Page 43 of Tristano

“Hey, you okay?” Tris whispers to me.

I shake my head, feeling a little dizzy.

He pulls me quickly through the hall from the casino into a lobby area that is much quieter.

“Is this better?”

“Yeah. Sorry, I guess I don’t remember that from last night,” I tell him.

“We took a service elevator last night. I should have thought about that. I’ll do better.” He cups my cheek.

He’s so sincere that I can’t let him feel guilty.

“I’m fine now. Now where’s this food you promised me,” I tease.

He leads me over to a café in the corner of the lobby. The menu boasts several different types of coffee and pastry items. They even have egg sandwiches and bagels.

“Anything you want. It’s on me,” he whispers to me.

I smile over at him. It would have to be on him. I don’t even have a wallet on me. I don’t say that though. Instead, I take the nice gesture for what it is. His way of taking care of me.

When it’s our turn, I order a yogurt parfait and a water. Tris doesn’t order anything.

He watches me eat, making me feel weird, but I don’t say anything. I can see the worry in his eyes.

I don’t blame him. I could see my hip bone when I showered this morning. I need to up my calories to gain some weight.

I need to do it gradually though, which is why I ordered something light. My stomach is still not one hundred percent from being starved for two weeks.

So I eat slowly but finish every bite. Then I let Tris lead me down a different hall to another elevator.

“Are you sure you’re up for this? Miya wouldn’t be upset if you can’t help,” Tris reassures me.

“No. I need to do this. I know I went through some shit, but they did too. It’s not fair of me to hide because I have someone to hide behind. I need to face it. That’s what my old therapist would tell me to do.”

“Are you going to start seeing her again?” he asks softly.

I hadn’t even thought about it. After everything before, Tristano made sure I had access to a therapist he paid for. I could go see her again.

Maybe I should.

“I’m not sure.”

He nods. “You let me know, and I’ll set it up.”

Then the elevator rings, saving me from having to say anything more. I’m not ready for that topic yet.

Stepping out, he leads me down the hall to a conference room. Opening the door, he lets me walk in first.

I smile when I see the girls. All of them except Olivia and the newest girl who had the tracker. I never got her name.

“Thank you for coming,” Miya tells me as she comes up.

I smile at her, remembering meeting her the night before when she brought clothes for the other girls. I chose to keep what I had on, not wanting to take from them.

“Of course,” I tell her.

Tris leans into my ear, kissing it lightly. “I’m going to go meet Kenji. I’ll be back. Don’t leave this room. Here’s your phone. My number along with Declan’s and Kenji’s are in there. You call if you need anything at all.”

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