Page 91 of Truth or Dare

I cupped her chin. “I want you to stop protecting me. I can handle it. Alex will get me a lawyer.”

She wrenched her head away. “Don’t tell me what to do. If I dump Evan, he won’t only turn you in. He’s a vindictive fuck.”

I sat up. “So, you want to continue with this?”

“Hudson, I can find that notebook. He has it somewhere in his room. I could kick myself for not taking it when I first found it.”

“And when he finds out, what’s going to stop him from turning us in?”

“Because we’ll have ammunition with that notebook.”

I smirked. “What’s his nickname?”

She snorted. “VIP. Stupid dick.”

Her phone vibrated and she reached for it, swiping the screen. “Evan,” she mouthed.

I leaned against the wall while she took the call, listening to him gaslight her and make it seem like he was hanging out at home.

Fucking dick. She already knows you were screwing around with her best friend.

Presley reached for my hand, her grip tightening as she lied to Evan about her plans. Her voice was steady, but I could feel the tension in her fingers. When she finally ended the call, she tossed the phone back on her nightstand with a frustrated sigh before crawling into my lap.

“God, I hate him so much,” she muttered, burying her face in my shoulder.

“What did he want this time?” I asked, though the answer was already forming in my mind.

“He wants to have lunch tomorrow at Testa’s,” she said, her voice dripping with disdain.

I let out a low whistle. Testa’s was no ordinary spot—it was an upscale Italian restaurant, and Presley loved their chicken parmigiana. It was a place her family frequented for special occasions.

“Who’s he trying to impress now?” I asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Me, apparently,” she replied with a bitter laugh. “His parents are back tomorrow, but I’m sure he’ll try to talk me into going back to his place.”

I kissed her temple gently, feeling the soft shiver that ran through her. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” I murmured.

She straddled me, her arms wrapping around my neck as she tucked her head under my chin. “I know,” she whispered. “I just wish it wasn’t so complicated.”

I held her close, savoring the warmth of her body against mine. The rain pattered softly against the window, creating a cocoon of intimacy around us. This was where I wanted to be, wrapped up in her on a cold, rainy day, far away from the chaos that Evan brought into her life.

Three days wentby with Presley either ignoring me completely or giving me one-word answers whenever I tried to start a conversation. I racked my brain trying to figure out what I'd done wrong but came up empty.

In film class that afternoon, she strolled in just as the opening credits for Sunset Boulevard began to roll. Without so much as a glance in my direction, she plopped down in the seat directly in front of me.

I leaned forward, keeping my voice low. "Hey, what's going on with you lately?"

She stayed facing forward, not even turning her head an inch. "Nothing."

"C'mon, Pres. You've been shutting me out for days. Did I do something?"

She let out an exasperated sigh but remained stone-faced, eyes glued to the screen at the front of the room.

I pressed on, unwilling to let it go. "If I've upset you, I wish you'd just tell me. The silent treatment is killing me here."

Finally, she twisted around to face me, her eyes blazing with hurt. “I can’t talk to you right now,” she hissed.

Bewildered, I could only shake my head. Her jaw clenched and she turned back towards the front, effectively ending the conversation.

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