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“I gotta get to class.”
“Wait.” His fingers wrap around my bicep as he holds me in place. “Talk to me.”
“Why? You seem plenty chatty with everyone else but me. Why start now?”
“What do you mean, everyone else?” he demands, his nostrils flaring.
“Nothing.”
He shakes his head. “Not nothing. Tell me.”
I can’t, I want to scream, but I bite my tongue.
Unfortunately for me, the bastard can read me like a book and leans a little closer, towering over me with his massive height. “Are you pissed that I reached out to Slytherin4ever, Say? That I’ve been talking to her instead of you?”
The floor feels like it’s been dropped out from under me, making my knees threaten to collapse. Convinced I’ve heard him wrong, I stammer, “W-what did you just say?”
“I know about your other profile, Say.”
Shit.
“H-how did you––”
“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you can’t accuse me of leaving you high and dry after that kiss. I wanted to reach out, but I didn't want to scare you.”
“So, what?” I seethe, attempting to ignore the way the room is spinning right now. “You used a less conventional route to spy on me and get a feel for my reaction?”
“Spy on you?” he scoffs. “You’re joking, right? You started it, Say. You created the profile. You messaged me out of the blue. That’s on you. Not on me.”
“But you knew!”
“Yeah, and I was desperate enough for your attention that I didn't give a shit. I just wanted to talk to you. To get you to let your guard down for once in your life.”
“Once in my life?” I laugh dryly while avoiding the curious stares from our fellow coworkers. “Sorry, Owen, but you’ll have to cut me a little slack on that one. My guard was down the first time you broke my heart, remember? I guess you’ll have to be a little patient with me while I try to figure out how to let you in a second time. Although now that we’re talking about it, I think we both know what a massive mistake that would be. You lied to me.”
His punishing grip tightens.
“You lied to me,” he argues, his voice sounding like gargled glass. “And I didn’t even give a shit about it, so why the hell are you putting this on me?”
“Because I wanted to talk to you! I wanted proof that you weren’t all that I thought you were cracked up to be in high school. I wanted evidence that you might pretend to like me in real life, but you’d do that to any girl if given the opportunity––”
“That’s bullshit, and you know it. You were always it for me, Say. Always. And I’m tired of trying to prove it to you when you won’t even give me a chance.”
As if I’ve been slapped, I flinch away from him. “So what? You’re done? Again? That’s it?”
“I’m not going anywhere, Say. I’ve already told you that, even though you refuse to believe me. You’re it for me. You’re the one. But I’m not going to play games with you. Call me when you’re ready. The ball is officially in your court.”
His punishing grip disappears from my bicep, and he storms away, leaving me alone with a bunch of gawking coworkers. Including my baby sister.
“Shit,” she murmurs before guiding me into the hallway. I feel like I’m suffocating. Like an elephant is sitting on my chest. Like I’m going to pass out if I don’t get some freaking air.
“Breathe,” Skye orders me, picking up our pace as she practically shoves me into one of the hall closets.
“What just happened?” I cry. My chest is heaving at an uneven rhythm, but I still feel like I can’t breathe.
“Slow down, Saylor. Deep breaths. Slow. Controlled. Just. Breathe.” She demonstrates the motion with each dragged out word, and I slowly start to follow along until my breathing evens out.
“It’s okay,” she whispers. “It’s going to be okay.”
