Page 34 of Shattered Saint
"I will, I promise," Nash replied.
This conversation between my brother and father left me with more questions than answers. What in the world were they talking about? Why was Dad so worried?
Instead of blowing my cover, I walked away, allowing Nash and Dad to continue their conversation alone.
I tried to think about anything other than what I just heard but failed. What could Nash possibly be involved in that would bring harm to our family? I wanted to help him, but it wasn’t like I could just go up to Nash, tell him what I overheard, and demand that he let me help.
I strolled down the hall, my mind heavier than it had been earlier that night as I wondered what to do next.
13
BIANCA
Itapped my foot against the leg of my desk as I waited for my psychology class to end. I’d lost count of the number of times that I’d looked at the classroom door, ready to make my exit. I had to time my escape just right so I could get out of the room before the man sitting next to me.
I glanced at Easton as he leaned back in his chair. He ran a hand through his hair, causing it to fall carelessly over his forehead. I hated that it looked as if he’d just woken up after an endless night of sex.
I hated him and wished I was the reason why his hair looked like that at the same damn time.
I turned my attention back to Dr. Chen’s lecture. I tried to focus on her words, but still found myself distracted. His behavior since he’d transferred into this class had done a one-eighty. Although he was still sitting next to me, he’d left me alone for the most part, but I couldn’t help thinking it was only a matter of time before he made his move.
As the class dragged on, I tried to ignore Easton and it would have been pretty easy, if it hadn’t been for the fact that I was on edge. I checked the time on my phone and sighed. Only a minute to go until class would be dismissed.
"Alright, everyone, you’re free to leave," Dr. Chen announced, bringing the class to an end. "Remember to read chapter five for next week."
As students began to gather their belongings and file out of the room, I’d made sure to pack my things in advance so I could leave quickly. As I reached the door, I felt a hand on my arm, stopping me in my tracks.
"Wait," Easton said, his voice was low, but I couldn’t get a read on him. “Can we talk?”
“Easton, I really don’t have the time, nor do I want to.”
“It’ll only take a few minutes.”
His fingertips were warm against my skin, making me tremble slightly. It was obvious that in spite of the hatred I’d harbored for him over the last couple of years, he still could make my heart race.
I gestured for him to move to the side so that our classmates could leave the classroom and that gave me a couple of seconds to think about his question. I knew what I was going to say and that it was a mistake, yet there was a hint of desperation in his voice, which made me more curious. “Fine. Where do you want to meet?”
“Tonight at 6:30? I’ll come to you.”
I lost my train of thought when he said ‘come’ and I refrained from shaking my head in disgust. “Sure, fine.”
He gave me a small nod before he walked away.
Psychology was my last class of the day, so I immediately left the building and walked over to the BMW my parents bought me as a graduation gift. I didn’t drive it much, but had decided to drive to campus today, and now I was glad I did. I wanted to get back to my apartment as fast as possible.
There were a few things I needed to do just in case Easton did show up tonight. I drove home, parked my car in the parking lot, and I almost ran to my apartment. I needed to get ready for Easton's potential visit. What sucked about it was that I only had a few hours to do so. I felt foolish doing this whole thing, not knowing what we were even talking about tonight because this could be a waste of time. Yet here I was, making sure that I cleaned up the mess that had accumulated in my apartment over the past week.
While I did have a house cleaner who came in once a week to take care of things, she wouldn’t be able to help me with tonight’s adventure. I should have thought about that before I agreed to him coming over.
I grabbed the laundry basket from my walk-in closet and started tossing all the clothes I’d scattered around my bedroom and living room. Once that was clear, I moved on to tidying up my desk. It took me some time to put away each item into its rightful place, but eventually it looked like the perfect aesthetic you would see on social media.
The kitchen was next, and thankfully there wasn't much to tidy up. I’d ordered takeout a couple of times over the last few days so there weren’t too many dishes to clean. After quickly washing those up, I decided it would be best to eat some dinner before he arrived, so I quickly warmed up a leftover pasta dish and gathered some vegetables I could chop up and turn into a quick salad.
I chopped and washed all the produce—a tomato, a cucumber, red onion, and carrots—and put them on top of some mixed greens. I added feta cheese and a vinaigrette to the salad, and I was done.
As I sat down to eat, I allowed my mind to wander back to what this could be about. Why did he want to talk with me alone? Was this some sort of twisted game he was playing? I shook my head, convincing myself I was overthinking things. It was just a conversation, nothing more.
While I tried to enjoy the meal, I couldn’t, because I couldn’t get my mind off Easton. I felt uneasy, and I couldn’t exactly explain why.
