Chapter 29 Nova
NOVA
Clutching my lunch tray, I moved away from the cafeteria payment point and scanned the long rows of plastic tables and attached chairs, bolted to the floor so they were immovable. My gaze caught on someone waving madly, and I returned Liana’s smile, turning in her direction.
My smile dropped when I realised who was occupying the same table.
Liana had commandeered one end along with two of our friends from our course, and she’d placed her bag on the free seat next to her to save it for me.
But at the other end sat five members of the hockey team, surrounded by women.
Which…yes, that was normal, and I was prepared for that, but what I wasn’t prepared for was to see Jay sitting opposite Anton, with Gemma Clark, a fresher who was loosely affiliated with the Hoytons, perched on his lap.
Unexpected jealousy raged through me, burning hot and fast. No. I couldn’t do this. Quickly averting my gaze, I clasped the tray more tightly to hide the fact that my hands were suddenly shaking. I hadn’t realised until right then just how much I was beginning to feel for Jay. It wasn’t fair.
“Nova. My beautiful fiancée. Come here.”
There was no sense in making a scene. I managed a jerky nod, pasting on a smile. It’s not Anton’s fault that you’ve both been manoeuvred into this situation. “Anton.” I slid into the seat he’d just kicked Neo out of, shooting him an apologetic look. “Um, hi, Neo. Sorry.”
Neo shrugged, unconcerned. “Good timing. Me and Toby are done here.”
“We are?” His teammate glanced down at the apple he’d just taken a bite of.
He rolled his eyes when Neo pointedly cleared his throat, grabbing the bottle of Coke and energy bar from his tray.
Throwing the apple to Neo, he climbed to his feet.
“Yeah, I guess we are. Apparently. Kayla, Georgia, you coming?”
As Neo bit into the apple, two of the girls rose from the table, and after a short pause, another two followed them.
The six of them disappeared from the cafeteria, leaving three hockey players.
A silent Kane, who was completely ignoring everyone, cutting into his food with the kind of precision I’d only ever seen from Daniel.
And then there was Anton and Jay. Jay…who still had Gemma perched on his lap, looking far too comfortable.
Liana glanced over at our friends, and then, without another word, slid her tray down the table to the now vacant seat next to Kane.
I could see her physically steel herself, and I forced myself not to smile.
My girl had my back, overriding her distaste for Kane Worthington and hockey players in general to keep me company.
“Where are Ryker and Daniel?” I asked the table at large, flicking my gaze over our little group but purposely avoiding Jay.
After a long, uncomfortable silence, Gemma spoke. “The last I heard, they were at Ashbrook House.”
They’d been there last night, but there was no way they’d still be there. Was there?
Vesper had messaged me early this morning, giving me a brief overview of the previous night.
She’d been sure to make it clear that she’d tried to shield Jay from Anton, which I was grateful for, but I didn’t like the fact that she’d felt like she had to get involved with my drama.
I didn’t want anyone else to be tangled up in the mess I’d caused.
I was forced to meet Gemma’s eyes. She was still looking far too comfortable on Jay’s lap. Dredging up a polite smile that I should probably thank my mother for, I said, “They have classes today. Why would they be there?”
“Hmm.” Her mouth twisted, and I already knew I wasn’t going to like the answer. “Maybe because the hockey team spent the night there?”
My entire body turned to ice when I realised what she was implying with her words.
“Fraternising with the enemy,” Liana muttered, pulling a face. Her words made Kane look up from his plate.
“Not me.”
“Only because you’re on probation and you weren’t allowed to go,” she shot back. Coach’s daughter, she mouthed to me when my brows flew up, which answered my unspoken question.
Kane glared at her and then went back to his food, effortlessly ignoring the rest of us. I wished it were that easy for me.
Staring down at my own untouched food, I debated with myself. Leave and escape this situation, or remain here and act as if none of this was affecting me?
The decision was made for me when Anton leaned in, speaking in a low voice.
“You need to eat. Do not worry about the after-party. We all behaved ourselves. The Whelford Flames invited us to spend time with them, and we made the decision to put the bad blood to rest. Attwood enjoyed himself with your Fontana friend, and now he has moved on. It was a successful night.”
Uncapping my water bottle, I nodded. Although I’d heard from Vesper, I couldn’t help the completely irrational hurt I felt at Anton’s words. It was ridiculous, because I knew that neither Jay nor Vesper would ever betray me like that. But today…why was Jay so cosy with Gemma?
It’s not my business. I picked up my fork, glancing at Anton, and he gave me a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
Slowly and deliberately, he pressed a kiss to my cheek.
It was as dry and passionless as always, and it was just for show.
It was a statement to say that I belonged to him, even though we both knew we’d never choose each other if it were up to us.
I ignored the eyes boring into mine from across the table, trying to communicate a message I didn’t understand.
A message I didn’t want to understand.
Daniel:
Can you meet King in the library?
Me:
Is something wrong?
Why couldn’t my brother text me himself? What was happening? It was almost 10:00 p.m., and I hadn’t spoken to him all day.
Daniel:
Nothing’s wrong. Can you come?
Me:
I’ll be there as soon as I can
Rising to my feet, I grabbed my bag in case I needed it as an excuse for leaving my room so late and left South Wing.
When I entered the quiet library, I immediately found Daniel loitering near the doors.
He was holding a book upside down, and when he saw me, he threw it carelessly onto the table next to him.
Beckoning me over, he jabbed his finger in the direction of the back of the building. “Come on. Quick. We don’t have long.”
We headed deeper into the library, losing ourselves in the towering stacks until Daniel came to a sudden stop, holding up his hand.
“Five minutes. Don’t lose track of time,” he said, and then gently nudged me towards the stacks to our right.
I stared at him, confused, until he nudged me again. “He’s waiting for you.”
“Um… Okay.” Shifting my bag on my shoulder, I headed in the direction he’d indicated.
A figure emerged from the shadows. It wasn’t my twin.
“Nova,” Jay breathed, wrapping his arms around me. Part of me wanted to melt into him, but a bigger part was frustrated and unreasonably jealous, and I froze in his grasp. He sighed against my hair before drawing back. “It wasn’t what it looked like.”
“That’s what they always say, and anyway, it’s not as if I care. You can do whatever you want, with whoever you want.”
Jay’s fingers cupped my face, tilting my chin up to meet his eyes. “I think you do care, just like I do, which is why I’m here now. I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings between us.”
“It’s not my place to care,” I whispered harshly, refusing to give in. The touch of his fingers against my skin was like a brand, and I hated it. It was torture, feeling him and knowing that I had a duty to perform, that I would never find pleasure in my destiny.
“Yeah, and it’s not mine, either. Just watching Volkov kiss your cheek made me see red. I fucking hated it.” A muscle ticked in his jaw. I opened my mouth to reply, but he shook his head. “Let me explain. Please.”
“Fine. Explain.”
“Alright. Yeah, there was an after-party, after the game. Your brother and Enzo seemed to think it would be a good idea for the Cranham Kings to attend. And yeah, it was at Ashbrook House, and full transparency, there were a lot of Whelford Uni girls there. I dunno, they call us criminals while they swan around dripping in designer labels and expensive jewellery, but they seem to like slumming it with us when it’s convenient for them. ” He rolled his eyes.
“Everyone likes a bad boy sometimes. Most of the Cranham students have just as much money as them, anyway. They just don’t like how we acquired some of it, which is understandable.”
“Maybe so. Even if all our money came from legitimate means, we’d still probably be beneath them in their eyes, because we don’t have the right names or contacts.
But that’s beside the point. I want you to know that nothing happened between me and anyone at that party.
Vesper can back me up. The Whelford Flames invited us, trying to, I dunno, improve relations, and Ryker agreed on everyone’s behalf. ”
Pulling away from him, I pressed my body back against the stacks.
He didn’t let me get far, though, closing the distance between us until his chest brushed against mine.
I did my best to ignore the heat of his body and the delicious scent of his aftershave that made me want to breathe him in.
“I get that. But it’s none of my business, and I-I don’t care. ”
He leaned in. “Liar.”
I trembled as his lips brushed over my ear. “Jay. Please…”