You light the darkest parts of my soul, lucky.
My heart lurches in my chest. My lips turn down, my stomach rolling.
Before I can say anything, there is a knock at Nora’s door. Her eyes widen. She holds her hand up for me to stay where I am as she moves down the hallway. She snickers as she peeps through the spyhole.
“She’s not here, Royce.” Nora stands her ground
“You’re a shit liar, Nora.” His voice is thick and the sound of his feet moving down the hallway grows closer.
He looks frantic when his eyes land on me. Red rimmed eyes meet his, and I shudder on my intake of breath. Nora appears behind him and knocks her shoulder into him which causes him to tut.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers and I lock my eyes on my dark phone screen. “I shouldn’t have broke it off the way I did.” My throat burns at his words.
I’m so stupid getting upset over this. It wasn’t even real.
“I do still think it’s for the best, maybe not the breaking up, but the staying in the same room. We’ve got to be sensible, and fuck, Athena, I lose my mind when I am near you.” His voice sounds pained almost.
Nora stands behind him, looking slightly dumbfounded.
“But, staying away from you isunbearable.” He edges closer to me. “I can’t breathe when I am away from you.”
Nora whispers something under her breath.
“Don’t date Cowan. I get it if you don’t want to go along with this anymore, that’s fine. But don’t date him… anyone but fucking him.” The last part of his sentence comes out as a beg.
My heart throbs inside my chest. “I have no intention of dating Cowan.” I scrunch my nose. “But I would rather you just be honest with me. Nora told me about the rooms.” I pause as I stand up, stepping closer to him.
“Athena, I …”
I press my finger against his lips shaking my head softly. “It is a lot, and I would be lying if I hadn’t thought things have kind of felt different…” I trail off, my eyes burning into him hoping he gets where I am going with this.
He nods.
“I’ll still show up where you need me, but that’s as far as it goes.”
He goes to speak but I press the underside of my finger more firmly against his mouth.
“I came here to shadow you, learn the ins and outs of racing… and that’s all it will be.” My shoulders sag slightly as my finger drops. “Then, once I have everything I need, I will leave.” I swallow down the bile that is creeping up my throat, my eyes hazy as I lose myself in those crystal blues.
“Okay,” he mutters, pushing his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.
“I’ll sort a room out tomorrow, you can bunk with your friend now,” Nora says as she steps around us, side-eyeing Royce and I am struggling to read her expression. “The offer to stay here tonight still stands.” The words roll off her tongue and Royce’s eyes drop.
“Only if that’s okay?” I turn to Nora, giving him a soft smile.
“Of course it is.” She beams.
I am hoping that he asks me to stay with him one last night. But after the seconds turn into minutes, I realise it isn’t going to happen.
“Perfect.” I push a fake smile onto my face and step out of this awkward situation I have got myself into. It seems I am getting pretty good at faking it. “I am going to head up to my room and get an overnight bag. I’ll pack up tomorrow.”
Nothing. Again.
Nora mutters something as I walk for the door, and as much as I want to look back at him, I don’t.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Royce
