We approach Theo slowly so we don’t spook him.
“Come on. Time to get some sleep,” I say, speaking to him like I would a little kid.
Jasper takes one arm while I grab the other, and we lead him through the kitchen to the back of the house.
“Can you see them?” Theo asks in wonder, staring up at the ceiling as we walk.
“See what?” Jasper indulges him, failing to hide the laughter in his voice.
“The fairies?”
“Yeah, mate. They’re something else.”
“Don’t encourage him,” I mutter. “Where are the others? Will they mind us crashing?”
“Nah, they won’t care. Dane’ll sleep through an earthquake,” he says, pulling the cushions off the couch. “I haven’t seen Noah since he went to Hannah’s last night.”
A stab of jealousy pulses through me, but I ignore it.
“Thanks again. Appreciate it.”
Jasper makes the bed with blankets and pillows from the cupboard, then ducks into the laundry to grab a bucket while I drop Theo onto the mattress and grab some bottles of water from the fridge in the corner.
“Good luck,” Jasper says with a grin.
I groan, waving him off as he heads back to bed. It’s going to be a long night, and I’ve got back-to-back classes tomorrow.
Kicking my shoes off, I shrug out of my hoodie and climb onto the sofa bed next to Theo. I lean over and grab a couple of couch cushions from the floor and place them between us in case the drugs make him horny. I’ve never taken acid, but I’m not in the mood to punch a mate for getting handsy when he’s out of his mind.
“You okay?” I grunt, lying on my back with my hands resting behind my head.
Theo hums, barely conscious. “Yeah… yeah. I’m fine. I’m just thinking about how time’s not this straight line we walk along. It’s more like… pressure.” His words slur. “Like aerodynamics for the universe. All these currents pushing us forwards and pulling us sideways. A loop-de-loop of minutes and hours suspended all around us.” He breathes out a chuckle. “It makes you wonder if we’re moving through time or if time’s moving through us. Eventually, it’ll all blow away into nothingness, and what will we have achieved?”
I sigh. The thought’s depressing. “Sleep it off, mate. We can figure out life’s mysteries in the morning.”
But in the morning, Theo’s gone.
Chapter 22
Noah
Ispend the weekend at Hannah’s, bingeing junk food and wallowing in how pathetic my life is. I’m reduced to hiding in my fake girlfriend’s dorm room while she consoles me over my stupid insecurities.
Romeo didn’t owe me anything. We weren’t in a relationship. It was nothing but sex in a club with a stranger. Who cares if he had feelings for someone else? I don’t own him.
If I’m honest with myself, I’ve been consumed with lustful thoughts about Kincaid. How’s that any different? I would never act on them, and neither would Romeo. The guyheliked had a girlfriend, for fuck’s sake.
But I let my insecurities fuck up the one good thing I looked forward to. The one thing in my life that made me feel like me.
Hannah drops me off early Monday morning so I can shower and dress in a fresh change of clothes before heading back to Beckford for classes. My eyes catch on Zac’s car parked on the street in front of our house, and my chest tightens. What’s he doing here?
A sobering thought occurs to me. Maybe after I left onSaturday night, he got drunk and went home with someone else and hasn’t come back to get his car yet. The thought of him with another person, man or woman, churns in my gut.
Before I climb out of the car, Hannah reaches for my hand. “I know everything seems bad at the moment,” she says when I look over at her. “But we’ll figure it out. We have your grandfather’s birthday next month. Let’s get through that, then we’ll come up with a plan. You’ll get your happily ever after, Noah.”
I force a smile and lean over to kiss her cheek. “Thanks, Han.”
The house is quiet when I let myself in. Jasper and Dane have late classes on Mondays, so they’re probably sleeping in. I trudge upstairs and into the bathroom, locking the door behind me.
