Page 198 of St. Mary's Rebels Box Set Volume 1

Everything comes rushing back.

He was leaving, wasn’t he?

Yeah, he was.

I don’t know what he’s doing here but my letters are gone and I’m lonelier than ever. And as soon as he starts striding toward me, I look away.

Callie gives me a tremulous smile. “I think I’m gonna go. I’ll go find out what Wyn and Poe are up to.”

I grab her wrist, suddenly feeling afraid.

I haven’t looked but I know he’s up to the threshold now. He’ll enter the room any second and I don’t wanna be alone with him.

Especially when I’m feeling so vulnerable.

“I don’t… I…” I try to tell her but don’t know what to say.

“Everything will be okay. Don’t worry.” She stands up from her seat.

“Areyougoing to be okay though?” I ask.

“Yeah.” She smiles, grins actually. “I think for a douchebag who doesn’t love you, he looks a little too worried about you.”

I don’t have the time to comment on her observation because he chooses that moment to burst inside the room.

After that I have no choice but to ignore everything else and look at him. At his navy-blue eyes, his heavily breathing chest, and I clutch the sheets of my bed.

Tightly.

“What…” I swallow. “What are you doing here?”

“You fainted,” he says, his lips barely moving they’re pulled so tight.

“Right.” I shake my head. “It’s nothing. I’m okay.”

He clamps his jaw before saying in a rough voice, “They said your sugar level was low. And you were dehydrated.”

I sigh. “Yeah, that. It’s, uh, fine. I’m –”

“No, it’s not,” he snaps.

He does it so loudly and so viciously that I jump.

“What?” I ask, pulling at the sheet and curling my toes inside the blanket.

“It’s not fine, Salem.” He pushes the words out and I think they’re costing him a lot because I swear he’s vibrating. “It’s not fucking fine. It means you weren’t eating.”

Oh God.

Him and his crazy obsession with what I eat.

It isn’t a huge surprise that Arrow eats everything right and healthy. And back when… well, when I’d sneak out to see him, up until a few days ago, he’d make me eat all that weird healthy stuff too.

He’d even make me those disgusting green shakes.

I hated them but I loved how he’d take care of me and made me drink every drop.

Even now, even after everything, my chest overflows with warmth at the sharp concern in his tone.