Page 43 of By the Book

“None of us do,” Ruth assures me, stepping outside as well. “Wes remember, we don’t have Chuck’s truck for much longer.”

Wes clears his throat and nods. “Right, well… thanks for looking out, man.”

Positioning ourselves on either side of the desk, we lift it and move inside. I try to shift my eyes as we pass by the bookshelves, convinced Wes will see it on my face—my memory of feeling up his sister just minutes earlier. He has plenty of things to blame me for lately. And I’m thinking he’s starting to catch on to that fact.

5 years ago

Ivy

I sniffle as tears run down my cheeks. “I don’t understand why someone would do this.”

Poppy wraps her arm around me as Wren pats my leg. “Because he’s a prick,” Poppy growls. “I’m going to chop his?—”

“I’m back with reinforcements,” Stevie announces, bursting through the dorm room door. “I found them wandering around the building. You called them?”

Looking up, I’m stunned to see Tripp standing beside Wes in my doorway. I had called my brother, but Tripp’s presence is a complete surprise to me. And he does not look happy about it. I watch his jaw tick as he studies my face, his gaze assessing.

“Good timing, we need to run out for emergency supplies. Ice cream, popcorn, you know—the essentials.” Wren stands, snatching up her purse, and Poppy gives me one last hug before standing as well. “You boys got this?”

“Of course, she’s my sister,” Wes scoffs, dropping down onto the bed beside me. Tripp remains eerily still, though. Even after my three best friends leave the room, he seems to radiate anger. For being dragged up here?

“I’ll be right back,” he mutters tensely before slipping out the door as well.

“Wait here,” I tell Wes, jumping up and chasing Tripp into the hall. Swiping furiously at the tears clouding my vision, I look up and down the hall until I spot him on the staircase.

“Tripp!”

Anxious to stop him from leaving, my brain ignores the fact that he seems to be going up, not down the stairs. Up wouldn’t make any sense. He spins on his heels, face softening when he sees me.

“I’m sorry Wes dragged you up here.”

He meets me in the middle of the hall, close enough to touch. And God does he smell good. I just walked in on my boyfriend cheating on me, yet one look at Tripp and it’s like my brother’s best friend is the only man in this world. I’m not sure what the point in dating is when no one compares to him.

“He didn’t,” Tripp assures me. “There’s just something I have to do real fast.”

Gently, he reaches out and runs his thumb across my cheek, brushing away the tear still clinging there. Silence hangs in the air between us and I watch his throat bob before glancing back up to his face. “He didn’t deserve you,” he rasps.

“I just feel so dumb. He told me this would happen.”

“What?”

“He said if I didn’t put out, he’d find a girl who did,” I whisper. “But I didn’t want to… with him.”

His jaw tightens again, so much so that I worry it’s going to completely snap. “He tried to guilt you into sex?” he grits out.

“Yes.”

“Go back to Wes. I’ll be there in a minute.”

I remain still in the hall, watching him bound up the staircase and taking the steps two at a time. He wasn’t leaving after all. But the boy’s floor is above us.

Chapter 18

Ivy

Atornado of leaves gathers around my feet as I close my shop door behind me. This is the definition of a howling wind. Tucking my head down, I fluff my scarf to better cover my neck and step onto the sidewalk.

Tonight is book club, my favorite night of every month. I head towards the café, my copy of our book tucked into my tote. When I was in New York, I missed having a routine with my favorite people. It was overwhelming and lonely for the brief time I moved away. Like I was a small speck, and life was happening for everyone else around me.

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