Page 112 of Knight

“Kind of like us?” God, I sound basic. Closing my eyes tight, I’m hoping he doesn’t think the same.

“Yeah.” When he agrees, it makes me exhale. A blank slate with Damien King. Who knows where this’ll go? Besides the bedroom. “Enough of this sappy shit. I left some breakfast in the kitchen. Eat that and get to work on your project. You have a week.”

“Wow, King.” He’s putting in the effort to take care of me and that’s something I’ll have to get used to.“Wait, where are you?”

“It’s time I fix something else.”

“You’re speaking in riddles again.”

He chuckles. “Trust me, Rowland. Keep doing that for me.”

“You’re impossible,” I groan with a bite of my lip.

“I’ll be back later and when I do, I expect to see you naked,” he says. “I lo—” My breath stops in my throat. Is he about to drop a bomb? “Love seeing you naked. See you soon.”

He ends the call as a long exhale escapes me and that’s when I realize my heart’s pounding. Bringing my hand to my chest, I try to calm my nerves when my stomach grumbles, breaking me out of my thoughts.

My appetite is finally knocking and that breakfast sounds enticing. It’ll be enough to get me out of my head, and my mind on this canvas.

Who knows? Damien could be the inspiration I need.

Tucking the canvas under my arm I head for the stairs.

Time for a re-do.

* * *

Damien makes me spend the week with him, Willow stopping by whenever she’s taking a break from her new squad. Which of course, isn’t for very long, as long as she knows I’m stable and alive.

I spend most of my time after school working on my art project, old school rock playing in the background to get me in the zone. Damien’s sound system is even better than the one they have at the Archibalds, bass vibrating the floors. With no neighbours to call the cops for being too loud, every day’s my own little party.

I say my own because even though Damien’s there every evening with a bag of food and another round of mindblowing sex, he’s always gone come morning. A routine I know all too well.

He wants me to trust him but every time I ask him about what he’s doing, he says, “Business”. What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Business for everyone is different. For Zane, it was beating someone until they gave him the money they owed, or offloading a pile of drugs. For Cindy, it’s running her cafe somehow. And for Damien, well, I’m not sure what that entails.

Speaking of Cindy, I haven’t forgotten what Damien told me about someone at the school starting that fire. I meant to ask Lea but she’s out of the picture. I mean completely out of the picture. It’s Wednesday and I haven’t even heard her cackle through the halls.

On my way to class, something nudges my shoulder, canvas slipping from my fingers. When I look up, Allie lowers her brows as she straightens her glasses on her nose.

I shoot her a small smile, “Allie, hey.” She hesitates to answer, her hair in a ponytail, eyes red. Allie looks as bad as I did before Damien’s last party. “I’m sorry I was rushing to—”

“Sorry for bumping into me or sorry for being a selfish asswipe?” Pulling her tote higher on her shoulder, she glares at me through her cat-eye lenses.

Shit. I forgot she doesn’t hold back. That’s why we get along so well. Standing up tall, I apologize, “You’re right. I’m sorry. I should have never said anything or outed you two like that.”

“You know her mom sent her to St. Meredith’s?” I don’t know what this is, my brows furrowing but Allie explains, “It’s a boarding school for girls in Montreal.”

“Wait, Cindy found out her daughter’s into chicks so she sent her to a school with all the girls?”

“Yeah,” Allie scoffs, a smirk pulling at her face but she steadies her glare. “Far away from me. So thanks.”

Wait a minute. “You didn’t even tell me you were a thing to begin with!”

“Yet you told the entire school.” Allie sounds exasperated but she avoids drawing a crowd, keeping her voice low. Another sign that she and Lea are so completely different. I want to tell her she’s better off without her, but I know she’s hurting way too much to hear that. “All because I left you at the club?”

“No! I was angry and upset. I felt alone and I don’t know who I can trust but,” I stop, hearing myself. “That’s no excuse.” I look in her eyes, the lights above reflecting off her glasses. I’m trying to show her I’m sincere. I still don’t know whether they’re working together but Allie’s reacting like someone who was in … love? The bell rings and I know I don’t have much time, “Allie, I’m sorry.”

“You couldn’t trust me?” She stares at me like I said something about her mom. “But you can trust King? You ditched my brother in Cabo. I mean, yeah, he can be an entitled dick but he didn’t deserve that. I didn’t deserve that.” Fuck. She’s reading me like the Sunday paper. “When you came here I thought you’d be different, but you and King deserve each other.” She wrinkles her nose, eyes glossy. “Chances are, you’ll feel as alone next week when he drops you again.”

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