Page 31 of Let Me Love You
“And your boy has enough drama going around,” the stranger adds, turning to me fully.
My face heats, and my eyes drop to the top button left undone on his pressed white dress shirt, leaving his olive skin on full display.
Yeeeeah. Apparently, the hangxiety is hitting earlier than usual. But seriously. Did Colt’s new boss, and my longtime professor, see me groping my boyfriend on the dance floor?
“Hello, Professor Buchanan,” I mutter, forcing myself to look him in the eye.
“We’re not in the classroom. You can call me Henry,” he returns.
“Hello, Henry,” I clarify.
He smiles cooly. “Hello, Ashlyn.”
My brows furrow as my brain finally decides to catch up to what he’d initially said. “Wait. What drama’s going around about Colt?”
His jaw tightens as he tugs on the sleeves beneath his suit and clears his throat. “You’ll have to ask Colt for the details. Now, if you’ll excuse me… ” He glances at Mia again and dips his chin. “Mia.”
“Professor,” she murmurs dryly.
Then, he walks away.
“We’re gonna head out in a few,” Theo tells me, the neck of a beer bottle pinched between his fingers.
“Us too,” I reply. “Actually, we’re heading out in aone.Colt’s bringing the truck around.” I glance toward the exit and back at Blake again. “That’s why I came over. To say goodbye because I’m exhausted.”
“Exhausted, my ass,” Blake chirps. “You’re heading home ‘cause you’re about to get laid.” She slides off the barstool and pulls me into a hug. “Love you!”
“Love you too.” I squeeze her back and turn to Mia. “See ya, Mia!”
She lifts her chin while popping the tops off two IPA bottles, multitasking like a champ. “See ya!”
When I all but stumble through the exit, the noise cuts almost instantly. It’s quiet outside. Other than a few cars passing on the street and the deadened noise from SeaBird, it’s almost peaceful.
The air is warm too. Stars hang overhead in the cloudless, dark sky, and I look up. I’m admiring them when a bright flash makes me flinch.
What the hell?
“Miss Ashlyn? Are you Miss Ashlyn?” a voice calls out.
I squint, attempting to blink away the bright square tattooed on my irises as my foggy brain catches up. “Uh, can I help you?”
“Ashlyn! Ashlyn!” The voice is louder now and more persistent. “Do you have anything to say about your boyfriend and the court order?” The camera clicks a few more times, and I swear I see stars as I shake my head.
What’s he talking about?
I back up slowly, desperate for more space, when SeaBird’s rough brick scrapes against my back.
“Ashlyn! Ashlyn! Do you have anything you want to say?”
Flash. Flash.
I shake my head again. The stark contrast between the bright flash and the dark sky, combined with one too many drinks at the bar, leaves me dizzy and disoriented.
“The court order. What do you have to say?” the stranger demands.
Flash. Flash.
I lift my hand, attempting to block it out. “What are you talking about? What court order?”