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But it’s over now. All that hard work has boiled down to some coursework, exams, and an eight-thousand-word dissertation. Despite the many good and bad distractions—Casper, my mum, the break-in—I’ve done it.
So far, I haven’t seen Imani and Freya, and I’m grateful because they’re going to freak out. They’ve sent a few thousand messages demanding answers, worrying that I was running away because I left right before an exam, but I’ve been stuck in a Casper bubble. I’ll see them soon enough, anyway.
“Thank God that’s over. I’ve been dyingto talk to you,” Reggie says, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. “I need details now. Casper was a fucking mess before he came to find you.” He laughs. “It was different seeing him so frantic over a woman. But I’ve got to know, Ainsley. What’s this about sneaking in? And abouteverythingelse. How long?”
“Okay, slow down,” I say, pulling on his arm. “I’ll tell you everything, but you need to breathe.”
“I can’t. You just start at the beginning of when things changed, because the last thing I remember is you about to kill him.”
“Oh, I still want to do that. It was during the break-ins, really. I saw another side to him. He was nicer and made me feel safe, which I didn’t think would ever happen. Then when my mum showed up, I was a bit of a mess, and I kissed him.”
His dark eyes grow like inflating balloons. “In front of your mum?”
“No! God, Reggie. After. When we were home.”
Reggie holds the coffee shop door open, and two people walk out without thanking him. “You’re welcome! Keep going, Ains; I need more. Come on.”
“All right, all right. Not long after that we started sleeping together.”
His eyes balloon again. “What the fuck. How did I not notice?”
“It only just started, and we’ve been busy. I’m sure you would’ve guessed eventually.”
“Is this why he was pissed at Mason, and in general, at our party?”
I nod. “I danced with Mason and he didn’t like it. Stop looking at me like that. Anyway… we kept arguing and then sleeping together. It was messy, and it felt like we could never get on. All of this happened over a matter of days, not months, too, and it was rather overwhelming. We were stuck in a cycle of sex and running, so I went to my aunt’s to try to clear my head. Being near him doesn’t exactly help me think straight.”
He pulls a face like that’s the sweetest thing he’s ever heard, so I flick his arm.
“Ouch,” he says as we reach the front of the line. I buy us both a large latte while Reggie grabs a table.
“What happened when he got to your aunt’s house?” he asks, not even giving me chance to sit down first.
“Casper told me everything. Well, a lot of things—I still have questions and we need to talk more—but it was a start.” I put the drinks on the table and take a seat opposite him.
“You thinkyouhave more questions? What did he say?”
I blow out a breath. “He told me he’s liked me from the start. When he came over to talk to me that first day, he was genuine and not just wanting to get me into bed. He moved in next door because he knew we wouldn’t see each other if he didn’t.”
Reggie rears back. “What? What the fuck? That’s why we live there…. Shit,of coursethat’s why.”
“Marvin knew,” I add.
“Those lying bastards. I can’t believe he admitted all of that. Can’t say I haven’t had my suspicions about his feelings towards you, but I didn’t expect that. Damn.”
“Damn, indeed. Anyway, one minute we were just sneaking around, and the next I wanted everything. I can’t even remember when or how it happened, but it was sudden, and it hit me like a sledgehammer. Friends… or enemies with benefits was never going to be enough.”
He shakes his head, laughing. “You two really are crazy.”’
That pretty much sums it up.
“Does this change your plans for after uni?” he asks, stirring a disgusting amount of sugar into his latte.
“It better,” Casper says, sliding onto the seat beside me.
I jolt, almost spilling my drink. “How do you keep popping up?” I ask, setting the mug down safely on the table.
He picks the mug straight up and takes a sip. “I’m tracking your phone.”
