Page 157 of Tag

I shuffled to the bed and flopped down on my stomach with a low sigh. The plush mattress absorbed me instantly. After a minute, I rolled onto my side and reached for my phone. A few notifications lit the screen.

One from Cloe Tagging me in our group chat.

Cici

@Sanj you okay? Text if you need anything.

Then Ari.

ARI

I know you’re safe with them, but still checking in. Love you!!

A tired smile tugged at the corners of my lips. I wasn’t going to dump any more of the Hunt stuff on them tonight. I would fill them in the next morning.

All good here. How are you guys doing?

It didn’t take long for Cloe to reply.

Cici

Currently deep in the trenches of this project. Considering academic emancipation.

I huffed out a quiet laugh.

ARI

About to crash. Just finished that book I was telling you about with the twin timelines and the creepy boarding school. The ending was better than I expected.

My smile faded a little.

I didn’t tell her the guys had been reading that same book earlier, specifically the smuttiest passage. That moment was still too fresh, and I wasn’t ready to relive the secondhand embarrassment or pass it along to Ari.

There wasn’t anything new from Roxxi, but a photo—her grandmother, in full glamor mode: silk pajamas, hair in curlers, a full fan of playing cards in one hand and a drink sparkling like liquid diamonds in the other. I didn’t have to ask to know it was mostly vodka. We went back and forth for a while, then I let the phone rest on my stomach and stared at the ceiling, toying with my half of the best-friend necklace.

One minute, I was debating whether to get up and grab a bottle of water from the mini fridge in the corner, replaying the day in my head like maybe it would make more sense on the thousandth run-through. Next, I was blinking slowly into the dark.

The soft hum of the electric fireplace filled the silence, its glow casting flickering shadows across the ceiling like dancing ghosts. A spare fleece blanket was draped over me. It smelled faintly of fabric softener. My mouth was bone dry, my hair had slipped free from its bun, and the heaviness in my limbs told me the remaining soreness I’d been bracing for had finally arrived. I shifted, momentarily disoriented. I was more tired than I realized. I never slept this much.

I turned my head toward the door, still cracked just like I’d left it. Sitting up, I ran my hand over the blanket and mattress, trying to find my phone. Frowning, I glanced toward the nightstand. I spotted it plugged into a charging cable. Someone must’ve moved it. Probably Ryder, knowing how paranoid he was about me sleeping with electronics balanced on top of me like a human charger. I scooted over, grabbing it with one hand while the other pulled the blanket tighter around me.

12:42.

I slept longer than I thought, but not long at all.

Swinging my legs off the bed, I crossed the room slowly, making my way to the mini fridge. I cracked open a bottle of Fiji and downed nearly half in one go. The water was cold andheavenly against my throat. I padded back to the bed, slipping under the blanket again and turning my phone to night mode to dull the glare. A few more messages had rolled into the guys’ group chat, mostly Cade and Xander bickering over a fantasy league trade, Nick chiming in with a meme that barely made sense. I swear he lived in his own world half the time. Rook was still silent, but it wasn’t unusual for him to go dark.

Nothing new from the girls.

Layla text:Let’s talk soon.

A few minutes after that, Ashton had texted again.

Goodnight. Miss you.

I stared at Ashton’s message for a second longer before exiting out and cursing myself for not turning off our read receipts.

Idiot.

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