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“Tess!” Delaney hisses.
“What? He has.”
Colby’s eyes widen drastically as Knox winks. Meanwhile, Savannah side-eyes Grayson, and the amusement vanishes from his face. I don’t know what the story is there, but I’m obviously out of the loop.
LYING IN BED NEXT to Tessa is something I never thought I’d be able to do again, but wished for every time I caught the clock at 11:11. Granted, I didn’t think it would be in a hospital bed, but I’ll take whatever path leads me to her. Tessa’s head rests on my chest as I run my fingers through her hair.
“How’s your head?”
She shrugs. “Not as bad as it was, but not as good as it could be either.”
I press a kiss into her hair. “Do you want me to go see if you can have anything yet?”
“No, that’s okay. I don’t want you to move.”
Holding her tighter, I think about everything we’ve been through. It’s no secret that I wanted this girl from the start. She caught my attention at first glance and never let it go. The way she knew exactly what she was after and went for it without shame? It was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. And then, the universe threw in a curve ball.
I remember the look on her face when she walked into my classroom. I was already in a bad mood, having my arm twisted into taking a job I didn’t want or need, and seeing her sent me into a whole different dimension. On one hand, I was furious. At no point during the eight or so hours we spent together did she mention anything about still being in high school. Then again, neither of us really said much of anything that night.
Despite wanting her, I tried to stay away. She’s my student, and there are rules against this kind of thing. Rules I do think are important and valid. But, I couldn’t. The more I pushed her away, the harder she came back. She broke down my walls, thinned my restraint, and gave me no choice but to fall in love with her.
I considered quitting. After the Lexington benefit, when I realized that the whole hiding thing didn’t work for me anymore, I thought about it. I pictured all the places we could
go together, all the things we could do, and I wanted it. Craved it like Colby with a girl in a short skirt. But before I even got a chance to really consider it, shit hit the fan.
“Can I ask you something?”
She peers up at me through her long lashes. “What’s up?”
I cup her cheek. “What happened the night you left?”
Looking away, she sighs. “Blaire happened.”
“I know that much. I mean, what’d she say to you?”
It takes a moment for her to speak, almost like she’s questioning whether or not she should tell me at all. “Honestly? Nothing I didn’t already know deep down.”
My brows furrow. “Enlighten me.”
She spends the next fifteen minutes telling me everything. How she came home hoping to find me there so we could talk about Trent. The folder that contained more information on Tessa’s life than anyone should have access to. And even how much it killed her to hit ignore when I tried calling her.
“Why didn’t you talk to me?”
Her lip quivers as she fiddles with the hospital gown. “Because everything she said had truth to it. It still does. And you’re better off when I’m not in your life.”
Fucking Blaire. “That’s bullshit. That woman is a vile, disgusting human being who used information about your past to scare you away from me.”
“Maybe so,” she shrugs. “But she did it because it’s in your best interest. Think about it, Ash. If the press finds out about us, they’ll skin you alive. You’ll be turned into the perverted teacher who couldn’t keep it in his pants.”
I shake my head and sit up. “What? No. I don’t care about any of that. Can’t you see that? I don’t…I don’t…”
“Shh, okay.” She places a hand on my chest and lightly pushes me back down, cuddling into me. “We don’t have to worry about that right now.”
We shouldn’t have to worry about it ever, but I’m not going to argue it right now. I pull her in closer and kiss her forehead.
THE CLOSER IT GETS to “game time”, the more Tessa seems to be on edge. We spent the night wrapped in each other’s arms, even after the nurse came in to tell me those beds aren’t meant for two people. Still, I can see how uncomfortable all this makes her, and I’ve got a fucking bone to pick with my publicist.
Tessa signs all the discharge papers, cringing at the pamphlets they give her for drug rehabs in the area. Once that’s all done, she changes into a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie Delaney was nice enough to bring her. When she comes out of the bathroom, she looks a little bit more like the girl I fell for.
