True Blue (Imperium Coast #1)

Chapter 17

17

W alking out of the campus coffee shop, the autumn breeze hits me head on, and I grip my warm latte and Janette’s hot apple cider a little tighter. The leaves have started changing and the air is getting cooler, but a smile sits on my face as I walk toward Riggs in the early morning light.

Kissing Janette has kept my mood up the last few days even if things ended with Bentley seeing us together. Reading the hurt in his eyes as he stared at our hands made me even more mad at him than I already was. How he could stand there and dare to be hurt by seeing us together, as if he hadn’t flaunted how little he cared about either of us when he asked Cassie out in the library, blew my mind. And then he went and kissed Janette while on a date with someone else and after fooling around with me, confusing the hell out of both of us as to what exactly he wants.

I know what I want though.

I nod to the guy who holds the door of Riggs open for me, thanking him as I pass. People move quickly through the hallway around me as I make my way to the stairs, excited to see Blue and ready to ignore Bentley if he tries to sit with us again.

I spent the rest of the weekend in my room, door closed, music on, basically telling him to fuck off without hanging a sign on my door that said so. Janette had been nervous on the car ride home, staring out the window the whole way back and twisting her ring on her finger. I walked her up to her room and kissed her cheek before heading back to my suite, neither of us really saying anything. She called me the next day, apologizing for being so out of it when we left and sounding panicked.

“Don’t worry about it, Blue,” I said. “We can take our time figuring things out. I don’t expect you to process everything instantly.”

She sighed on the other end of the line. “Thank you, Axe. You’re being way too patient with me.”

I laughed, settling back against my headboard and drumming my fingers on my chest. “I think that’s the first time I've been accused of being patient.” She chuckled and I knew she was rolling her eyes. “Layla used to accuse me of being so impatient, I left her behind in the womb.”

She chuckled again and I decided it was my favorite sound. We ended up talking for another half hour, trading stories we each remembered from our childhood.

“Thank you, Axe,” she’d eventually said, making my spine tingle as she said my name.

“You need to stop thanking me, Blue. But what exactly is this one for?”

“For letting me talk about Dad.” My heart broke for her. We’d both lost a parent that day, but I’d had Dad and Layla and Gwen to help me figure out how to live without Mom. Janette had been all alone, trying to figure out how to live without Uncle Levi and watching her mom abandon her at the same time. “It’s been a while since I could talk about him with someone who was there when he was.”

I swallowed against the lump in my throat. “Anytime, Blue. You should come back to Maine for Thanksgiving break and see all the photos Dad has all over the place of you and Uncle Levi and Aunt Sandy.”

She chuckled, the sound a little broken and I contemplated walking down to her suite so I could comfort her. “Maybe. I think I’ll need to face my mom in a few weeks after she’s cooled down, but maybe I could take a raincheck and come visit another time.”

“I already said anytime, Blue,” I said with mock sternness.

She sighed. “I’ll probably break down the second I see the street,” she whispered.

“Probably. But Lay and I will hold your hand the whole time.”

We hung up a few minutes later when she said she had to go to a yoga class with Layla soon, but I told her to text me whenever she needed. We’d ended up texting lightly over the last couple of days, mostly me asking questions about our project or annoying her with pictures of my food. She’d responded and hearted the pictures, but we hadn’t seen each other since the alumni event.

And I could not climb these stairs fast enough to get upstairs and see her.

Walking into the seminar room, my eyes fall on the back of her head, bent over her phone in the same seat she sits in every Wednesday and Friday. I shuffle down the stairs, nearly tripping as my giddiness builds. She looks up at my approach, smiling when she sees me coming toward her and the look makes a ball of warmth expand in my chest.

I hold out her cider, standing in front of her finally. She eyes it, wrapping her hand around the cup and brushing our fingers together. “What is it?”

“Hot apple cider,” I say, sitting down beside her and sipping my latte. She smiles, taking a sip and closing her eyes.

“I can’t believe you remembered I like these,” she says, turning toward me.

I roll my eyes. “How could I forget? The one time you made me try it, I nearly threw up. Never going to forget that day.” I take another sip of my latte, shuddering.

“You always were over-dramatic, weren’t you?” She laughs, and the sound makes it hard to hold the scowl I throw at her.

Footsteps near us as I watch her eyes flick over my shoulder and her laughter die off. Bentley walks past the two of us, taking a seat on the other side of Janette and rummaging through his bag as per usual. I glare at him for a moment, my anger instantly at the surface again, before looking away and sitting straight forward. Janette follows suit, sitting tensely between the two of us.

“Janette,” Bentley says, his tone neutral. I look over at him and so does she, swallowing.

“Bentley.” Her voice comes out a little breathless.

His eyes meet mine and his jaw tightens. “Axel.” His tone is harsher for me.

Janette’s hand reaches out, gripping his arm. “Don’t,” she whispers.

“It’s fine, Blue,” I spit out, trying to calm down so I can speak to her. “Don’t coddle him.”

She flashes me an incredulous look.

“So, you two are together?” Bentley asks, looking between us.

“What do you care?” I say at the same time as Janette whirls around to face him and says, “No, he was just helping me out!”

The ache in my chest that Bentley created fractures even further at her words. She glances back at me with a stern look, and I feel the embarrassment of my assumptions crash over me. I once again assumed what happened between us meant more to her than it clearly did. I suddenly feel like they’ve both stranded me at sea, left treading water in the middle of the ocean rather than standing on solid ground.

“Why do I care?” Bentley hisses. “I care if you’re being a dick and stringing her along just to get back at me.”

My brain rushes, trying to catch up to the conclusion he’s somehow drawn. “What?”

“Bentley, no,” Janette says, still gripping his arm.

“You’ve been pissed off and avoiding me ever since—” He glances down at Janette before looking back up at me stonily. “Ever since what happened between us, and now you’re using her to get back at me for something, aren’t you?” He practically vibrates with indignation, and I stare at him open mouthed not understanding a single thing he’s saying.

Dr. Howards walks into the room, shutting the door and making his way to the desk at the front.

“Can we talk about this after class?” Janette hisses, swiveling her head between the two of us.

“No, I don’t think we need to,” I say, leaning away from the two of them. “I was just helping you out, right? And I’m only interested because I want to get back at him.” I shake my head, looking at each of them in turn. “I’m tired of you both ignoring what what’s happening with us.” I try to gesture between Bentley and I and then Janette and I but end up just making a swirling motion between the three of us.

“You would know all about ignoring someone, wouldn’t you?” Bentley spits back, eyes still alight.

“Something you three want to share with the class?” Dr. Howards calls out, glancing between the three of us. We all shake our heads, settling into our seats to face the front of the room. “No? Then if you don’t mind, I’m going to start class now.” Some people titter at the comment, but I barely hear it over the sound of blood roaring in my ears.

Bentley and I sit rigidly throughout the whole class while Janette spends the hour peeking over at each of us and trying to catch our eye. When Howards finally releases us, I spring up, not even bothering to put my notebook back in my bag as I walk out with it in my hand and my bag over one shoulder. I hear Janette call my name, but keep walking, her words buzzing around in my head like a horde of angry bees.

I stand on the sidewalk outside of Riggs, usually going back to the suite after class, but not wanting to be anywhere near Bentley right now. Knowing they’ll both come out of the building soon, I turn and start walking down Ring Road, not even seeing anyone around me as I just keep walking, ribs cracking around the growing ache spreading throughout my whole body.