Page 68 of Ink & Ambition

Kai reaches out, gripping the top of Keith’s knee. “I found you on the front lawn all battered up. Took three guys to drag your fatass inside.” Kai laughs and Keith smiles. I suddenly feel like I’m intruding on an intimate brotherly moment.

“Well,” Kai says expectantly, finally looking me in the eye. “What the fuck are we going to do about this?”

I blink but don’t respond. Because I have no fucking idea.

Kai and I seem to form an unspoken ceasefire as we brainstorm how to handle this situation. Devon had come home during our planning session, bringing a six pack of beer and two pepperoni pizzas. It took the smell of melted cheese to remind me that I haven’t eaten since before I went to Margot’s apartment last night.

I can’t believe that was last night. I can’t believe that last night I was kissing Margot Davis. That I was about to do so much more with Margot Davis. It seems like a lifetime ago. I still haven’t been able to process it all with what happened once I got home.

But something else that I realized while all of this was going on, I miss her. Usually I go half the school week without seeing her and I hardly bat an eye about it…hardly. But this? It’s been less than twenty-four hours since I’ve last seen her and I already want to see her again. Hold her again. Touch her unreasonably soft skin again. Hear her wild thoughts about nineties rom coms and have her explain to me yet again the difference between MLA and Chicago style formatting. I just want to kiss her–

A smack to the back of my head breaks my reverie.

“Your girlfriend is here,” Devon announces before sliding over on the couch and laying down behind me, effectively shoving me off. I give him a dead leg before I go get the door.

“Jesus Christ,” Margot says as a greeting, her hand covering her mouth.

“This ain’t church, baby,” I say with the swagger of a long dead Elvis. Leaning against the doorframe, I cross my arms and wink, with some effort.

Margot, of course, sees right through me. Stepping forward, she gently touches my face with her fingertips. “What the hell happened to you?”

I take her hand, kiss her palm gently and then drop her arm back down. “Come upstairs, I’ll explain.”

Margot follows up blindly through the house, passing most of the brothers, including an apologetic looking Keith and a mean looking Kai. When we get upstairs, I close my door behind us and lock it for good measure.

“Did you get in a fight with Keith?” Margot asks immediately.

I shake my head but don’t elaborate on that point. “No, I didn’t.” With a sigh, I sit on the edge of my bed and motion for Margot to take the spot beside me. With hesitance, she crosses the room and takes the seat.

“Alex, you’re freaking me out.”

“Something happened last night and we’re still trying to piece together parts of it but it seems like Keith got jumped by some DE guys.”

Margot’s hand shoots up to her mouth again. Her eyes widen, and I can’t help but notice how deeply blue they are. And as they start to water, they resemble oceans. I don’t make her ask anymore questions as I continue.

“Devon had texted and called and that’s why I left your apartment so abruptly. When I got home, I found Keith beat the fuck up on the couch and I took him to the hospital where we spent most of the night waiting on exams and tests and all that bullshit.”

Margot blinks a few times as she takes in the information.

“But wait, how didyouget a black eye? And where was Kai that whole time? Why didn’t he go to the hospital with Keith?”

“Kai was here, but he was too upset about it to really think straight…” I trail off, motioning briefly toward my face. Margotgasps again and I almost chuckle at the dramatics she’s bringing to the situation.

“Kai punched you? Why?”

I put my hand on her thigh, to relax her. To relax me. “It’s a long story that we don’t have to get into now. I’m sorry that I ran out on you last night and kept you in the dark all day. That was shitty of me.”

Margot rubs my arm and scoots ever so closer to me. “It’s okay, Alex. I can’t believe you were going through all this and I sat in class wondering if you were regretting everything we did last night.”

Her voice gets smaller and smaller by the time she finishes her sentence and she turns her face to hide but I don’t let her. Gripping her chin, I pull her toward me and place a not so gentle kiss on her lips.

“Don’t ever think that. I told you not to overthink it, didn’t I?

“Yes, but—”

I kiss her again. “Didn’t I?”

She smiles against my lips. “Yes.”

---