AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His eyes heat and I’m reminded of his hot mouth against mine. We haven’t discussed this yet, and I know he’s not ready to either. I do, however, know how to tease him.
“Please?” I ask softly, dragging my hand down his chest. Shuddering a breath, he nods. “You don’t play fair, and now I’m rock hard after just a touch. How do you manage to make that happen every time?”
Grinning, I shrug. “I’m just that good. Now, get your fine ass over here and get to work.”
Pursing his lips in annoyance, because Ash knows I’m playing him like a fiddle, he nods.
We work for a couple of hours before I glance at my phone to check the time.
“Do you think she forgot?” I ask worriedly. “She seems to care about her schoolwork, so I doubt she’d blow this off. Even then, she’d have a really good reason. Do you think something is wrong?” I continue, chewing my lip.
There’s a knock at the door, and we both scramble to our feet.
“Jonas, you answer it,” Ash hisses and I hide a smile. He definitely feels something for her, even if I’m not sure what that is yet.
Walking across the dorm to answer the door, my smile fades as I see Chastity. Her eyes are swollen and she’s walking uncomfortably.
“Hey, sorry I’m late,” she says, looking around like someone is going to jump out at her. “I know I should have let you know, but so much has happened today, I almost forgot about this.” Her eyes fly up to mine as I watch her carefully. “It’s not because I don’t care about this. I do! I want to do well on our English project. It’s just that it slipped my mind, is all.”
Nodding, I notice she looks really off. “Do you want to come in?” I ask, making sure I don’t look threatening in any way. I wish I could send a telepathic message to Ash to look smaller or some shit, but he spends a lot of time glaring at her, and she doesn’t need that while she's in this state.
Chastity nods, walking in and forcing a smile. “Yeah, that sounds good. I’m really sorry again that I was so late.” I wish I could tell her that she doesn’t have to force anything with me. A beep sounds on the computer and she jumps, rubbing her arms.
“No worries. Are you cold? Let me grab you a blanket.” I move over to my room and ignore Ash’s snort as I try to make Chastity comfortable on the couch for our movie marathon. Seriously, I don't get it. Why is he being such a dick to her? Even after the stunt he pulled a few weeks back, Chastity has been pleasant to him, though distant.
I grab an old, soft blanket that was my mom's, and bring it out to her. She gives me a grateful smile and takes the seat next to Ash on the couch. I sit on the floor and rest my back against her legs. She goes stiff, and I worry that I may have made her uncomfortable. I know what that’s like, and I never want to be responsible for it. However, she starts to relax, and her fingers brush my hair.
Looking up at her, I smile, but she can’t seem to bring herself to smile back.
“Did you have a rough day today?” I ask. “We all have them. You can talk to us, if you want?”
I don’t want to push her too hard, but thankfully, she shakes her head. It’s then that I see her shift uncomfortably and almost whimper.
Jumping to my feet, I look her over to see what could possibly be wrong. “Chastity, tell me how I can help. I can see you’re in pain,” I beg.
“Help me up?” she asks tearfully, reaching out to me with her hand. I pull her up hard and she tumbles into my arms. Holding her, I glance at Ash in shock. He frowns at us, and just when I think he’s going to lose it, he takes a deep breath and releases it.
“Chastity, do you think it may be easier if we move to the bed and we watch the movie there? I wouldn’t blame you, this sofa is fucking lumpy,” Ash jokes.
I give him a grateful nod, and he shrugs like it’s not a big deal.
“Do you mind? I fell on the way here, and my legs got kind of torn up,” Chastity says, stepping back and biting her lip.
Why was she outside?I search her eyes, but I’m not sure it makes sense to push her on her lie. “Yeah, that’s fine. I have a first aid kit. Do you think I could see your cuts?”
Chastity blushes, shaking her head. “I can do it when I get home. I’m afraid I slid, making my skirt ride up. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to show you. They're probably just bruised, kind of like my ego,” she jokes.
“Uh-huh,” I agree, still frowning. “Let’s get you some super soft blankets and a pillow, and we’ll make a proper movie watching fort,” I tease, allowing humor to bleed into my tone, instead of the disappointment I feel that she’s lying to me right now.
Ash and I grab pillows and our best blankets as Chastity climbs onto the bed. Watching her closely, I watch her skirt ride up, and I can see her knees are covered in red, angry marks. Blowing out a breath, I decide to let her have her secrets. I can only hope she’ll tell me when she’s ready.
We all pile onto the bed and watch movies for the next few hours. Chastity admits that Mother Superior doesn’t know she’s gone. She had a late trip to go out to counsel an important parish member who previously attended Holy Cross Academy.
After our movie, we worked some more on our paper, and Chastity ribbed us for doing so much of it on our own. Ash even offered to grab brain food treats, and Chastity accepted after her stomach grumbled. I swear, I don’t think she’s eating because she tears into the snacks eagerly. Ash meets my eyes, knowing what it’s like to be hungry, and we have a silent discussion.
“Thank you for coming to our room,” Ash says as we finish up. “I’m glad we were able to contribute to your cinematic education,” he teases her.
Chastity gives him a genuine smile, and Ash slowly offers a hug. He stands there with his arms open… and Chastity slowly steps into them. Releasing a breath, Ash hugs her, and not once does she look uncomfortable. Chastity simply holds on tight.
