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Feelings? More like I’m magnetized to him.
I try not to look at him as I pass, ignoring the thump in my chest that rivals the throb in my wrist. I don’t think it’s broken or sprained, but there’s a clear mark I’ll have to be careful to hide. If Tristan didn’t like the way Pierce spoke to me, he’s definitely not going to like this.
Who cares what he thinks?Not me.
“Have a nice dinner?” he mumbles.
I pause at the end of the couch, surprised he’d engage after what happened earlier in the kitchen.
“Great,” I lie.
He nods and clenches his jaw.
“Have a nice book?” I ask, releasing a hint of a smile.
His lips curve up in a way that tugs at my heart. He’s always had the best smile. It’s why he was constantly surrounded by people. You couldn’t be near him and not get charged by his infectious energy. Most of that has leeched away, though. A lot of him has eroded, but I can’t let myself think about why.
“Great,” he echoes.
I return his smile, just happy to see it back for a brief appearance. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with a book before. Didn’t even know you couldread.”
“Hilarious,” he says with an adorable eye roll. “It’s pretty much all I did while I was locked up. Kind of grew on me.”
“Oh. Right. Sorry, I was kidding.”
“I know. You okay?” he asks, his humor fading.
My stomach drops when I see his attention fixed on my wrist I’ve been absently rubbing. Uh-oh.
I tuck my hands in my back pockets and shrug. “Fine, why?”
His gaze locks on me.
“You know why,” he says, flicking his head to where I just hid my hands.
“Oh, yeah. I tripped on the stairs coming up. It’s such a pain being on the sixth floor.”
By the way his expression darkens, he doesn’t believe me. “Pierce do that?”
“Do what?”
“Whatever it is you’re hiding from me.”
“I thought we went over this. We’re staying out of each other’s business, right? Unless you want to tell me what happened to your back.”
His jaw tightens, and I cringe at my response. I’m not being fair.He’sasking because he cares about me.I’masking to hurt him. I hate myself for it, but I don’t know how else to handle this nauseous feeling in my stomach every time I’m around him. I thought I was over my stupid crush. I had to be, right? High school puppy love doesn’t last into adulthood. I was counting on that to survive this awful situation. The sooner he finds a new place, the better.
I’m preparing to leave when his voice stops me.
“They’re burn marks,” he says quietly.
My eyes dart to his in surprise, but he’s not looking at me. He picks at the edge of a page in his book.
“From prison?” I ask when he doesn’t continue.
He nods, tensing in a way that makes me want to wrap my arms around him.
I shove my fingers further into my pockets.
