Chapter 2
SEPTEMBER 9 – TUESDAY 7:45 AM
R en
“Well, that was really awkward,” I said as Blake ran his thumb over my hand.
His fingers tightened on mine as we walked out toward Bowfield Hall. Blake glanced down at me, and I knew what he was going to say before he opened his mouth.
“I know. Theo and Liam have to fix their relationship, but it’s so hard to stay out of it when they’re fighting about me. I did this.”
“Pfft. You didn’t do this. My brother knew what he was doing when he slept with you. That was his choice, and the reason doesn’t matter. What they have going on has been brewing for a while. You just kind of kicked them over the edge and forced them to face it rather than continue to ignore the issues,” Blake said.
“I know. Theo said the same thing...I just wish there was something I could do to help. Theo won’t talk about it, and Liam can hardly stand being within fifty feet of me. He was glaring at me like he wanted to eat me alive this morning.”
“What do you think,” I asked Ivy, and her eyes went wide as she took a bite of her muffin.
“Me?”
“Yeah, you.” I laughed at the horrified look on her face.
She waved me off. “I’m not the person to ask. Hell, I can’t get anyone to want to date me, and the only guy who did date me ditched me after a month. I’m not qualified to puzzle out a four—” She lifted her fingers. “I guess technically five-way relationship if you’re counting Liam in by default. That’s far too complicated for my brain to figure out.”
“Come on, you must have thoughts on the topic. You’ve seen all of this from the beginning, and you know the guys from before.”
Ivy glanced up at Blake and then looked me in the eyes. I smiled, trying to reassure her.
“Blake’s not going to hate you or be mad for anything you say.”
“I’m the least likely to hate anyone…well, I can think of two people, but aside from them, never.”
She sighed.
“Okay…well, to start…this multiple-guy thing leads to so many questions. Like…do you have sex with them all at the same time? That really seems like a hella number of dicks coming for your face. Who do you grab first, or do they sword fight for first right to a hole?”
Oh no.
“I’ve read some kinky alien romance, and the image of all of them together totally reminds me of it. Each one of the guys with a tentacle poking at you and trying to get in somewhere to pleasure you. I mean, it’s hot, don’t get me wrong…but still. Oh, and I found this site that sells fun-looking toys if you ever get experimental.”
Blake burst out laughing, and I instantly regretted opening this box. Award went to Ivy for finding something that I not only didn’t need to know about her but really didn’t need to picture. Now, every time a box showed up at the dorm for her, I’d be wondering. Great.
“On second thought, never mind,” I said, my face burning up with embarrassment, but knowing it was too late. Once Ivy started down a path, she was like a wind-up toy that would only stop once she was through.
“No, no, I’m seriously curious. Does everyone finish at once, or do they take turns? I don’t know how you even consider taking four guys at once. That is a feat all on its own. Is it like the movies where you’re coated afterward? Ugh, that would be sticky. That’s a hell of a lot of come. The water bill on showers alone must be insane.”
I smacked my forehead while Blake gasped trying to draw a breath as he laughed to the point of tears.
“Do they all use protection? I mean, they should. You don’t want one of those wiggly little bastards getting you all bun in the oven. That will, for reals, get you some side-eye and start an all-out beef among the guys. Oh my god, can you imagine the tea that’ll swirl trying to figure out who the father is? I mean, if you add Nash to complete the group, then we’ll all have to say it’s his by default. He just gives off those ‘I’ll kill you otherwise’ vibes. Baby, I am your father,” she said like she was Darth Vader.
Dear God, what have I done?
“You can stop any time,” I said, but she completely ignored me. Her eyes were fixed on whatever planet she just went to with her runaway thoughts. I could feel her building into a full-blown rant that would give me a migraine.
“And then there’s the working out. I mean, how do you stay that fit? Who gets to sleep beside you at night? Who do you say goodnight to first? Does anyone get jealous? Do you even care? You are the queen of the harem. I guess you don’t have to care. Do you all sit and talk everything out all the time? It’s just exhausting to think about. Don’t get me wrong, they’re the Kings, they slay, so I get it, and I’m not saying that if roles were reversed that I’d do anything differently, but…wow.”
“Can we steer this back to Liam?”
“Oh yeah, Liam. That’s where I was going with this. He’s legit fire and a total baddie, but still, he gives sketch vibes that I don’t always trust. I think Liam is just salty because he was the straight-up goat in Theo’s life, and now, he’s lowkey pressed and giving toxic energy on having to share what was once all his.”
When the hell did Ivy become Gen Z? I’d never heard her talk like that before, and that alone was making my brain hurt.
“Please tell me you’re done?”
“Almost. I mean, honestly, if I was Theo, I wouldn’t have been vibing with what Liam was putting into their relationship a long time ago. Theo has been super patient. I would’ve split the moment Liam chose to keep us on the down low for more than a month, let alone over a year. Can you imagine if Blake told you to pretend you were only his bestie in public because he didn’t want to admit that he liked you? I mean, hello, red flag, fam. You know?”
Aside from the fact that I made a mental note to keep all questions to myself from now on, Ivy oddly had a point with that last bit.
“She’s right.” Blake shrugged. “If you told me that you wanted me, but not in so many words, showed me that you were embarrassed to be seen with me…damn, that would hurt. I hadn’t even thought about it that way because they’ve been like that from the beginning. I just sort of assumed that was the way they chose to be.”
And just like that, I wanted to punch Liam in the face and hug Theo.
“Why is he being like this, do you know?”
Blake held the door open for me and Ivy as I looked at the schedule to make sure we went to the right room.
“I have no idea. Only me, Myles, and Nash have known until recently when Ivy and a couple others found out about them. But if I had to take a guess, it’s his family.”
That surprised me. The Hicks family had seemed perfectly nice at Thanksgiving last year.
“They are very traditional. It’s driving them insane that Nora wants nothing to do with the family as long as they support Lawrence. She walked away, also hating the whole arranged marriage thing. If they thought something was going on between him and Theo…I can’t see it going well.”
“Like how bad?”
“I don’t know the Hicks well. They kind of keep to themselves. My guess is that they’d start by banning Theo from their home. They might pull their support of the council or try to have my dad removed for Theo corrupting their son. Liam’s dad is the largest financial contributor to Lawrence and runs all the imports and exports. It would cripple the flow until a new shipper could be found. All the family businesses are tied into what the council does, so that would mean a major haircut in profits. That would bring a ton of heat to my parents. But that’s just a guess. It’s not like Theo or Liam ever talks to me about any of this.”
“So, he may not just be a selfish asshole, is what you’re saying. Great, make it even more confusing. Thanks.”
Blake smiled and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “That’s what I’m here for.”
Following Ivy, we walked into Women’s Literature class. The desks were set out in a circle, meaning less paperwork and more class discussion. I chose my seat and Ivy grabbed the chair on my left and Blake on my right.
“Can I ask why you are taking Women’s Literature, Blake?”
“Are you being sexist right now, Ms. Davies?”
Blake leaned in closer, his arm wrapped around the back of my chair, and one sexy eyebrow arched. The bell rang, and everyone quickly filed into the class and sat down. Chairs scraped across the floor, and the sound of pens, paper, and all the other noises that screamed classroom filled me with joy.
“Please, as if. Now, if I asked Nash that question, I probably would’ve been, but you…never. I’m genuinely curious about what intrigued you enough to take this class as a guy?”
“That is a fabulous question. In fact, I want all of you to tell me what intrigues you about this course,” Ms. Stanton said from right behind us.
I cringed and looked back, but she was smiling wide at me. She was short in stature and wearing a bright red dress with black polka dots. Mixed with her thick glasses and round face, she looked like an adorable ladybug in human form.
“Let’s start with this end of the class.” She looked at her list. “You must be Blake?”
“Yes, Ms. Stanton.”
“Great, you go first.”
Blake sat up straight and grabbed his necklace, rubbing the pick between his fingers. A nervous habit I’d noticed this past summer.
“Well…I suppose it’s because of my mother. My family, like most of ours, is patriarchally dominated. But my mother has always been strong, smart, and extremely creative. My father treats my mother as a true partner and values her insight on every decision made in our household. I think that more men need to be like my father and take a greater and more active role in not only the support of women and their rights but also in understanding the social and cultural influences that women and their writing have contributed to literary traditions throughout the ages. When you think of artists or authors, we always see men front and center and the most revered, but right from the Middle Ages, women in arts have played a pivotal role. Everything from artistic expression, economic subsistence, and even political resistance. There is nothing in our history that hasn’t been prominently touched and influenced by a woman. We need to ensure as a society that it stays that way.”
The room remained completely quiet as we all stared at Blake. Not one person wasn’t moved by what he’d just said. A tear stung my eye as I truly realized what made Blake so special to me. He’d been more open, honest, and vulnerable with me than anyone else. Blake wasn’t afraid to admit that he was hurting and trusted me in a way that even Myles still struggled to show despite how much he loved me.
I laid my hand on Blake’s as he looked around the room, his eyes wide like he was about to be blasted.
“That was beautiful,” I said.
Ms. Stanton took off her glasses and wiped them as she sniffed. “It really was. Very good, Mr. O’Brien, very good indeed. Let’s go counterclockwise next.”
As the next students introduced themselves and said their piece, I couldn’t take my eyes off Blake.
Leaning into him, I whispered, “You have an artist’s heart, and I think it allows you to see the world in a way that the other guys don’t. That’s also why you sometimes struggle to be yourself with them. You don’t feel they can ever understand. It makes you far wiser than all of them put together.”
He linked our fingers, his smile shining as bright as his school ring glinting in the light pouring in the window. “Theo may argue that.”
“Oh, I’m sure he would, but he’ll never convince me otherwise.”
“I really want to kiss you right now,” he whispered, close to my ear.
I cleared my throat as Ms. Stanton looked our way.
“Better not get us kicked out on our first day and after you made such a great impression.”
“I really did, didn’t I?” I nodded as he sat back, his arms behind his head, looking as proud as punch.
Blake and I shared a similar reason for taking this class. My mother had played such an important role in my life and had fought hard right to the very end.
My hand tightened on my pen. I was going to find out who killed her and why, and then…then, I didn’t know, but part of me wanted to kill them.