Pain pricks at my heart as his face actually falls.
“No problem.” His eyes bore into mine, and my heart stutters behind my rib cage. Butterflies swoop into my stomach the longer he stares at me, and my heart is pounding wildly now. It’s like he’s reaching inside me and wrapping his essence around my soul. A keening ache builds in my chest, and my fingers twitch with the longing to touch him.
“I’ve got to go,” I say, grabbing my book bag off the ground.
“Give me your keys, and I’ll drop this at your place,” he says.
“Over my dead body.” Seb crunches his knuckles.
What the hell has gotten into him?
“That can be easily arranged,” Caleb murmurs in a low voice only I can hear.
I shoot Caleb a warning look as I remove my keys from my jeans pocket and drop them into his palm. “Thank you. This was very thoughtful of you.”
“That’s me.” He leans in and whispers into my ear, “I’m all kinds of thoughtful when it comes to my sweet Lili.” He flashes me a wink, and I yank Seb back as he moves to lunge at him.
“Bye, Caleb!” I call out, wiggling my fingers as I get my boyfriend out of there.
“What the fuck, Elisa?” Seb yanks his hand from mine when Caleb is out of sight. “What the hell do you think you’re playing at?” he shouts.
“Lower your voice,” I say calmly as Shea comes up on my left side. She’s stayed quiet through all of that.
“You just gave that fucking asshole keys to your place? He’s probably going over to jerk off all over your bed and stamp his mark.”
“Firstly, gross, and secondly, Caleb is one of my oldest friends, and I trust him with my life. I get why you’re frustrated, but you can’t be rude to him.”
“He’s fucking rude to me every time he pulls this shit, and you’re just letting him!”
“It’d be rude to refuse his gift, and it might actually help me.” Ihavebeen stressed about my forthcoming exams. As much as I’m prepared, I’m still anxious. I want to get the best result and leave NYU with my head held high. I want to make my parents proud, and I want to start my new business on the best footing. A lot is going to change in my life in the next few months, and while it’s super exciting, it’s also nerve-wracking.
“You’re unbelievable! I’ve been so fucking patient with you, and this is how you repay me?”
An icy chill crawls up my spine. “What did you just say?”
“Forget it. Forget all of it. I’m going home.” He storms off in a temper.
“What just happened?” I ask Shea.
“I’m just going to say it,” she says, walking in front of me. “I don’t like that guy. I did at first, but he’s all sweet and attentive one minute and angry and controlling the next. I think you can do much better.”
“Yeah, I think you might be right.”
Gia is waiting in my apartment when I get home later that night, and she opens the door and pulls me into a squeezing hug. “How are you?” she asks, bundling me into the house. “Beatrice is out by the way. She told me to tell you.”
“Sorry you got roped into this. I thought I had a second set of keys in my locker, but I couldn’t find them. I should have told Caleb to drop my keys back to me.”
“It’s fine. It gave me a good excuse to come visit.”
Her ring sparkles under the living room light, drawing my attention to it. “Wow, that ring is something else.”
“It is, isn’t it?” She beams.
“Love looks good on you.”
“I’m so fucking happy in a way I never imagined. I love him so much it’s hard to separate each day to go to work. I literally miss him the second he’s gone.”
“Aw, that’s so adorable. I’m incredibly happy for you,” I add, dumping my bag on the floor and heading to the refrigerator.
