Chapter 62

Aimee was so stubborn in her blind defense of Brent. Was I the same with Joseph?

I suspected I might know the answer, and it scared me. No, we had to be different, right? If we weren’t… If Joseph never changed…

I couldn’t bear to think of it.

Yet looking at Joseph’s necklace around my neck, all I could hear were Asher’s words, “Take that off.”

For now, for my peace of mind, I unclasped the necklace and stored it in my top dresser drawer. Without it, I felt lighter.

I rubbed at my sore neck where the chain had cut into my skin.

With midterms creeping closer, I had been spending most of my free time outside of class and practice in the library, studying.

Today, I spotted Nicole when I came in the door, and hurriedly went to join her at her table. We couldn’t talk too loudly in the library, so I whispered, “Hey,” as I waved hello.

She looked at me with startled, wide eyes. “What are you doing here?” she asked too loudly. The librarian shushed her.

Confused, I dropped into the open seat and said, like it was obvious, “Studying?”

“Oh. Right,” she said, much softer than before.

Now that I thought about it, Nicole seemed to have been acting strangely since our return from the cheerleading competition. I had thought it because she hadn’t wanted to choose sides when Coach had punished me for oversleeping, but now I wasn’t so sure.

My punishment was almost over, and Nicole was only acting weirder than before. Like now, how when her surprise ebbed, nervousness replaced it.

We studied in silence for a moment. I thought about changing tables but… weren’t we friends? Whatever was bothering her, I had to trust that she would eventually tell me.

I never really had a friend before. I wasn’t sure what to do.

After a few more minutes in tense silence, with Nicole fluttering the edges of her book pages in nervous energy, and I decided to just ask.

“Are you okay?”

Her gaze snapped to me. She frowned. “Do you have something to tell me?” she asked.

Me? I tried to think. Was there something that happened that I hadn’t told Nicole about?

She knew about the parties, about my oversleeping. I hadn’t told her about spending the night in Asher’s room but I wasn’t ready to share that with anyone yet.

It was a secret I wanted to keep to myself. But she couldn’t have known about that. Only Asher and I knew, and he wouldn’t tell.

“Nicole, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” If she wanted me to understand, she’d have to be more direct.

Nicole tapped her finger against the table. “I’ve heard rumors… about you. I don’t know what to believe.”

Dread curled in the pit of my stomach. Rumors? About my baby? About Asher? Or Joseph?

I tried to think what would bother Nicole so much that she would be upset with me. Maybe I shouldn’t have kept so many secrets from her, but she had to understand that it was only to protect myself.

“What rumors?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Nicole said, hedging. “Maybe I shouldn’t believe them, but it would explain… No. I’m sorry, no. Let’s forget I said anything.”

“If it’s bothering you, we should talk about it,” I said. “Give me a chance to defend myself.”

She shook her head. “Can we just study for now? I need to think.”

I wanted to know more, but I wouldn’t push. I needed to study too.

So, despite my stirring uneasiness, I agreed. Soon, werewolf history facts fully engrossed my mind and pushed away my worries.

The rest of the day, I spent thinking of Aimee, and ways I could convince her that Brent wasn’t everything she thought he was.

Eventually I decided that what I needed to do was catch him in the act, doing something problematic. If I could send Aimee hard evidence, she would have to believe me.

If I could snap her out of her blind loyalty to Brent, maybe she wouldn’t be so trapped in the past, and would be able to move forward with her own life.

I met Asher outside of his dorm. When I’d mentioned my plans for the night on the phone, he’d insisted on joining me.

Together, we walked to Brent’s dorm. We sat side by side on top of a brick wall just out of view of the main entrance. From here, we could see anyone enter or exit well before they saw us.

Asher had packed a few snacks and some water in his backpack. He offered both to me, and I comfortable munched while we waited.

“How long are you planning on staying here?” Asher asked.

“As long as it takes. We’re running out of time. If Aimee misses midterms, she’ll fail out.”

Asher hummed. After a brief moment of quiet, he said, “She’s lucky to have someone like you to watch out for her.”

I glanced at him, uncertain if he was serious or teasing. Unfortunately, his blank façade was in place, making it impossible to tell.

Then he noticed me watching and softened. “I’m serious. You are determined and stubborn, and have a big heart.”

To himself, he grumbled, “Maybe too big.” Then he said, clearer, “Anyone else wouldn’t care enough to see this through.”

I blushed. Compliments from Asher were rare and special. To hear him say such kind words about me, directly, nearly had me melting into a warm blob of goo.

“Well, she’s extra lucky to have you here with me,” I said.

His answer was a tiny smile. My heart jolted, suddenly pounding so fast, I thought it might jump from my chest.

We sat in comfortable silence for a while, sharing the snacks and watching the door. Occasionally, I’d sneak a sideways glance to see if that smile was still there.

It was.

A sense of contentedness covered me like a warm blanket. Spending time with Asher, sharing food, see him smile… Everything felt so naturally right, in a way that always felt forced with Joseph.

I didn’t have to try so hard with Asher. I didn’t have to pretend to be perfect, or walk on eggshells to avoid hurting a fragile ego.

With Asher, I could be myself, and he seemed to like me for it.

“Heads up,” Asher said, snapping me back into the moment.

I looked toward the entrance in time to see Brent leave the building.

Asher stuffed the snacks back into his bag. He left it on top of the wall as he hopped down. Then he reached up and helped me, his hands firm at my waist. I felt the press of his strong hands long after he let me go.

Together, we hurried to follow Brent down the sidewalk. When he was back in our line of sight, we slowed our pace to an inconspicuous walk.

Wherever he was going, he didn’t seem like he was in a terrible hurry. Once, he even stopped at a trash can to throw away a gum wrapper.

The sudden stop surprised Asher and me. We hadn’t discussed any plans if he happened to look back and see us following him.

So when he started to turn his head in our direction, I was too panicked to move.

Fortunately, Asher was used to handling pressure. In an instant, his arm slipped around my waist, yanking me into him as he leaned back into the large oak tree behind us.

Before I could think what I was supposed to be doing, Asher lowered his face into my neck. His mouth pressed onto my skin.

The beginnings of any thought fizzled. I gripped onto Asher’s shoulders with both hands, as my whole body arched into his.

Somewhere, distantly, I almost remembered there was something else going on that I should be paying attention to.

But instead, my body had only one, sole focus.

Asher.