You’re the Reason, стр. 22
There was a knock on the door. I stepped away from the closet and approached it. “Who is it?”
“Ryan.”
Ryan? I pulled open the door. “Hey.”
He held up a bag. “I brought you something.”
I eyed it. “What is it?”
“Can I come in?”
“Do you have rope or handcuffs in that bag?”
His eyes widened. “Whoa. What kind of visit do you think this is?”
“I didn’t mean…” My cheeks pulsed with heat. “I meant…Lifetime movies…kidnapping.”
He laughed. “I’m joking. I knew what you meant. And, no. No kidnapping. Not tonight, anyway.”
I moved out of the way to let Ryan in. He wasn’t as tall as Chase, so he didn’t fill the space the way Chase did when he’d been in my room. “So, what is it?” My eyes motioned to the bag.
Ryan held it out to me.
I took it from his hand. It was heavier than I expected. I leaned against my desk chair and looked inside. I laughed.
“So?” he asked.
I reached inside and pulled out a small billiards trophy. The golden plaque on the front of it read, Billiards Champion Kappa Sigma Fraternity. “Wow. I’m honored. Did you have this made?”
He nodded. “That’s why it took a little while to come in.”
“Well, thanks,” I said, turning and placing it on my desk. “I think it looks perfect right there.”
“And, for the sake of total disclosure, I may have had ulterior motives in bringing that by.”
My eyebrows lifted in question.
“I was hoping I could maybe take you out,” he said. “Seeing as though for some reason Chase already thinks I am.”
I winced. “Yeah, about that.”
“No need to explain,” he said. “I played along, so he totally thinks we’re hanging out tonight.”
“Thanks.”
He shrugged. “Just say you’ll go out with me this weekend.”
“Oh. I…”
His hopeful eyes stared into mine. I had no reason to turn him down, especially now that he covered for my little lie. Besides, I was single and could do what I pleased.
“Sure,” I said.
A huge smile spread across his face. “Great. Let me get your phone.”
I grabbed my phone off my desk, unlocked it, and handed it to him.
He dialed his number and his phone rang. He handed it back to me. “I’ll call you this week.”
I nodded. “’Okay.”
He moved to the door and pulled it open. “Bye Sophia,” he said as he disappeared into the hallway.
I closed the door and moved to my bed. I dropped down with a humph, unsure how I felt about my impending plans with Ryan. Like I’d told Chantel after I met him at that first party, Ryan really wasn’t my type. But he looked so hopeful when he asked, and I just couldn’t bring myself to say no—or confess why I’d told Chase we were going out in the first place.
There was another knock on my door.
I stood and approached the door, thinking for sure Ryan must’ve left something behind and was coming back to retrieve it. I pulled open the door.
Chase stood there with his hands in his pockets and his eyes trained on mine. “Why was he in your room?”
“What?”
He brushed past me into the room. “Ryan. Why was he in here with you alone? I thought you were going out?”
I slammed the door and spun around, pissed at his tone and abrasiveness. “Don’t even tell me this is somehow going to be about me being reckless again. Is it reckless to have a guy in my room?” I ticked my chin toward him. “Because you’re in my room.”
“You can trust me.”
I scoffed. “Right. Trust is the first thing I think of when I think of you. Actually, right now, it’s more like creepy stalker.”
“I get it. I hurt your pride or something.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “My pride or something? Are you for real?”
“I’m just saying, you’re mad at me. Fine. Whatever. But you need to listen to me.”
“So, you’re gonna dismiss my pride being hurt or whatever, but now I have to listen to you? Seriously?”
He dragged his hands through his hair. “God dammit, Soph. Stop putting yourself in bad situations.”
“You know what?” I walked to the door. “I’m gonna take your advice.” I yanked it open. “You. You’re the bad situation. So, get out.”
His teeth clenched and his jaw began to pulse.
“Thanks for worrying about my well-being,” I said with an insincere smile. “But I’m good.”
“That’s not why I came by. We have our project.”
A sarcastic laugh escaped me. “Not tonight we don’t.”
He stared at me long and hard, annoyance weighing heavy in his eyes like when we first met. He broke eye contact first and walked straight out the door without another word.
Good riddance, asshole.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
I arrived early to Art History, taking my usual spot near the back. I checked my phone to be sure it was silenced then slipped it in my bag.
“Are you going out with him again?” Chase asked from the seat behind mine.
I didn’t bother turning around. “That’s not your seat.”
“Are you gonna answer me?”
“Are you gonna leave me alone?” I countered. “Because first, you can’t stand the sight of me, and now you’ve turned into some kind of creepy stalker.”
“Answer the question.”
“Yes.”
“What?”
I huffed my frustration. “I just answered