Page 48 of Break Me
Something that will make this shit all the worse.
I drop her hand and her brows pinch together in confusion and maybe annoyance. I slide my hands back in my pockets.
“Tomorrow, Riley and I have to fly up to Toronto. Caden is buying a new house,” I roll my eyes at the absurdity, “and wants her to see it before they close on it.”
She frowns and glances at the top of the stairs, where her sleaze-bag professor is somewhere in a classroom down the hall.
“When will you be back?” she asks quietly, shifting her gaze back to me.
“Tomorrow night,” I answer. We’re taking my plane from RDU’s airport, which means we won’t miss our flight. I can’t afford to miss any or have any delays. I don’t even want to leave Ava alone like this, but Caden is a persistent asshole and Riley deserves to see her new home before he buys it. Half of his money will be hers soon enough anyhow. It already is, just not legally.
Ava looks down at her grey boots.
“Okay,” she says, nodding. She turns to go up the stairs. I know she’s going to be late for class, but I grab her hand anyway, stopping her.
“Come with me,” I say hurriedly, not knowing what the fuck I’m thinking. “You have a passport? Come with me. We’ll be back before your dad is even in bed,” I promise her. What the hell am I doing?
She chews her lip. “Yeah, of course I have a passport but…”
“Then come.” I let go of her hand. “Stay at my place tonight.”
I’m an idiot. I am the world’s biggest dumbass. I’ve known this girl just over a month and I want to fly her on my private plane to my hometown because I am clearly not very smart. It’s not that Toronto is a bad place to spend the day. It’s a great place, actually. The problem is the demons I’ve got there. And if I’m there, I’ve got to check in on some of them.
I open my mouth to take back my invitation because clearly I didn’t think this through very well, but she frowns at me.
“Benji, I’d love to but…I just can’t.” And then she heads up the stairs, taking them two at a time, not looking back at me once.
Fuck you, Dr. Dumont. Fuck this shit.
