Page 73 of A Lesson in Deceit
MOM
That does not make me feel better, Riley.
I promise I am in one piece and okay. Being social does require me to be a little MIA, but I’m trying.
MOM
I know, sweetheart. How is Marianne? Her mother told me you guys were headed to a party tonight.
I sighed knowing that if I indulged in this conversation, I would be texting her for a good minute. I peeked up at the three guys who were casually pretending to be engrossed in other things, but in reality, they were watching me. Actually, one of them was, without an ounce of shame, staring at me. Asher sat in his desk chair; his elbow propped up on one of the arms.
Yeah we are actually still here so can I talk to you tomorrow?
MOM
Right, right. My bad, I forgot it’s not cool to be texting your mom at a party. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Love you, always and always.
“Everything okay?” River asked,
I nodded. “Yeah, she’s just checking in on me. I do need to charge this though.” I raised my phone for them to see.
River plucked it from my hands, walking over to Asher’s desk. His brother followed his movements, watching as he searched until he found the right charger. Grayson jumped onto the bed, getting comfortable.
Asher scoffed. “By all means, please make yourself at home.”
“You’re going to have to loosen up, Asher. We all just got very close in the last hour, so deal with it.” Grayson stuck out his tongue, shooting his shadows out and smacking Asher on the cheek.
Asher groaned. “And you will single-handedly make me regret it.”
“So, you don’t currently regret it?” I asked, toying with the end of one of my braids.
Asher readjusted his glasses on his nose. “At the moment, no.”
I chuckled, realizing that that was the best answer I would get for now. I scooted back so that I was next to Grayson at the headboard. He put his arm around me, his shadows coming out and smoothing themselves over my legs.
“Corrin also told us she would see you Monday to figure things out,” River said, cocking his head to the side. “Figure out what?”
“Nothing, just roommate stuff.”
“She made it seem like it wasn’t so simple.”
I shrugged. “You can’t assume something sinister by only a few words, River. If it was something dire, I would tell you.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, his more colorful tattoos popping out next to his black shirt. “Okay, fine. This really makes me hate promising not to read your mind.”
“You promised what?” Asher asked, his eyes narrowing.
River walked over, sitting at the foot of the bed. “That’s old news. Well, clearly not for you. Her mind is a purposeful mystery to me.”
“Quite the mental workout for you, since you love reading minds,” Asher pointed out.
River looked over at me, a mischievous smile on his face. “It’s what she wanted, so I did as she asked. Also, I mean it’s a little fun not being able to know things. She gets totellme what she wants…” He turned around and moved up the bed, trailing his fingers up my leg, mingling with Grayson’s shadows.
“Did you happen to put your panties back on,aking sinta?” Grayson asked.
“I—” I started but River cut me off. “She did not.” River got onto his knees, walking his fingers up my legs and spreading them open. “I can see that sweet little cunt perfectly.”
Asher spread his legs in his chair, his eyes fixated on us. “Sweet isn’t the word I’d use.”
