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“Why are you here?” I whisper. Both to him and the beautiful green-eyed doctor who I’ve only ever met online.
“I live here.”
“Cove? I thought this was your house?” I turn to the usually smiling boy beside me. He shifts uncomfortably in his chair.
“It is. The four of us live here. Sort of.”
“A teacher, living with students?” My frown deepens. “And my doctor?”
I don’t mean to sound so judgemental, but surely that’s not allowed? Where I’m from it definitely isn’t okay, no matter the age of the pupils.
“I think there are more important things going on that we need to discuss,” the professor cuts in, disdainfully. I nod and set my cutlery aside. “But not until you eat something.”
Frustration flares in my gut and my nostrils flare as the only outward sign of my annoyance, but to avoid a fight I force down a few more bites. I need answers more than I need to win a head to head with my stubborn, cranky teacher.
Once the intense scrutiny of the professor wavers, I gently push the plate away.
“I’m done.” It takes so much control to word that as a statement and not a request. My hands tremble in my lap and I quickly clamp them between my thighs and take a calming breath. He doesn’t know. There’s no way he could know the effect his controlling demands would have on me. Of the memories he would trigger—
“What happened last night?” the professor practically barks as soon as I’m done.
I try to formulate a reply, but I honestly don’t know where to start. My mouth gapes and all I can do is shake my head.
“May I have a drink please?”
The dark haired one I don’t know all that well,my so called doctor, gets to his feet and crosses to the fridge. He comes back a moment later with a bottle of water which I take from him with a thousand questions in my eyes. Our fingers brush and I gasp, almost dropping the bottle at the crackle of electricity that sparks between us.
His lips move into the signature reassuring smile that I’ve come to love and depend on, and it’s enough to calm me. I crack open the bottle of water and sip gratefully.
“I honestly don’t remember all that much. I’m sorry,” I say once I’ve finished drinking.
The professor sighs, but it’s more of a huff and I wonder if he thinks I’m lying.
“What were you doing at the restaurant?” Cove asks calmly, reaching out and taking my hand to give it a reassuring squeeze.
“Summer wanted me to go. She’s been seeing someone and she wanted me to meet them.”
“I thought you couldn’t leave your room?” the professor snorts.
“I’ve been trying,” I protest. “I haven’t missed classes, and Bhodi and Cove help me normally. Summer gave me my medication, and a little extra, which helped settle me.”
“She drugged you?” Bhodi asks, incredulous.
“No.” I shake my head. “It wasn’t like that. Summer helps me with my meds. So that I don’t get in a muddle. She said it was safe to take a higher dose, to take the anxiety off.”
I trust Summer implicitly, but it’s clear from the looks on all four guys’ faces that they don’t. But they don’t know her like I do.
“Okay. So what happened when you got to the restaurant?” Cove prompts.
“We were shown to our table. A booth in the back. They called it something stupid though. The restaurant was fancier than I’m used to, and I felt really nervous. Summer suggested I go to the toilet to calm down.”
I frown. Is that how it happened? Summer is usually impatiently tolerant of my nerves at best. Would she have suggested I leave to settle myself? This doesn’t feel right. Am I remembering correctly?
I take another sip of my water and try to clear my head.
“Is that when you found the body?”
My brow creases as I try to remember. I shake my head. “No. It would have been too early. I just used the toilet, calmed myself and went back. Summer’s dates had turned up while I was gone.”
