Page 50 of Quiet
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Isa had expected to have a terrible night’s sleep, but he’d dropped off shortly after climbing into the soft bed in the room next to Briar’s. It smelled like Briar. Woodsy, with a hint of charcoal. It felt like he was being hugged.
Isa drifted off to the quiet sounds of Briar getting ready for bed next door.
The next morning was awkward as heck.
Isa had planned on sneaking out early, but he slept so soundly he woke up with barely enough time to feed himself and make it to his last final. He jumped out of bed, threw on his dirty clothes and tore downstairs, forgetting all about stealth. When he reached the kitchen he found Briar, Bea, Alex, and Sierra sitting around the bar.
“Isa, you’re up! Come have breakfast. Alex made French toast. I promise, Briar didn’t touch anything.” Bea stood and waved Isa over.
Isa raised an eyebrow in question.
“Briar is a terrifying cook. Don’t ever let him make anything for you. You might die.”
Briar gave Bea a nasty look but didn’t say anything. When Isa sat in the only seat available—next to Briar—he took him in with a measuring stare.
“Good morning,” Isa said hesitantly.
“Mn,” Briar said and went back to eating.
Isa began to inhale the food Bea shoved onto his plate, abandoning table manners. He really needed to get out of there before the homey atmosphere made it impossible for him to leave.
“Jesus, Isa, slow down. I know my cooking is good, but don’t kill yourself over it,” Alex said in amusement.
“Sorry,” Isa said between bites. “I woke up late, and I have a final in a few minutes.”
“Briar, you really should have let Isa sleep last night if he has a final today. You’ve got plenty of other nights to wear him out,” Alex said with a wink.
Isa felt like he’d been chucked into a fire. He wouldn’t be surprised if his clothes burst into flames from the blush that swept over his body. “We didn’t do anything!”
Briar dropped his fork onto his plate with a loud clatter and glared at Alex. “Shut your fucking mouth, Alex.” Briar pushed away from the table. “Come on, Isa, I’ll drive you back to school.”
Isa grabbed his bag and followed Briar out the door, keenly aware of the stunned silence they left in their wake.
Isa made it through his last final somehow. It was math. Hopefully he did okay—he needed to get at least a B on it to keep his scholarship, but he was having a hard time caring.
All he could think about was Briar’s face as Isa got out of his car. It had been so sad.
The drive back to school was painfully silent, and Isa had spent the entire time staring out the passenger window. When Isa tried to get out of the car, Briar said, “Come to the art show tonight.”
Isa had finally turned to look at him, and his heart broke into a million pieces. Briar looked like he was holding his soul out to Isa, ready for it to be torn to shreds or accepted at Isa’s whim.
He couldn’t stop himself from saying a startled, “Okay,” before jackrabbiting it all the way to his classroom.
Chapter20
Briar
Briar stood and listened to yet another person drone on about the ingenuity of the piece Briar and his team had created. Obviously, it was amazing. It had Isa in it. That was like the artist’s version of riding a bike downhill.
He could have cared less about the gallery or his potential clients—he handed them his card when they asked about commissions. They could call his aunt. He had more important things to do.
Like stare at the door until Isa came.
He had to come. He said he would come. If he didn’t, Briar was certain the too-tight feeling causing his skin to buzz would make him explode. He had very little time left to convince Isa to stay.
What if he left right after his final?
