Page 32 of A Lesson in Deceit
He lived at home, driving back and forth, monitoring me and our dad after that. Eventually, he moved out...taking me with him while he went to get his Master’s. I moved in with Asher because it sounded better than living at home, and he basically had my stuff packed and moved before I could really give an answer.
“That’s all fine and well, but a few minutes of lackluster conversation won’t hurt. Just give him monosyllabic answers and call it a day.” My brother made it sound so easy.
“Those answers won’t be good enough and he’ll make me want to throat punch him, Asher. I don’t know how you stand him.”
Asher shook his head, taking my empty food wrappings and throwing them in the bag as well. “I don’t, I assure you. He is kind of my boss though, so some kind of respect is in order.”
“He wouldn’t be if you had just gone to another school,” I mumbled, knowing that we’d had this conversation numerous times already.
Asher sighed, throwing away our trash.
“He’s going to use mom as some kind of sympathy calling card and then just because of her, try to ask me questions that show some sort of interest in my life!” I scoffed, feeling my voice getting louder and my chest felt tight. “I don’t need him knowing about what I do in my free time or anything to do with Riley. She hasn’t said much about meeting him, and I prefer it that way. Knowing our dad, he’d say some wild shit about hers and I’d have to kill him because he hurt her feelings.” I could have flipped over Asher’s desk if I thought he wouldn’t scream at me to calm the hell down. “You want me to be nice to that guy?”
Asher slammed his hands on his desk, grabbing my attention. “Not so loud, alright.” He widened his eyes at me frombehind his glasses. “I get it okay. Go to the meeting with him or don’t go to the meeting with him, that’s your choice, River. I’m not the one you’re upset with, so lose the fucking attitude.”
I leaned my head back, looking up and taking a few deep breaths. “Sorry.”
Asher smacked his lips together. “Speaking of Riley…”
“Oh fuck, not you too.”
My brother got up and circled around his desk, before propping himself up against it. He crossed his arms over his chest, giving me a stern look. “She went to community college before this, right?”
I furrowed my eyebrows. “Your point?”
“I’m just saying it’s kind of odd that she was just fine doing that and then suddenly she wants to transfer to a much larger university. You even told me she had no interest in Mystic Riegan whatsoever.”
“People change their fucking minds, Asher. I do it all the time and you don’t questionme.”
Asher rubbed his temples. “I don’t question you because half the time it gets me nowhere. And you also find a way to divert the conversation in your favor.”
“It’s a skill I should add to my resume.”
Asher pointed a finger at me. “Think about it, River. Why would she want to attend a university that her dad worked at, that he died at. It feels very morbid to me, and she doesn’t seem like the type to want to converse with the dead, perform a seance, so…”
I laughed a little at how ridiculous he was. My brother could go to lengths to make a good situation feel like a bad one. He could find the tiniest thing wrong with someone and blow it up, creating a spectacle from it. I got up from the chair, grabbing his shoulder and shaking him. “Maybe she just wants to feel closer to him, who knows. I don’t ask because it’s not my business. Youforget that not everyone has a messed-up relationship with their father.”
He hummed, giving me a look that told me he wasn’t really convinced. “Just be vigilant, okay? Also close your fucking door or tell her to be quieter.”
I snorted out a laugh. “I will never tell her to be quieter, but I will highly consider the other thing you said.” I placed my hand on the doorknob but stopped before I turned it. “We both know you listened for just a minute, so please wipe that look of superiority off your face. Thanks for lunch.”
I threw the door open, walking out without paying attention and running into a body.
“Fuck, I’m sorry, I—,” I reared my head back in shock at who I’d collided with. “Riley?”
16
Riley
My shoulders tensed when I saw River looking back at me as if he had a million questions. I looked over his shoulder to see Asher appear out of his office, leaning against the threshold of the door. If he was already suspicious of me before, this would add another thing to his list that I’m sure he was building.
“Uh, hey,” I said, my t-shirt immediately feeling a little too tight, even though it was made of the most breathable material.
“What are you doing here?” River asked, his face the look of pure innocence.
I’d looked at the names associated with each floor and found Mr. St. James. He was one floor down from my dad, so if I could accomplish two things at once then today would be a success in my book. I was the most confident and determined I’d ever been, planning to march right into his office, ask to speak to him with urgency and hope I could get moved to the front of whatever waitlist he had.
What I had not planned for was running into River and the last person I wanted to see.
