Page 42 of With This Mask
“I knew it,” she says with a very satisfied smile. “Hell, the way he got all mad about you dancing with Josh at the gala. And the way he looks at you?”
“What do you mean?” I blurt, entirely too curious, and instantly giving myself away.
“Come on, Salem,” Isabella says, giving me a look like I’m stupid. “You two have been at each others throats all semester, and in the kinky way, not just academic rivals way. Anyone who can’t see it has obviously never read an enemies-to-lovers book.”
If I was blushing before, it’s nothing compared to now.
“See,” she says with a cheshire grin. “I knew it. A secret relationship. The billionaire heir. The sex has got to be hot.”
“Isabella!” I cry out in shock.
“What?” she asks with a shrug as she sets out the rest of our little Christmas dinner. “I haven’t had time for romance in four years. And books know how to do it right. Give me the details, girl.”
And I do. Some. Not the parts about Vice, or Mariposa. Not the part about how it started as no strings attached. But some of the juicy details, like the kitchen island? Like beneath the table in the middle of class? Those I do not keep to myself.
I get what Alec meant when he said it was a relief that I knew his secret about Vice. Telling Isabella about my relationship with Alec is a breath of fresh air.
And spilling juicy, dirty secrets, makes this the best Christmas ever.
chapter fourteen
The sun filters through the trees as I sprint across campus, the roar of my heartbeat drowning out everything else. I burst into the lecture hall with all of ten seconds to spare. My chest heaves as I slide into my seat, feeling the cold metal against the backs of my legs. I've made it; no late marks for me today.
The professor walks in just two seconds later, and launches into the first day of class speech.
I pull out my planner, and the realization hits me like a ton of bricks: only three months left until graduation. Holy fuck. Emotions actually bite at the backs of my eyes. It’s the first day of a new semester. My last semester. I've worked my ass off. So many late nights studying. So much stress. So many projects. So much ass kissing of professors. And soon I'll be the first in my family to have a college degree.
A mix of pride and anxiety bubbles inside me, but I push it down, turning my attention back to the teacher.
Between classes, I hurry through the hallway, books clutched to my chest. As I round the corner, I see Alec approaching. And a smile starts overtaking my face. It stays put for two whole seconds before I remember reality.
The spotlight. The pressure. Besides us, only one other soul at this university knows we’re together.
And life is so much easier if it can just stay that way.
I compose my face and keep walking forward.
But as we pass, his fingers brush mine. An electric current rips up my spine, exploding in my lower belly as they go. It takes everything I have to keep the smile under control.
"Winters," he murmurs, his voice low and intoxicating.
"Vanderholt," I reply with feigned indifference, secretly loving the way my heart races.
We continue walking, maintaining the facade, but the connection lingers. It's both exhilarating and terrifying.
Three more months.
Three more months, and then we’ll be on our own, doing our own thing, finally released from this hell hole of social pressure and schoolyard antics. We can just be two adults choosing who we want to choose.
Just three more months.
After my second class, I make my way to the school advisor's office. As soon as I step inside, Mrs. Thompson greets me with a warm smile.
"Ah, Salem," she says, shuffling through some papers on her desk. "I kind of thought you’d be knocking down my door first thing this morning.”
“First day of a new semester,” I point out. “I’m just trying to keep my head on straight.”
She chuckles at that and pulls out a file. “There's a recruitment company that reached out about an internship with Green Media Press they think would be perfect for you."