Page 117 of Spin The Bottle
His eyes narrow, shaking his head. “You still have school.”
“Without a scholarship I’m out of here, and then what? Where do I go? I can’t go back home.” I shake my head, the mere thought of it sending shivers down my body. “Iwon’t.” I have what I need. If everything goes well, I’ll have my scholarship back, but if not… I lose everything.
“I would never let that happen,” he says. “The scholarship won’t be a problem.”
“No.” I shake my head. “I’m not taking handouts from you.” It’s bad enough he doesn’t let me pay rent here, I’m not letting him pay for school too.
“It’s not a handout. I just want to help you.”
I rub my hand down my face. “I promised Leila I would be good for her. That I would be someone worth her time.” My heart starts beating at the sound of her name. “I told her she’d never have to worry about my shitty past. If I accept handouts, I’m proving her wrong.”
“You told her?” he asks. “About your family?”
“Every fucking bit,” I admit, pressing my fingers to my temples.
“Damn. That’s more than you’ve told me.” It’s more than I’ve told anybody. She knows everything. Every part of me. “You really love her, don’t you?” he asks.
What a stupid question. “More than I ever thought possible.”
“You could have come to me.” He throws the controller to the side, turning to face me. “I would have helped you with Jordan.”
My jaw tightens. “I thought I had it handled.” Truth is, I didn’t want anyone to know. Grayson knew some of what I went through back home, but not enough, not to the point where I’d be willing to show him those pictures and put all of my vulnerability on the table.
“And it all blew up instead.”
I glare at him. “Yeah, I got that. Thanks.”
When my phone rings, I pull it out of my pocket, my heart thrashing against my chest when I see the name on the screen. “It’s Leila.” I swallow down the lump in my throat. She’s calling me?
He taps me on the back. “Good luck, man.” He stands up and walks out of the living room.
I don’t know what to do. I just stare at the screen like a jackass, looking over the five letters over and over again. Is this really happening? I press the green answer button and bring the phone to my ear.
There’s silence on the other end, just the soft tone of her breathing. I clutch the phone in my hands, letting my eyes fall closed. “Am I dreaming?” She doesn’t answer though, her breathing getting a little faster, a little harder. “Leila.” My voice is thick, desperate. “Please, talk to me.”
“How are you?” I tip my head back at her beautiful voice. I’ve missed it so much. I’ve missed her. My heart beats so fast it’s almost still. Is this what dying feels like?
“Right now,” I say with a low chuckle. “Fucking amazing.”
“Why’s that?” I can almost picture her cute little smile, or maybe that’s what I want her to be doing. Maybe she’s not smiling at all. Hope she is, though.
“Because you’re talking to me.” I don’t even know what this means, I don’t really care at the moment. She’s talking to me.
The sigh that comes out of her destroys me. “Aiden.”
“Fuck. Not yet,” I interrupt before she can hang up or say this was a mistake or anything else. “Please, just a little bit longer.” She might not forgive me, or believe me, but I just want to hear her voice a little longer. “Don’t hang up yet.”
Each second of silence breaking me apart, until her soft voice says, “Okay.”
I smile, stretching out my legs over the coffee table. “So, how was class? Is Professor Wilson still giving the same boring lectures?” I don’t want to talk about us right now. There might not even be an us, I just want to talk to her. “I don’t miss his classes, that’s for sure.” I’ve always been interested in business. Basketball was my main goal, but having a business degree would be a good fallback if my dream didn’t happen. But Professor Wilson manages to turn a simple subject into a drag. I should be attending classes, but knowing my scholarship is on the line and everyone sees me differently… I couldn’t go. I barely had the energy to get out of bed.
“Yeah,” she says, I can hear the ruffling of her favorite blanket that she always has around her shoulders. “He’s moved onto accounting.” The little laugh that comes from her sounding like a symphony from the angels themselves. “I swear I nearly fell asleep last week.”
I can’t hold it in any longer. I blow out a breath. “I’ve missed you.” When she doesn’t reply, I worry I’ve fucked it already, I went too fast. But it’s hard thinking about anything else when I have her on the phone with me.
“How are you?” she asks. “About everything.”
My gorgeous girl, always worried even after I hurt her. “I’ve been better,” I tell her.
