’s hardly enough,” he drawls. “But I meant perhaps something for exams? Winter break will be over quickly.”

“No, I have everything,” I respond. “I have more notebooks than I’ll ever need, and every book is available at the library.”

“Alright,” he nods. “Is there a chance I could see you during the winter break?”