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Tristan runs a hand over his buzzed head, frowning. “I know you don’t want her here. I’ll see what I can do to try to get her to change her mind.”
I shake my head, dropping down into the seat on the leg press. “I don’t really care if she’s in the dorms,” I grumble. “I don’t spend time there anyways.”
“Yeah, but it’d probably be better for her to be far away from you, right?”
I shoot him a sideways glance, the faintest niggle of suspicion tickling the back of my mind. Tris has never stuck his nose in my business before when it comes to his sister, so it’s a little odd that he’s suddenly volunteering to intervene on my behalf. Maybe it’s because she’s back now, so things are different. Or because he witnessed me being such a dick to her last night.
If I had to venture a guess, it’s probably the latter. I’d fucking kill someone if they spoke to Avery like that.
I’m a goddamn hypocrite.
“I mean, I doubt you wanna run into her when you go to Roxy’s,” Tristan adds with a shrug.
“Yeah, well that won’t be a problem either,” I say, bending my knees to press my feet to the plate on the leg press and pushing up, starting in on my first set of reps. “Roxy and I are done.”
“Really? Why?”
“Since when are you so interested?” I grit out, my leg muscles starting to burn. Tris doesn’t respond and I heave a sigh, immediately regretting my misdirected frustration. “She wants to do the whole relationship thing,” I mutter.
“So?”
“Not my thing.”
I turn my head to see Tristan rolling his eyes, pushing up from the bench. “I mean, you guys were basically in a relationship already though, weren’t you? So what’s the difference?”
“You wouldn’t get it,” I mumble, turning away from him and continuing my squats, my breathing becoming more labored with each one.
“Does it have anything to do with my sister?” Tris asks hesitantly.
“People really need to stop fucking asking that.”
“It’s a fair question.”
I abruptly bend my knees all the way in, the plate dropping hard and the weights clanging.
“No, it’snot,” I growl, sitting up and turning toward Tristan, pinning him with a glare. Working out is supposed to calm me down, but right now, it’s just getting my blood pumping for all the wrong reasons. “We aren’t in high school anymore, bro. It’s beeneight fucking years. I’ve moved on, so everybody else needs to do the same thing and just leave me the fuck alone about it.”
He throws up his hands in surrender, eyes widening. “Whoa, I was just asking. I won’t again.”
“Good,” I mutter, grabbing for the hem of my shirt and yanking it off over my head. I’m too hot- my blood is boiling in my veins, singeing me from the inside. I toss it aside, twisting around to press my feet to the plate again and starting in on another set of reps.
Tristan wisely slinks off to hit another machine, leaving me stewing as I continue my squats. The harder I push my body, the more my mind shuts off. Those turbulent thoughts that have been swirling around in my brain start to become blissfully silent as I slip into a meditative rhythm, and for the first time in days, I start to feel a sense of peace.
If only it would last.
12
Most people hate Mondays, but I’ve got a skip in my step today that I haven’t had since coming home, humming to myself as I flit between the closet and my open suitcase on the bed. I stuffed my biggest bag full of clothes and other essentials early this morning and slipped out of the packhouse before anyone else woke up, leaving a note indicating where they could find me: my new dorm, room 101 at the squad complex.
I have no idea what possessed Madd to actually do somethingnicefor a change, but when he tossed me that key, I saw a glimmer of the boy he used to be- the one who would do anything to help a friend in need. Not that we’re friends, but we used to be. Once upon a time, we were everything to one another.
I’m under no delusion that we’ll ever get that back, but lending me his dorm was an unexpected twist in our current drama. One that I’m not going to read into or question because I’m not about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Other than his scent, there isn’t much of him left in here. A few items of clothing in the closet and dresser, rumpled black sheets on the bed, and a framed photo of him and his twin are the only evidence that this room was once inhabited by Maddox Kessler. He must’ve moved the rest out when he took the mantle of Alpha for the Goldenleaf pack, but glancing around this room, knowing he used to live here, I start to imagine him in the space. I picture him sitting at the desk in the corner, hunched over paperwork, or lying on the bed, shirtless and scrolling through his phone before bed. There’s something comforting in envisioning him doing quiet, mundane things, rather than stomping around angrily all the time.
I don’t remove his things- because god forbid I start another war between us by doing so- but I push them aside to make room for my own stuff, quickly getting to work unpacking my suitcase and making myself at home in my new digs. This dorm is larger than most of the others, specifically designed for a squad leader, and if all goes according to plan, I’m hoping that I’ll soon have the title to go along with this room assignment.
One step at a time.
