Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 128742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 644(@200wpm)___ 515(@250wpm)___ 429(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 644(@200wpm)___ 515(@250wpm)___ 429(@300wpm)
“What’s wrong?” I find Lee sitting at the counter with his laptop open and his sister on the screen.
“You have a decision to make,” he says, spinning on his stool to face me while clutching a cup of tea.
“Abbey, tell him he’s too late,” Celeste says on-screen. “You’ve already invited me to the ball.”
“Bollocks. I’m obviously her favorite.”
“Piss off,” she snaps back. “You’d spend the whole night in the coat closet with the valet. You can do that anywhere.”
“Jealous.”
I try slipping away. The two of them seem content to argue among themselves. But Lee grabs the strap of my bag before I can make an escape. He has a deceptively long reach, that one.
“You’re not getting away that easy, Abbey Bly.”
“How about you two decide and let me know?” I suggest.
The stairs above our heads rattle seconds before Jack stalks into the kitchen. He’s shirtless and has his earbuds in. And he doesn’t so much as blink in my direction as he goes to the fridge and gulps down a protein shake before grabbing a bottle of water. I might as well be furniture when he turns and leaves out the front door, without the slightest acknowledgement of my existence.
I don’t even get a chance to fumble over my words or smile awkwardly at the unresolved question of the kiss. He beats me to it with outright indifference.
Fuck, that’s irritating. How do you walk right past someone you live with and pretend there isn’t this enormous question mark hanging in the air?
Dick.
Earlier, I’d briefly entertained the idea of inviting Jack or Nate to the ball. But seeing as how we don’t seem to be on speaking terms anymore, I guess Jack is out. And to be honest, it’s probably not Nate’s scene. I’m sure he’d rather throw himself off a bridge than be caught dead in a tux, schmoozing up royals and pretentious nobility. And I’m not sure Yvonne would appreciate it.
Besides, I wouldn’t put it past Lee or his sister to have either of them tied up and chained to a radiator in the basement to eliminate the competition.
“Come on, Abbey,” Celeste grumbles, her impatience plain her voice. “If you bring my brother, he’ll ditch you the second you get there. You don’t want to be left alone all night, do you, luv?”
Lee mutes his sister. “Babe, it’s cute and all you two’ve become friends but plainly ridiculous not to invite your flatmate.”
Celeste begins gesticulating wildly, silent. It doesn’t take long for her to catch on and text me.
Celeste: Unmute me right now!
After I show Lee the message, he turns to the laptop camera and shoves his middle finger in the air. Their house must have been fun growing up.
“I promise not to abandon you,” he says. “You’ve got to be my wingwoman. I’m trying to get wifed up to an earl or a baron. You wouldn’t take that away from me, right?”
This sucks. A part of me would rather let them go together instead of me to avoid disappointing either one of them. Except I really want to go. And I can’t very well stand up Lord Tulley.
I need to think about it.
“I’m going to take a bath,” I tell them, then hurry upstairs before Lee can drag me back by my hair.
A few minutes later, I drop myself into a hot tub with the lights off, music on, and a book I’m reading for my English lit class on my phone.
It occurs to me after my toes begin to prune and the bubbles have almost dissipated that I should have given more credence to Lee’s warning about the house rule. If I’d been more faithful to the one and only tenet of the flat, I wouldn’t be staring down the possibility that Jack and I have irrevocably changed the dynamic not only of our relationship but all of us. Things were good here before. I don’t want it to be awkward now.
When the water’s gone lukewarm, I towel off and return to my room to put on pajamas. I’d considered going back to the library after dinner, but now I’m not in the mood. All my energy has been sapped by the descending fallout dropping in slow motion. I haven’t been here even one whole semester, and I’ve already fucked it.
In bed, I continue my reading until there’s a knock at my door.
“I haven’t made up my mind yet,” I call.
Jack opens the door to peer inside. “Hey.”
“Oh.” I sit up against my headboard. “Thought you were Lee.”
“Can I come in for a minute?”
Well, damn. I’d just gotten all comfortable and sullen about not having this talk, and now I’m not sure if I’m prepared. Still, the waiting will be more excruciating.
“Sure.”
He walks in, his tall frame encased in plaid pants and a faded black hoodie, blond hair damp as if he’d just had a shower. Droplets of water gather at his temples, one trickling down and falling onto his cheek. He wipes it away and closes the door behind him, then plasters himself against it as if trying to stand as far from me as possible.