Page 78 of Sweet Ruin

“Of course, I did.”

He slowly nodded though his jaw remained tight. “Okay,” he said. “Thank you.” His shoulders relaxed a little, but he still didn’t look convinced, and his eyes were focused on the ground. I slid my hands up his chest and wrapped them round his neck, pulling him closer to me.

“And how are your feelings for me?” I asked, tilting my head to try to catch his eye. “Strong too?”

He glanced up at me, and a little more sparkle was in his gaze. “Stronger than you know,” he said.

I drew him in for a kiss, hoping my lips could erase any doubts he still felt. I wanted to be with Wes. I just needed him to believe it too.

He gave me a smile as I pulled back from our kiss, and I hoped that meant we were okay. But something still felt off. I hadn’t told him Noah had confessed he loved me, and given the strength of Wes’s reaction to everything else, I knew it was probably something he was better off not knowing. But even without that knowledge, there still seemed to be a hint of doubt in Wes’s eyes whenever he looked my way. I just hoped it wouldn’t linger.

CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO

I’d hoped that after my dramatic weekend life might go back to normal on Monday. I didn’t want the chaotic events Noah and my father had instigated to change anything—especially not my relationship with Wes. It appeared that had been wishful thinking though, and I didn’t even make it past breakfast before I realized things were going to be different now.

Noah and I arrived at the dining hall at the same time. He’d been ignoring me for such a long time that I assumed he would just walk past me without acknowledging my presence. I should have realized those days were over. Not only was he looking into my eyes for once, but he was also smiling.

I didn’t return the look, striding beyond him and into the room. He fell into step beside me though as I approached the buffet. I glanced nervously toward my usual table but relaxed slightly when I saw Wes wasn’t there.

I felt silly for being nervous about getting caught talking to Noah. But after the way Wes had acted yesterday, I didn’t want to take any chances. He was already so on edge about me and Noah, and I didn’t want to give him anything else to worry about.

As it was, Wes would probably still hear about it via the Weybridge Academy gossip grapevine. I’d always known the gossip in this school was rife, but I still couldn’t believe he’d heard about my ride back from New York with Noah from a friend so quickly. I’d jumped out of Noah’s car as soon as I’d arrived at school, but apparently in this place, all you needed was one person to see you at the wrong time.

There were only a few people in the dining hall this morning, but I knew that was more than enough to give rumors wings to fly. I needed to get Noah to leave me alone, and fast.

“How are you?” he asked.

“I don’t want to talk to you, Noah.”

He didn’t look the least bit put off by my response. “I know you must still be angry with me,” he said. “But I’m going to make it up to you.”

“You don’t have to do that,” I replied. “I’d rather you just left me alone.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Crash.”

“Please don’t call me that.” I grabbed a plate and started piling food onto it. I was being as quick as I could and barely looking at the items I was selecting. I just wanted to get to the safety of my table as soon as possible. Noah followed me closely as I walked alongside the buffet counter.

“How was the rest of your weekend?” he asked.

“Not great seeing as, thanks to you, I’ve been doing damage control with my boyfriend.” I kept my voice low and practically hissed the words at him.

“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that,” he said, the sarcasm clear in his voice.

“You could try to sound a little less pleased.” I turned on him. “You don’t get to break up with me when it suits you and then expect me to want you back as soon as it works for you. I’ve moved on, and I’m happy.”

Noah frowned, and I knew I’d hit a nerve.

“You’re happier with Wesley Montfort than you were with me?”

“Wesley Montfort doesn’t come with drama.”

Noah tilted his head. “Is that the only reason you’re with him? Because he’s safe?”

“Of course, it’s not the only reason.”

Noah shook his head. “I know I hurt you, but I will never do that again. You would be safe with me too. Can’t you understand why I had to do the things I did?”

“Just because I understand them doesn’t mean I forgive you,” I said. “You could have told me what was going on. Instead, you chose to break my heart and keep me in the dark.”

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