Chapter 42
Chapter Forty-Two
AUGUST
“ I ’m in a—predicament.” I stop talking, trying to come up with the right words to say but unfortunately, my best friend is watching me with that constant amused look on his face and considering my mood, I don’t want him to make fun of me. I need serious help.
Well, that sounds drastic. More like I need advice. Guidance. And that’s not something I ask for easily.
“What sort of predicament?” Cyrus sounds genuinely concerned. The smile even falls off his face. Probably because I rarely ask for help.
We’re in the sitting room at the frat house. What the others call my lair. I like how that sounds. Like I’m the king and this is where I take my court or speak with my trusted advisors, such as Cyrus. I want to tell him what’s going on, but where do I begin? He knows some of the details, but not all of them and I’m afraid I’m going to shock him.
My mind goes to Sinclair as it usually does. I haven’t seen her for two days and my soul feels like it’s slowly slipping out of my body and evaporating into thin air. Fucking dramatic I know, but it’s true. We’ve texted briefly but no plans have been made. No demands either because since I had sex with her—earth-shattering, mind-blowing, rock-my-world sex for a solid weekend while we were holed up in my apartment—I’m cautious. I want to see her again. Immediately.
This isn’t like me.
“You’ve been quiet lately, August. And it’s concerning,” Cyrus adds, his voice grave.
I send him a questioning look. “Concerning?”
“You’re never quiet. You’ve always got something to say, and you’ve been quiet since you came back Sunday, which is out of character. You’re worrying me. Is something wrong? Please don’t tell me your father is dying.”
“What the fuck, Cyrus?” Why would he go straight to the most drastic conclusion? “My father is fine. He’s perfectly healthy. My entire family is.”
“Don’t tell me Iris and Brooks are getting divorced.”
“They’re not even married.” I frown. Are they? If they are, they didn’t invite me to the wedding and that’s fucked.
“Then what is it? Are you failing a class? Did you gamble away your trust fund? Have you met a woman and fallen hopelessly in love with her?”
How did he know?
“I think—it might be the last one.”
Cyrus’s jaw drops and he gapes at me for an uncomfortably long time. To the point that I’m glaring at him and about to curse him out but he comes to his senses before I have to. “That’s the last thing I thought you’d say.”
“You really think I’m stupid enough to gamble away my entire trust fund?” I shake my head, disappointed.
“I don’t know! I’d guess you’d do that before you fell in love with someone.”
“It’s not love.” I have no idea what it is, but the thought of her makes my chest ache, which is…odd. Is she avoiding me on purpose? She’s complained about school and I know things get bu sy this time of the year. We’re already in October and the semester will be over soon. What happens to us when winter break hits? I’ll go to my apartment in the city and spend time with my family during the actual holiday, and what will Sinclair do? Go home to her wretched parents?
Wretched probably isn’t strong enough, but it’s close. They sound awful. There’s a small part of me that wants to avoid them completely but then there’s a bigger, braggart part of me that wants to invite them to the family home for dinner. Just to dazzle them. They don’t give Sinclair enough credit. She’s smart. Beautiful. Classy. They must’ve done something right to raise her so well, but from the way she talks, Sinclair makes them out to be horrid beasts.
I’m in the mood to slay a couple of horrid beasts. It would give me immense pleasure to show them what their daughter could potentially have.
Clearly, I’ve lost my mind.
“Then what is it? And who is it?” Cyrus asks, interrupting my thoughts.
“I can’t stop thinking about her.” I hesitate before I admit who. “Sinclair. Fuck, she haunts me.”
“Haunts you? The girl you used to bully in high school? That makes sense. She’s probably put some sort of spell on you to fuck you over for what you did to her in the past.”
I’ve never thought she could possibly do something like that. “Please. That sounds ridiculous.”
“How ridiculous, hmm? She comes into your life out of nowhere and has you completely obsessed. Now you think you’re falling in love with her, and that’s not normal, August. Not for you, at least. I think you’re being tricked.”
“Tricked? Are you saying some little eighteen-year-old girl could make me fall for her like she’s some sort of witch? Please. That’s preposterous.”
“Is it? Has this ever happened to you before? ”
“No.”
“Did you fuck her?”
Such a crude way to put what happened between me and Sin. Yes, I love talking about fucking her, but when someone else says it? It sounds…meaningless. And what Sin and I have shared isn’t meaningless. Not even close.
“We had sex, yes.”
“How was it? Must’ve been better than the last one you hooked up with. You couldn’t even remember her name.” Cyrus shakes his head.
“Because she didn’t matter.”
“But Sinclair does.”
I stare off into the distance, watching as the front door swings open and in walks my least favorite person in the world, Tim. I haven’t even given him a thought but now here he is, and I sort of want to talk to him. About Sinclair.
“Yes,” I bite out. “She matters to me. It’s the family curse.”
“Family curse?”
“When a Lancaster falls for someone, that’s it. That’s their person. For life. I’ve avoided getting to know women in fear of having that happen to me. My parents are obsessed with each other and while it’s reassuring to know they love each other so deeply, as I got older, it—scared me. Their kind of love.”
Cyrus actually has the nerve to chuckle. “Scared you? That’s not typical, August. Nothing scares you.”
“Falling in love with someone does.” I’m not ready. I’m too young. Sin is far too young. What if there’s someone else out there better for me? Better for her? Am I settling? Is she?
Unfathomable. I wouldn’t settle for anything less than what I deserve and damn it, I deserve Sinclair.
“But you just said it’s not love, what you feel for Sinclair.”
My gaze stays on Tim and his goofy friend, Rafe. They’re laughing and talking and high-fiving each other and I can’t stand it .
“It’s not. Yet.”
Cyrus is laughing, the dick. “If she is a witch, you’re done for, dude. You’ve completely fallen under that spell she’s cast on you.”
“It’s not such a bad place to be.” I rise to my feet, my focus on the two idiots standing in the foyer. “I’ll be right back.”
I make my way over to Tim and Rafe, who catch on quickly that I’m making my approach. They both go quiet, watching me with bug eyes and open mouths. Like they’re little kids who are about to get in trouble. Tim is the braver of the two when it comes to me and he snaps his lips shut, putting on a friendly face.
“Hey, prez. How are you?”
I hate the nickname. It’s disrespectful. “I’m well. How are you two imbeciles?”
Neither of them responds to my insult. It’s like they didn’t even hear it.
“We’re good.” Tim keeps nodding like he can’t stop and Rafe mumbles a response I can’t decipher.
“Can I speak to you privately for a moment, Tim?” I glance over at Rafe, who looks ready to bolt. “You understand, don’t you?”
“Yep. See you.” Rafe is gone, leaving Tim and I alone and I lead him back to my lair, Cyrus nowhere in sight. Perfect.
Turning to face Tim, I cross my arms. “Are you still speaking to Sinclair?”
Tim frowns, squinting up at me because I’m taller than him. “We have a class together. I sit next to her. Yeah, I still talk to her.”
“Well then, you need to stop.” I put on my most intimidating expression. “Keep away from her.”
Tim’s cheeks turn ruddy and I can tell he’s trying to contain his anger. “Seriously? How can I avoid her when we share a class? ”
“Don’t sit next to her, don’t talk to her. It’s that easy, Tim.”
“Are you two together?”
“We’re going to be.”
“So it’s not official yet.”
Why isn’t he readily agreeing with me that he’ll do as I say? “It’s going to be.”
“I’m assuming you haven’t discussed this with Sinclair?” Tim asks.
I drop my arms to my sides, frustrated. “It’s none of your fucking business.”
Tim has the audacity to laugh, the fucker. “Since you two aren’t actually together, I consider her open game, but I appreciate the warning. See you later.”
He walks away and I let him go, fuming. The balls on this guy. Who the hell does he think he is?
Open game? Tim believes my Sinclair is open game to him ? Absolutely fucking not. I stride through the house, throwing open the front door and making my way outside, ignoring everyone. I’m headed straight for Sinclair’s dorm room before Tim can beat me. The little motherfucker. He wants to play with fire?
I’m going to light him with kerosene and watch him burn.