Page 21 of Quiet
Very soon, Isa was about to have a serious problem. The flimsy fabric around his waist wasn’t going to hide any secrets that might—ahem—pop up. He hurried forward, and the hand on his back fell away.
Isa threw himself face down on the pillows and tried to find an appropriately Venus-like pose. If he found a good one, the artists would probably let him stay that way until things calmed down a bit, so he gave it his all.
He faced Alex’s easel and propped himself up on his forearms. What did sexy look like? An image from this morning of Briar looking down at him while Isa kneeled in front of him popped into his head. Unconsciously, he mimicked Briar’s half-closed eyes and bit his lower lip.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Isa. If Ryan knew you had this in you, he’d never have let you come here.” Will stood from where he sat next to Alex and circled around Isa. “Seriously, I’m thinking about you in my bed right now—ack!”
Isa didn’t see what happened because he was facing the wrong way, but Alex jumped up and shouted, “Briar!”
Isa turned to see Briar with his hands fisted in Will’s shirt. The shorter boy’s toes were barely scraping the floor.
Chapter9
Briar
“Briar!” Alex’s voice intruded on the swirl of anger coursing through Briar’s veins.
He glared into the startled face of Isa’s friend, then blinked and shook his head as he realized what he’d just done.
Briar turned to see Isa staring at him in shock.
“It’s okay.” Isa rolled over and sat up, holding out his hands, placating. “Will doesn’t mean half of what he says, really.”
What about the other half?Briar thought as his fingers tightened unconsciously in the fabric of Will’s shirt.
“The other half is still harmless, I promise!” Isa tried to get up but stumbled on the yards of cloth wrapping around him.
Briar released Will and took in the scene around him.
Will had collapsed in a crumpled heap on the floor as soon as Briar had let go, and Isa was crawling to check on him, while Alex was walking slowly toward Briar.
Like he was a wild animal.
Briar took a step back. Then another. Then he turned and fled, narrowly avoiding slamming into Bea on his way out.
“Hey Bri, where’s the fire? Whoa . . . he’s gone.”
He heard Bea ask, “What did you guys do?” as he flung the door to the stairwell open.
He ran down the stairs, skipping steps in his haste. When he did hit a step, it made a satisfyingly loud sound. He burst out onto the main floor, but instead of slowing, he broke into a full run, dodging past several students loitering by the front door.
Briar didn’t care what they thought. Everyone here already thought he was odd. Might as well give them a good reason for it.
All he cared about right now was finding a private place to think. It was late afternoon, so it was still light outside. The sun may have been working its way toward the horizon, but it was still bright enough to take away a lot of options. Briar liked darkness—it was easier to think at night. It made him feel safe. Fewer distractions, fewer people out to bother him.
He headed toward a patch of forest on the east side of the campus. There wouldn’t be too many joggers and nature lovers—it would be dark sooner in the forest than on the rest of the campus. He stepped off the path and wove through trees and around underbrush until he found the old maple tree he was searching for.
He grabbed the lowest branch and swung himself up into the tree, climbing until he found his favorite spot. There was a natural groove that fit his body perfectly—and no one ever came here. He’d just have to make sure not to kill himself on the way down once it got dark.
Briar sighed and leaned his head back against the trunk of the tree.
What the hell had just happened?
First, he couldn’t stop thinking about Isa, and now he’d almost attacked someone?
He reached for his sketchbook but paused. If he failed as miserably as he had earlier, he’d end up throwing the book out of the tree.
He switched pockets, pulled out his phone, and made a call.
