Page 51 of Lessons In Grey

Although I had said that the last time.

She didn’t need to know about it. It would only worry her. I was fine.

I would be fine.

“It happens. Navarro brought you some coffee, water, and some food,” she told me, reaching around the corner and pulling out a thermos, a bottle, and a grocery sack full of food. “Boom.” She slid the stuff over. “I told him to get you a burger and fries, but he insisted on fish, veggies, and some rice. Yum.”

My brows furrowed as I took in the name on the bag. “Reserros?” I asked, shaking my head. “That’s across the city,” I said, my voice hoarse from sleep. “It takes an hour to get there and back alone. Why would you waste that much time?”

“It’s 2,” Rags replied, leaning his head back against the wall, clearly ready for bed.

My eyes shifted to his, falling right to his exposed throat. God, the first time I had seen him do that at the gas station, all I had wanted to do was run my tongue up it, biting at that skin, hearhim moan because of something I had done to him. He looked so…tasty.

My face burned bright red and I adjusted myself, trying to sit up a bit more, wincing at the strain as the panic settled in. “So I missed fifth hour?” I mumbled, feeling the dread dip in my stomach. I was already falling behind. Shit.

“2am, Snowflake.”

My eyes flicked to his, my lips parting as the words drifted through me. “What?” A swirling torrent of emotions started flooding through me. 2am. I hadn’t gone home. I had missed dinner. I didn’t tell anyone I would be gone.

I didn’t tell Jordan that I would be gone.

I was going to fail all of my classes. All of them.

Fuck.

Ash slid a hand over my knee, squeezing it gently, trying to rein in whatever panic she saw. “I called Harold. You’re spending the night at my house tonight, everything is fine. You were exhausted, okay?” she said as I closed my eyes, trying to focus on my breathing. “You needed the sleep.”

Be rational about this. There was still oxygen here. Be logical.

“Emily, stop,” she tried, worry coating her voice. “You have to stop worrying. Tonight, we live in the moment. We’re in this moment. Nothing exists but right now. Everything else we’ll deal with later, okay? We’re spending the night in the haunted wing of the college and we’re going to have fun. I was waiting for later, for a better time, but tonight is as good as any, hmm?”

I forced my eyes open, my breathing still short and shallow, my mind spinning. “I don’t feel like partying tonight, Ash.”

“Neither does Navarro, but we’re doing it anyway. It’s exactly what we need.” She jumped up, dusting herself off. “You two need some time, I’m going to call Syn, you’re going to eat, and tonight, we’re having some much neededustime. Four people party, whoooo!” she cheered, disappearing into the hall.

My head fell back against the wall, my eyes falling shut. Shit. “Why did you let me sleep?”

I didn’t hear him get up, but my body certainly felt him as he neared me, sinking down beside me, so close, he shifted my body as he settled.

My entire body felt like a livewire as his pressed against mine. “Because you needed the rest,” he replied quietly.

Despite everything, I felt my body relax back against the wall, the heat from him seeping into me through every layer of clothing I wore.

I lifted my head, opening my eyes to inspect my hand only to see his outstretched, palm up.

I stared at it for a long time before turning slightly away from him, eyes lifting to the hall. I folded my left arm around my stomach and gently peeled his jacket away. “Thanks,” I mumbled, placing it in his outstretched hand.

His hand wrapped around it, and he pulled it away from me. “You need to eat.”

I glanced to the sack. “I’m not hungry.” I wasn’t. My body was, I guess, but I didn’t have the energy to eat.

He was quiet a moment before he spoke again. “You were whimpering in your sleep. Before Ash got here,” he explained softly. “I placed my hand on your shoulder and your whimpering quieted, which soothed some deep, far too loud part of me.” He inhaled deeply as if he hadn’t meant to reveal that. “I would have pulled you into me, I wanted to, but I don’t know how you feel about others seeing how much you’ve swallowed me whole. The only other thing I could think of was my jacket. It was all I had.”

I swallowed, my chest tightening, my knees knocking together as my eyes fell to the food just a foot away from me. I wasn’t hungry, but fuck, that coffee smelled good.

I reached for it, clasping it between my hands. I sipped at it, peppermint mocha coating my tongue, causing my eyes to fill. “You asked Ash about my favorite coffee,” I stated, in disbelief that he cared that much that he would ask her about it.

“You bring in the same coffee every morning,” he replied instead, “same markings on your cup. PEP MO.”