Her infuriated glare lingers for another moment, and then she slumps, exhaling heavily.
“Howare you doing it?” she asks, her stare inquisitive and disbelieving, like she can’t begin to even fathom how it’s possible.
I work to swallow, and it’s my turn to drop my stare to my fidgeting fingers, a frown marring my face. “Some days, I’m not,” I say slowly. “Some days, I still hate him for everything he’s done to me. I want to lash out at him, hurt him, make him feel what I’ve felt by his own hands for so many years. But then, there are days when I seehim, see he alreadyishurting. And I realize causing him pain doesn’t make me feel better or help me, because somehow, I’ve fallen in love with the asshole, and punishing him feels like punishing myself.”
I tighten my lips, taking a moment to choose my next words carefully before lifting my stare back up to hers. She’s leaning over the table, watching me like I’m a disease beneath a microscope, and every little detail matters, lest she lose everything. Especially herself.
“Our situations are a little different, because your brother isn’t here to give you his perspective, and Severen wasn’t his bully. I can only give you my perspective about my bully.”
Her frown deepens, but she nods.
“I could live the rest of my life hating Dread for what he’s donetome, or I can spend the rest of my life loving him for what he doesforme from here on out. Live in the past or succumb to the future. But you can’t do both.”
She blinks, her mouth parting as she processes. But before she can formulate her response, her eyes dart above my head, and her spine instantly snaps straight.
Severen’s here.
She purses her lips and hands me her phone. “Put your number in. We’re friends now.”
My lips twitch, but I do as she says.
However, Severen must’ve spotted Octavia and sprinted here, because I swear, I get one number typed in before he’s appearing in the corner of my eye, stopping at the end of the table where we sit. It’s uncanny how much it reflects that moment when Dread asked me to come with him on a drive while Severen watched from across me. Except now, it’s Octavia in the hot seat while Severen does all the intense staring.
Truly, I feel for her.
It’s only when I feel Octavia’s stare burning a hole into the side of my head that I realize I’ve paused, too busy watching Severen watch her, his left hip leaning against the table so his body is entirely angled toward her, his arms crossed. His expression is impassive, but an array of emotions flit across his amber eyes.
The tension is steamy enough to bring my blood to a simmer, and if this is what it’s like when Dread and I are together, no fucking wonder Severen popped a straw in his apple juice box and sat back for the show.
It’s quite fascinating.
However, if I listen hard enough, I can hear Octavia screaming at me from inside her head, so I quickly finish inputting my number then bare my teeth in a guilty, apologetic smile for delaying her. She snatches the phone from me with a narrowed-eye glare, though it lacks heat.
Severen slowly drags his gaze to meet mine and arches a brow, silently demanding an explanation. I don’t owe him one, but their sexual chemistry is potent enough to makemynipples hard, which I could then use to slice through the tension.
I have a feeling Dread wouldn’t appreciate me slicing tension created by his best friend with my nipples, so I opt for answering Severen instead.
“We’re friends now,” I tell him casually.
Octavia stands, incapable of stopping herself from flicking a glance his way, though it’s not without consequences. He’s already turned his attention back to her, and the second their eyes clash, she gets caught in his trap, unable to look away.
His tongue glides across his lower lip before his teeth clamp down on it, all the while his heated stare coasts up and down her body.
She clenches her jaw, attempting to appear unaffected. Which is kind of embarrassing for her, because she’s very obviously affected.
Severen doesn’t speak, and if anything, it seems like that only flusters her more.
“Bye,” she clips abruptly, her wide gaze barely moving a centimeter in my direction, and then whips around and storms off.
I snort, but Severen’s gaze follows Octavia and waits until she’s out of the cafeteria before turning his attention back to me.
Grabbing my tray, I get up from my seat while raising my brows, and saying dryly, “You basically forced me to partake in voyeurism.”
He rolls his eyes. “You and Dread are the same way. It’s calledlove, Reverie. That’s what happens when it’s real.”
How dare he.
I give him a dirty look. “Stop cussing at me.”
