Page 51 of Shattered Saint
I debated whether it was something I should do. It made sense for us to exchange contact information for this project, but I was giving him another way to access me. Phone numbers would be easier than email and it wasn’t like he couldn’t get my number from Nash. However, my brother would ask more questions before giving it up.
I sighed as I pulled out my phone and handed it to him. He quickly typed in his number and then called himself, so he had my number as well.
“Alright, how about we meet up at Beyond The Page tomorrow after class to work on our research," Easton suggested. It was the first thing he’d said since this project was announced that made sense.
"Sure," I replied as I pulled out my phone to add it to my calendar. “Would 6:30 p.m. work?”
"That should be fine. I can’t do the following day because of…" Easton’s voice trailed off.
“Because of what?” My curiosity got the better of me even though I had no business asking about his schedule.
“I’ve just got something to do that has come up.”
The secrecy about what he was doing shouldn’t have made me more curious, but here I was, wondering what he was doing that had him preoccupied this week. His dark hair fell across his forehead before he pushed it away from his face, adding to the mysterious aura that surrounded him and now this thing he didn’t want to tell me about. Not that he had to tell me anything, of course. Or so I tried to tell myself.
“I hope everything is okay.” I looked at him as I wondered if he would take the hint and give me more to go on.
I vaguely heard Dr. Chen dismiss us, and my classmates gathering their things to leave the classroom.
"It is, you don’t need to worry, even though it’s cute that you are," he said. Before I could respond, he added, "See you tomorrow, Bianca."
"See you then," I said as I watched him gather his things and leave the classroom. As soon as he was out of sight, I let out a deep breath before I began to pack my own things.
My brain couldn’t figure out what to focus on because it seemed as if nothing made sense. He still hadn’t brought up the deal we struck, and now we were forced to work together on a class project. Fear tore through me because I didn’t know what to expect when it came to any of this. What should I do?
Going with the flow when it came to this was probably the best bet, but throughout all of it, I felt as if I was five steps behind everyone else.
Which made me want to sink into a bottle of wine.
As I grabbed my bookbag and put the strap over my shoulder, I was convinced that there was no way Easton and I would be able to work together. But I had to try to remain on my best behavior because our grades depended on it.
However, there was no way that I couldn’t bring up the offer. It was bothering me that he hadn’t acted on it, and I needed to know more in order to better prepare myself.
As I fought with myself about how I felt about all of this, I gave Dr. Chen a small wave and left the class, wondering how much she’d screwed me by partnering me up with Easton for this project.
21
EASTON
Beyond The Page buzzed with activity, and the aroma of fresh coffee and pastries wafted through the air. I tapped my pen on the surface of the corner table I’d been sitting at for the last twenty minutes and checked my phone for the tenth time.
Where was she? Bianca hadn’t mentioned that she would be late.
Before I could remove my hand, my phone vibrated in my palm, and I noticed who was calling me.
“What’s up, Nash?”
“Are you still able to come tomorrow?”
I nodded to myself before I responded, “Yeah, I’ll be there.”
“See you then,” he hung up before I could say anything else.
Nash and I had been on a roller coaster of an adventure since Raven, his ex-girlfriend, now current girlfriend or whatever they’d decided on at this point, came back to Brenston.
The deeper things got, the more I’d gotten glimpses of the Chevaliers, the secret society that Nash was involved in, and the one that I was potentially going to go through recruitment/initiation for.
That’s what tomorrow would hopefully be the start of.
