He clenches his teeth together, ducking his head a bit as he turns around. “Sorry, I was bringing you another comic—a peace offering. The next one in the series you started reading.” He holds it up so I can see it. “I’m sorry I upset you earlier when I was teasing you. I don’t have any fucking intention of telling people anything that’s happened between us. That’s our business.” He clears his throat roughly. “Anyway, I thought I heard you talking to Griff, or I wouldn’t have barged in.”
Huffing out a breath, I grab my T-shirt off the floor, pull it over my head, and mumble, “Apology accepted, I guess. And I was on the phone.”
“Oh.” He glances back over his shoulder at me.
I don’t miss the hunger in his eyes.
“You do realize this almost makes us even, right?” His back shakes as he snickers.
“For the record, the difference is you didn’t seem to care that I saw you buck naked. But I do,” I huff, pulling my shorts back up my legs.
He looks up toward the ceiling. “I can’t imagine why. Everything I saw looked pretty fucking fantastic to me.”
“Very funny. Okay. You can turn around.”
The minute he does, he frowns, studying my face. “Why do you look pale?”
“What?” My brain won’t even process right now. I’m super anxious, wondering if he overheard my side of the conversation with my mom.
“I asked why your face looks like that.” He points at me, pushing the door open wider and coming all the way inside. He works his jaw back and forth, as if he’s deciding whether he can push or not. “Who were you talking to?”
“None of your effing business, Beau.”
He lets out a sigh. “C’mon Lyla. Don’t be like that. You sound upset. I want to help.” He stops about a foot away, tosses the comic on the bed, and reaches out to touch my arm.
Before he can, I yank it away from him. “I told you I’m fine.”
He shrugs. “Actually, you didn’t say that. And I don’t believe you, but whatever. I also came upstairs to ask if you wanted to get pizza with us for dinner. I guess Mom and Dad decided to stay over another night. Probably having way too much fun.”
My brows go up, but I don’t comment on that last statement. “No, I’m good.” The last thing I need is to hang out with people who heard me screaming at him earlier. No matter what he claims, I’m sure they asked him what I was talking about and he’s already told them. Ugh. This sucks. My life at this school is a mess, and I haven’t even set foot inside the building. And, dammit, I haven’t had pizza in forever, so now I’m feeling cranky that I have to say no to joining them. And I bet they have some crazy good pizza around here, catering to these rich people and all their expensive tastes. My stomach rumbles in response.
“You have to eat, Seven. And I’ve seen you put it away.”
“I don’t want any. Really.” And I also can’t be put into a position where I have to cough up a bunch of money to go in on food either. Mom may not realize it yet, but I took every damn cent I could find when I left—including her secret stash, which obviously wasn’t hidden very well.
He purses his lips. “Yeah, I don’t buy that either, but you do you, boo.”
“Look, I was about to take a bath when you burst in here. That’s why I was getting naked.” Hoping to placate him, I utter, “I’ll come down and say hello when I’m done.” My teeth sink into my lip, and I close my eyes for a few seconds. Go away, Beau. I’m not ready to trust you yet. Don’t know if I even can.
When I open my eyes with an exhausted sigh, he tilts his head to the side, studying me in earnest now. “Promise? Because we want to make sure you have what you need for school tomorrow, too. We can talk about your schedule and stuff when you come down.” He turns to leave, but stops in the doorway. He pivots on his heel, fully facing me, and swallows carefully. “I know you’re nervous to come downstairs because they overheard us earlier.”
My gaze drops to my hands, which are twisting in front of me.
“Lyla. Look at me,” he rasps out, the command clear in his voice.
Slowly, my eyes shift upward to meet his.
“I didn’t explain any of what you said to them. They asked, and you have to know they’re curious, but I didn’t tell them. I didn’t say a fucking word.”
My lip trembles. “Why?”
He runs his hand through his hair. “Because I promised you I wouldn’t. Fuck. Why is that so hard to believe?” He exhales harshly. “We’ll see you downstairs.”
Once he’s gone, I return to my previous plan. I fill the tub, pouring a healthy amount of bubble bath in, peel my clothes off again and slip into the water, sinking down until the bubbles tickle my chin.
Why is it so hard for me to believe what he’s saying? Because he’s not one of the two people who have earned my trust. I don’t know what to make of Beau Danbrook. I really don’t. I’m not sure he knows what to make of me either, but his actions make me think maybe he could at least be a friend. I don’t know. I don’t have many of those…
I can’t decide if I even want a friendship with him. He’ll probably end up being like every other guy my age I’ve met, and that’s nothing I want to deal with. Simon is the only male I’ve ever felt I could trust.