Page 31 of A Lesson in Deceit
“I don’t know how else to put it.”
The elevator dinged that we were on the ground floor and everyone walked out ahead of us.
Grayson walked in front of me, but then turned around halting my movements. “I don’t think it’s so hard. Did I see you and River having sex? See, simple. I’m sure people would kill to watch you guys.”
I looked around to make sure no one else heard him. I tugged at one of my braids. “Well…did you?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Are you upset?” He wasn’t gaslighting me, but he was genuinely asking, while also somehow being cheeky about it.
“That’s not an answer.”
He ran his finger over his chin, as if he was thinking. He gave me a smile, then smirked. “You and I both know the answer, so asking me is just your way of solidifying something you are fully aware of.”
I felt my skin turning hot, remembering him standing there, watching. I couldn’t see his face, but I knew he was there.
“The real question you should be asking me is if I’m the kind of guy who likes to stand and watch or would I want to be involved?”
I swallowed hard. It’s like he’d been in my head and considered every thought I’d ever had about the situation. “And your answer would be?”
He shrugged, walking backwards. “That’s a discussion meant for when your boyfriend is around, don’t you think?” He gave me a quick salute.
I watched him walk away, shaking my head at how easy, but unnerving that was. I had kind of gotten my answer, but I was left questioning myself. Was it a violation of my privacy that Grayson had stood there and watched, sure…but did I maybe, sort of, want it to happen again. It felt only fair that River should be a part of this conversation, but there was something I had to do right now and without Grayson hovering, I beelined for the Department of Mental Magic.
15
River
“How are classes?” My brother asked me, balling up his napkin and throwing it into the paper bag. We occasionally had lunch together, even though I would much rather be eating with my girlfriend, but usually during these lunches he was less of an ass than usual.
He’d gotten us subs from one of our favorite places in the bay area and paid, so I wasn’t going to complain. I cracked my knuckles, leaning back in my chair. “They’re fine. Don’t tell me you’ve met with all my teachers and asked them how I’m doing?”
Asher gave me an incredulous look. “Why the fuck would I do that?”
“You did it when I was in high school.”
“You had a lot less discipline in high school, I had to keep you on track.”
I scoffed. “I wasn’t that bad. This coming from the guy who fucks with his students while they’re daydreaming.”
Asher pointed at me. “I only do that when it’s totally necessary. I won’t have mediocrity in my classroom or sleeping shits who think it’s nap time.”
My dampener made it impossible to send him the multiple wildly funny thoughts that formed in my head, so I would hold off until we were home.
“River, dad talked to your academic advisor, and you’ve got a meeting with him.”
I nearly choked on the small sip of my soda. “With dad?”
“Yes, with dad.”
“Lemme guess, this is the only way he could get me to sit down and legitimately talk to him?” It was deviously perfect. My dad, being the dean of the entire department, had so much sway with the advisors. At Mystic Riegan, missing meetings without sufficient reasoning looked bad on your entire school profile. Most students would be over the fucking moon to have a one on one with the dean of their chosen major and I just so happened to be the chosen few that hated it.
“You do use his money, River.”
“That shit doesn’t work on me. I’ve told you before I don’t want it.” My dad would never threaten to take it away though, because that kind of talk was futile. My mom wanted us taken care of regardless of our relationship with her husband. Our dad loved her, so keeping her happy was his first goal in life and then we came right after that, begrudgingly so. Asher could have whatever kind of relationship he wanted with the man; I was good at doing exactly what I’ve always done.
My dad tried to make me some kind of party favor when I was around ten, right when my powers had decided to make a full appearance. I remembered all those people in our living room, waiting to see what I could do as if they were used to this shit or something. My dad had even tried to give me this foul-smelling drink to help enhance my powers, open my mind up more. I’d spit it out the minute it hit my tongue.
Asher had been away at Mystic Riegan getting his undergrad before that and he’d come home to a house full of strangers.He kicked them all out and he and our dad had a very angry conversation in our study.
