Total pages in book: 186
Estimated words: 176552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 883(@200wpm)___ 706(@250wpm)___ 589(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 176552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 883(@200wpm)___ 706(@250wpm)___ 589(@300wpm)
Last I heard about Sarah, she was a majorette for our rival college in Crescent Ridge, a town over, living her best baton-twirling life away from us. Now she was having casual early morning phone calls with my boyfriend. Ashton knew her from going to high school together, but they were never close enough to stay connected years later. At least that I knew of.
I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and busied myself with my phone. Ryder had texted me good morning, as always, and the girls were checking in on my ETA. I let them know I’d be there in less than five minutes. We reached campus, still not speaking to one another. Ashton maneuvered his way through the usual mass of students crossing without looking and cars inching forward like turtles. After another few minutes, he pulled into his designated parking spot with practiced ease, one of the prime locations close to the main academic building. All students had to pay a small fortune for a parking pass on top of everything else, and the good spots were snatched up faster than free merch during welcome week.
This year, I waited until the last minute to get mine, and that turned out to be a big mistake. I now had to park in a section that felt like it belonged to an entirely different zip code, miles from any building. I may or may not have told my friends I chose the spot on purpose, so they didn’t force some poor soul to give theirs up for me.
I texted that I had arrived and gathered my bag. Reaching for the handle to hop out, Ashton’s hand brushed my arm, stopping me. I looked over at him, silently questioning what he wanted to say.
“You have nothing to worry about with me and Sarah, Sanj. I promise.” His voice was softer than it had been all morning.
I stared at him, turning those words over in my head. I thought it was weird they were chatting on the phone, and there was a strong likelihood she may have been up to something shady, but the two of them messing around wasn’t on my radar. My confusion must have been obvious because he looked at me as if he were expecting a different kind of reaction.
“I wasn’t worried about that,” I replied, watching him a little closer now.
“You weren’t?”
“Why do you sound surprised?”
“I’m talking to Ryder’s ex,” he emphasized, like that last part was supposed to mean something to me.
“Thought you said they never dated?” I retorted sarcastically.
“They didn’t, but come on, Sanj, you don’t hook up with someone that long and come out of it without some unresolved shit.”
I wasn’t sure if I was more annoyed that he was mentioning this, or that he, of all people, was saying this while revealing he had been casually talking to her. Why did he feel the need to expand on this topic all of a sudden in the first place? I glanced out the window in an attempt to gather my thoughts.
If your boyfriend randomly reassures you that he isn’t cheating because he thought you assumed he was, should it be taken as him feeling some kind of guilt? It would be a shock if he were. He could barely lie straight. Not saying that was enough for him to remain faithful, but he didn’t seem the type to cheat. Then again, I was pretty sure 80% of betrayed girlfriends had said the exact same thing before they got hit with a truth they never asked for.
“Is this some reverse psychology thing where you’re telling me not to worry because I should?”
His eyes widened. “Huh? No! I didn’t want you to feel like I kept it from you. That’s all it is, Sanj, I swear.”
“I thought the conversation was closed. You had the entire drive to say something, Ashton.”
And would you even have told me about it if I hadn’t seen you on the phone earlier? I wondered silently.
“Hey.” He reached across the console again, his hand brushing over my knee. “I don’t want to fight about this, and I don’t want you to be upset.”
Lord help me.
“We aren’t fighting, and I’m not upset.” I paused, “We’re simply… not doing great at communicating right now.”
He pulled a face. “That’s one way to put it.”
“You know she doesn’t like me, right?” I made it known, just in case he was under some illusion about where I stood with this girl.
He looked over and smiled. “I like you. That’s what matters, right?”
Right.
Freaking idiot.
I opened the door and stepped out of the car without saying another word. He quickly did the same, coming around to take my hand, looking down at me, which wasn’t a feat, seeing as there were a whole 2-3 inches between us, like that would smooth everything over. I didn’t want him touching me right then, but I also wasn’t going to make a scene in the middle of campus. People were already starting to look.