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“Can I give you my number?” she asked.
I felt Wes hesitate, the briefest ripple in the energy around him. My anger and irritation subsided immeasurably to be replaced by,Shield. Protect. Mine.Hand flattening on the roof of the car, I leaned in, leveling my stare on her. “He doesn’t have a phone right now.”
Wes jolted a little, eyes flying to my face. Even more of me settled. “I forgot about my phone. Where is it?”
Ruined. Just like his BMW. “I’ll get you a new one.”
His eyes rolled. One day, they would get stuck like that, and I’d have to look at him cross-eyed the rest of our lives. “I can get my own phone, Max.”
“C’mon,” I said, wrapping my hand around the space above his elbow. He stiffened, but I didn’t let go. He wobbled a little as he got out of the car, and I caught my jacket as it slid off his lap. After tucking it around his shoulders, I gestured to the house. “Go on.”
“I need my crutches.”
Right.
I leaned back into the car, and Shirley passed them over. “Here you go.”
I said nothing but handed them over to Wes, hitching my chin to the front door. He started to lean down to likely say bye to his friend, but I slammed the door between them.
“You are an asshole.”
“Yep,” I concurred. “Let’s go.”
After unlocking the front door, I held it open for him to go inside first.
“I should just stay at my dorm,” Wes said as I closed the door behind us.
The front door led into the main living room, which was an open space with a large dark-gray sectional couch, coffee table, and flat-screen taking up most of the far wall. Beneath it was a large console table with a couple gaming systems with a bunch of gaming controllers and chargers.
In the corner of the room was a large fireplace with a white mantle that angled out to face the room. We barely ever used it, and it sat there looking ignored.
The floors were light-colored hardwood, and there was a big light-gray rug beneath the couch and coffee table. We didn’t really decorate the space other than the rug and some gray curtains on the windows that looked out toward the street. We also had a big candle in the middle of the coffee table, but I hardly bothered to light it.
“You aren’t staying alone,” I said, noting the way he was standing there like the place was unfamiliar, like he was a stranger in his own home.
“I won’t be alone. Jamie and Ryan are on the same floor as me. Most of the Elite lives there. Besides, I don’t have a car, and I can’t walk to class from here.”
“You aren’t going to class for a couple days. And when you do, you can drive Win’s car until we get you a new one.”
“Wearen’t doing anything. I can get it myself.”
My patience was wearing thin. “Do you have to fight me on everything?”
“I wouldn’t have to fight you if you just left me alone,” he muttered.
I sucked in a breath, whole body freezing in place. I stared at the back of his head for long seconds, my heart pinching as I bit back an angry retort. “Is that what you want?” I asked, my voice quiet, devoid of the anger I felt.
His shoulders stiffened, making my jacket fall away, slapping onto the floor by his feet. My eyes followed the leather, staring at it heaped on the floor. It felt somehow symbolic of his words. Of his answer to my question even though he’d yet to speak.
All my attempts to keep us together are just pushing him away.
“Max.” His voice was brittle, scratchy like chalk against a chalkboard. The crutches in his grip groaned a little as he turned toward me. “I didn’t mean—”
“You did.” I cut him off, harsher than I intended. I should have offered to drive him to the dorm, but I wouldn’t. No way. I wanted him here. Needed it. I had to have eyes on him, to know he was okay. And that need was so great right now that we would both just have to endure.
“Yeah,” he agreed softly, eyes skirting away. “I did mean it. But not like that. I appreciate you, Max. I just…” His shoulders drooped. “I’m tired.”
I closed the distance between us, the air shifting, electrifying in a way that was getting harder to ignore. I still felt him on my skin from last night as though he’d left physical traces I could feel but not see.
