Page 69 of Ink & Ambition

I kiss her again before pulling back to meet her eyes. “Good, so it’s time you start listening to me, woman.”

Margot rolls her eyes but leans against me, allowing me to wrap my arms around her like I’ve been yearning to for hours.

I can’t see her face but her voice is small again when she speaks. “Did Devon call me your girlfriend?”

I freeze. “He was just yanking my chain.”

“Right, of course,” Margot responds far too quickly. “Obviously.” She sits up, a brilliant smile on her face and you’d think I’d just told her it was Christmas morning. The look confuses me but I don’t push it for now.

“Look, I didn’t mean to just drop by unannounced, I just wanted to see if you were okay and now that I have the proof that you are, I can head back to the library,” she stands to get her bag,“It’s time to submit the first part of the Times internship contest. I need to do a write up of our project and then send in the first two episodes. According to the website, I’ll know by the end of the weekend if I’ve made it to the second round.”

“You will.”

“You’re so sure.” She swats at me playfully but there’s trepidation in her voice. Before she can move out of reach, I grab her arm and pull her to standing in front of me, locking her lithe body between my knees.

“Yes, I am,” I say firmly, placing a kiss on the tip of her nose. Margot lets a little tension out of her shoulders, whether she realizes it or not. I calm her. The knowledge that something I do can make her feel even a little bit more confident sends a jolt of energy up my spine. I sit up straighter, kissing her with a passion she’s not expecting but not opposed to, based on how her body reacts. She winds her arms around my neck, pulling me closer and I want to sink my teeth into the soft skin of her neck. Squeezing my eyes shut, I wince as I’m reminded of the shiner my so-called best friend graced me with last night. Margot pulls back.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asks, placing gentle fingers on my bruised face. The concern in her gaze is clear. She’s worried about me. I pull her fingers away, kissing the tips of each one before letting her hand fall to her side.

“I’m fine, sunshine. You don’t gotta worry about me.”

She doesn’t look convinced but she nods just the same, clearly appeasing me.

“I’ll let myself out,” Margot says, rubbing her hand down my arm one more time and then moving toward the door. “I’ll see you Saturday?”

I laugh, standing to grab her under her butt, taking her entirely by surprise and lifting her so her face is level with mine. With my available hand, I grip the back of her neck and kiss heragain so fiercely it leaves us both breathless. Pulling back, I rest my forehead on hers for a brief moment before placing her back on the floor again.

“You’ll be seeing me way sooner than that, sunshine,” I reply, kissing her forehead and then giving her a swift smack on the ass as she walks out the door.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Margot

IwantedtopressAlex more on the purple bruise on his pretty face, but he didn’t seem like he was in the mood to share. And as much as I wanted to know what happened between him and Kai, it wasn’t my place to pry. He’ll tell me in his own time.

Alex didn’t come back to campus for the rest of the week. A fact I knew almost against my will but because of the Ask Alex podcast page, almost every comment on our newest episode was #freealex. It’s like his adoring fans can’t go more than one day without a sighting. It’s actually scary.

For me though, it hasn’t gotten much better. I’ve gotten used to the staring as I walk through the quad or the whispers in the hallway. Every once in a while, a bold girl will approach me with some disgusting comment and then walk away snickering with her friends.

On Friday afternoon, one such encounter occurred as I made my usual route from the library to the newsroom, a path that takes me right past the outdoor seating area of the campus food court.

“Hey, podcast girl.”A lovely nickname.“How much you paying him?”

I ignored the comment, as usual, and kept walking. Until I heard her shrieking voice again. “I’ll bet you just give him handies under the table after filming, don’t you?”

“Don’t be ugly, Josie. No one likes rotten leftovers.” Danika’s arm wraps around my shoulders and we keep walking, much to the dismay of the heckler behind us.

“Whatever happened to being a girl’s girl?”

Danika scoffs. “It’s college, babe. Girls at this place only want one thing and that’s your boy.” She flicks my long braid over my shoulder, fluffing out the green ribbon Sydney added to the bottom this morning when she did my hair.

“He’s not my boy,” I protest, knocking her arm off my back and turning to face her. “I hope the real world is better than this…”

“Doubtful,” Dani laughs.

“And what are you two lovely ladies doing on this fine afternoon?”

I hear Alex behind me, but he doesn’t put a hand on me. I feel the lack of contact like a slap to the face. Not that we are any type of exclusive, but there is something going on between us. Something new and different and undeniable. But he’s not my boyfriend. And he’s not touching me in public. So maybe it’s not that special after all.

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